Traveling Light

Wed. 2 Jan. ‘46

Manila

 

Dear folks,

Another short letter tonight. No mail today. In fact nothing much happened. An awful lot is in the wind though and it won’t be long now. Except for getting the morning reports out this morning and making another report this afternoon I haven’t done much of anything. This forenoon I got some of my stuff sorted out and I have a couple packages of things I will be sending along in a few days. Some more junk as you call it. One is an oil painting I got up in the mountains. It isn’t much but just a souvenir. It is packed in a bamboo tube. I still have to finish sealing it up. Then I am sending a box also which I haven’t finished packing yet. It’s just some odds and ends – 2 cameras, mine and one Miller gave me when he left. It is a German box camera and may be a good one. I have never seen any of the pictures taken with it. Then there are two harmonicas, a little box of coins from the various places we have been, a slide rule, a lot of the pictures I have had with me and some Xmas & birthday cards. Incidentally did I send a long slide rule home from Germany? I had one over there and haven’t seen it since but for some reason can’t remember if it was in with all those stamps and other stuff that I sent. That leaves me with just the necessary stuff to carry. From here on in I am traveling light. I still have my little Belgian pistol and I am still not sure whether to sell it or keep it for a souvenir. It has little value other than as a keepsake. It is real small, a 25 cal, and can be hidden in one’s pocket but it is in rather sad shape now. I think I shall remove the firing pin so it will be harmless and keep it. I’ll have to declare it at the customs before I can get it into the US along with anything else acquired overseas but I don’t have anything else left. When I leave here I am taking only what I have to and turning in everything else. Tonight we saw “Lost Horizon” the story of Shangri La. I had read the book but never seen the picture and I enjoyed it. That’s about all there is to say for tonight so I believe I shall head for my bunk. Be seein’ you pretty soon,

Arlington