Part 30 (1/2)

BRUSSELS, August 21, 1914

DEAREST ONE:

I cannot say much, as I doubt if this will be opened by you The Ger and I aet letters fro one, and hold it until I am sure of some way by which it can reach you

YOU KNOW WHAT I WOULD SAY

Mrs Davis had waited in London to meet Richard on his return fro as to the date of his return, coupled with her strong sense of duty to his interests at hoave occasion for the letter which follows:

LONDON, August 31, 1914

DEAREST ONE:

Not since the Herald Square days have I had such a blohen I drove up to 10 Clarges, and found you gone! IT WAS nobODY'S FAULT! YOU WERE SO RIGHT to go; and I COULD NOT COME I aet back that decided you to go before the fifth But Ashford says it was not He tellsand that you had arranged to be called at six-thirty in order to leave for Scotland So, for sending that cable I need not blaes I do not knohich got through But I think itI could not return in ti The very NEXT DAY the Germans started a troop train, and I took it The reason I could not co out with the ”ive me a pass

So Evans, hoh Friday afternoon and sent the cable As soon as I reached Holland, I cabled I was co every step of the journey, which lasted three days

I telegraphed last fro you what to have for my supper As you directed, Ashford opened the cables, and when I drove up, he was at the door in tears He had ht in your rooht you still were in them

When they told me I was a day late, I cried, too It was the bitterest disappointment I ever knew I had taken the very first train out of Brussels, the one with the wounded, and for three days had been having one hell of a ti your dear voice So the trip did notGod I was shut of the dirty Ger to eat, and we slept on the floor of the train, the Gerh even Holland, ere under arrest

But nothingyou

As I said neither of us was at fault You just HAD to go, and I could NOT COME But, you can feel how I felt to learn you were at sea

I was so glad I could use your old roolad I could at least be as near to you as that No other place in London could have held s you had left I loved even the funny pictures on the wall because we had talked of theether

It was ROTTEN, ROTTEN luck But only the Gerht to the cable office, and tried to wireless you, knowing you would feel glad to knoell, and safe and sound But the cable people could not send e You were then out of reach of wireless, on the Irish coast And for nine days there was no way to tell you I had come back as fast as trains and boats and the dirty Germans would let me Oh, my dear, dear one, HOW I LOVE you If only I could have seen you for just five ht for five days ether What I shall do now, I don't know I lish until my contract expires, and then, I can join you Toet with the army And I will at once return across the channel But, do not worry! I will never again let a German come within ONE MILE of me! After this, between me and the Gerlish or French So after this reaches you I will soon be on my way HOME Don't worry Get James back and Amelia and everyone else who can ood Lord I have your cross and St Rita around my neck, and in spite of what the Kaiser says, God is looking after other people than Geruard you, and our ”blessed” one

And in a little tirocer God love you and keep you, as he does And you will never know HOW I LOVE YOU! Good night, dearest, sweetheart and wife!

I aoing to the farm, and to peace and happiness I SEND YOU ALL THE LOVE IN ALL THE WORLD

RICHARD

LONDON, Septeain tonight and I think you were on deck and saw it, because by now, you have passed the four days at sea and should be in the St Lawrence So I knew you saw the moon, too, and I sent you a kiss, via it It was just over St James Palace but also it was just over you

Today has been a day of worries Wheeler cabled that the papers wanted ainst the Germans As I a of Ger the EXCLUSIVE stories I had sent the ot cables fro me on the anti-German stories So I cabled Wheeler to tell papers of his syndicate, dictation from them as to what I should write was ”unexpected,” that they could go to name-of-place censored and that if he wished I would release hi that without credentials I ith French, Belgian and Ger of Louvain and got arrested as a spy, they were a bit ungrateful I a WHAT I would have seen HAD I HAD credentials

I saw Anthony Hope at the club last night He had to go back to the country, so I dined alone on English oysters Fancy anyone being NEUTRAL in this war! Ger bothe cathedrals! A ht, NEAR, DEAR, DEAR one It has been several weeks since I had sleep, so if I rave and wander inof you God bless you