The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume 1 Read online

. We were driven home. I will even be campsick for camp.

  Love,

  Sylvia.

  TO Margot Loungway Drekmeier*

  Wednesday 9 August 1945

  ALS with envelope,

  Estate of Margot Drekmeier

  August 9, 1945

  Dear Margot,

  Thank you ever so much for the perfect time I had at Innisfree in the past seventeen days.* I have never felt better and I have gained two pounds. (Must be due to those five potatoes I consumed one night for supper.)

  We had a lovely trainride home. We passed through two pelting rainstorms, but they both only lasted a few minutes as we were traveling express from Portland.

  We arrived in Boston at seven-twenty and, as my grandmother called for us at North Station in the car, we were home by eight-thirty.

  I awoke this morning and started with horror for a moment, but then sighed with relief as I saw the moose head at the foot of my bed rapidly dwindle into a bedpost! You see, your imaginative influence still clings to my mind.

  Last night all I dreamed about was a rainstorm soaking all the valuable stamps in the world from albums and washing them up to my doorstep sorted out and in perfect condition. Isn’t that an ideal way to accumulate stamps?

  By the way, I am enclosing three stamps.* I believe they are Swedish. These are the only duplicates that I have come across so far, but if I find any in the future I will send them to you immediately. If you already have these stamps please stick them in one of your letters to me because my dearest little brother has set his eyes on them longingly, already. I am going to Boston in the near future and will then buy a much longed for stamp album!!! I hardly can wait to mount my stamps in it. I have just received my “American Girl” magazine and have seen an offer to buy stamps “on approval” from the Jamestown Stamp Company.* I am going to send in as you advised me to, after I finish mounting stamps in my promised album.

  Have you recovered your laundry bag yet? If I see any of the ghosts which inhabit our storeroom, I’ll be sure to see if the sheets are marked Innisfree and send them to you, ghost and all.

  love to all,

  Sylvia

 

  TO Margot Loungway Drekmeier

  Saturday 18 August 1945

  ALS with envelope,

  Estate of Margot Drekmeier

  August 18, 1945

  Dear Margot,

  I just received your nice long letter this morning. It’s wonderful to at last have found someone that writes really worthwhile letters.

  Thank you for those seventeen stamps you sent me. I’m returning the four which I have already. Enclosed also is a stamp from Chile which I hope you don’t have yet. However, if you do have it, please return it. Let’s adopt that plan. Is that allright with you?

  On Monday, August 13, Mother took me to Boston with the purpose in mind of shopping and buying me a stamp album. We went to the Harris Stamp Company* to get my album the first thing. I got an album which is the exact duplicate of yours (price and all). As the album was heavy and the day was humid we decided to go to a movie instead of shopping. We saw “The Valley of Decision”* starring Gregory Peck and Greer Garson. Have you ever read the book? The acting was suburbly done and we enjoyed the afternoon thoroughly.

  On Tuesday I hinged all my United States Stamps in my album and by Thursday I had all of the stamps you gave me pasted in. Recently I have been trading stamps with Warren who has quite a nice set. I have on the average of 300 different stamps now. In the Agust issue of the American Girl an offer was made by the Jamestown Stamp Company. Here it is: To Serious approval applicants only (that means you, Margot,) we make this biggest offer in Stampdom – for ten cents in coin we will send you a packet of five hundred stamps from missions over all the world!

 

  In case you are interested you know their address.

  Mother bought my stamp album for me in exchange for a play she promised me (both about the same cost – $6.00.)

  Warren is now saving up for his album. We are both searching avidly for stamps (this is one interest that will never die down.)

  How, may I ask, is dearest Ellen? Has she invited you to supper yet? By the way, did you continue going to Bible School the two mornings after I left? If so how is Dunstan* and the bad side of Christianity? Has him’s darlin’ ’ittle Lois got herself any songs to sing beside “B-I-B-L-E, le Bible?”

  How is your hand made coming along. I have persuaded my mater to get me a small one year diary for Christmas and also an unmarked journal for special events.

  We all rejoiced in hearing the good news about the recovering of your laundry.

  All of us are joyful that the end of the war with Japan has occured at last so we have sent up a little box to make the news sweeter for the family.

  Do not tell John,* but I am glad (for you) that part of his sprayer was lost and hope (again from me in concern for you) that it is never recovered, considering the terrible purpose for which he used it.

  How are the two kittens, Patch and yours? (Have you named yours yet?) Upon returning home I was very sadly upset to find my only and most beloved son, Mowgli, gone, (for good it seems), so I erected his memorial shaft in my little lower bed ”>

  Maybe I should be given a gold star to put in his cemetary because he was a brave cat and maybe he lost his life as a general in the war between the Tiger and Bob cats in our neighborhood. (He was always a loyal Tiger!)

  Has the sex of your cats been determined yet? Some morning you may wake up and find a dozen little apatchies or gray and white kittens climbing all over your bed and still more peeping down from the bats roost in your room. I hope for your Mother’s sake that this will never happen in such quantity.

  Love to all from – your friend,

 

  Sylvia

  (alias Moosie-Moose)

  P.S. Warren plans to write to John but don’t be surprised if he receives the letter after John has started to shave.

  TO Margot Loungway Drekmeier

  Thursday 30 August 1945

  ALS with envelope,

  Estate of Margot Drekmeier

  August 30, 1945

  Dear Margot,

  Thank you for the Christmas present. Warren and I are waiting in great excitement until we open the package on December the twenty-fifth. We thought, at first, that we had been unfortunate victims of some cruel practical joker (you, of course) until we came across the Christmas wrapping paper and then we reluctantly decided that we had better not open it ’till Christmastime to humor your caustic wit. (Remember – “He who laughs best laughs last!”) (Heh! Heh! Heh!)

  In the envelope I’m enclosing a few so-called stamp hinges.* I usually get the kind of hinges that you do, but as I ran out of them I had to resort to the enclosed specimens. (Ugh!) If, up to this time, you have been licking your hinges – please – of all things, DON’T LICK THESE !!!!!!!!!! To me they taste (when licked) like decayed bread pudding garnished with alcohol! I have warned you – do now what you will.

  I heartily agree with you concerning Mr. (I won’t disgrace churches or ministers by associating him (or his name) with “Reverend) “Morbid Religious Drible” Dunstan. Here are two sketches to show the only things I remember of him

  this and this

  How I shudder to think of your mothers wrath when you have a few countless batches of caterwauling kittens under-foot. Probably (not if I know her though) she (pardon the crossed “h”), w
ill take advantage of the name “Disappearing Cat from Saturn”* and make them all disappear with a few doses of potomaine poison. (Perish the thought!)

  Speaking of stamp offers, I just received that packet of 500 stamps. I had to divvy half and half with Warren as he paid half of the cost. I did this with my eyes closed so all would be fair. I only got one or two duplicates beside some red Canadian friends and about 40 green English friends. I received about fifty large stamps that were all beautiful pictures and various colors.

  I enjoy buying stamps on approval. Do you usually send the money in cash? I had none of the stamps you sent me so I put them all in my album. I’m enclosing* in a little transparent envelope in which are a few of my best duplicates. I hope you will be able to use some of them. Let’s use the envelope for trading purposes. All right?

  I have had my haircut and really I think it looked quite presentable!! By the way I am wearing one of the dresses which you so kindly bequeathed me. Everybody had nice remarks about my favorite – that light blue flowered one. I have had a picture taken and if it comes out I’ll send it to you so you can see how I’ve changed (to the worse.)

  To day has been very busy for me. First we went to Boston to the dentists, then we rushed home and in about five minutes were on our way at 55 miles an hour to have luncheon at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury* (with three friends*). On the way home after an interesting tour of the spot of Longfellow’s historic poem* I remembered that I had a viola lesson in 15 minutes and so the friend who was driving obliging screeched around corners at the tortoise pace of 60 mi. per hr. (I saw the speedometer, mind you!) I was not surprised to be at my lesson 5 min. early!!!

  Love,

  Sylvia

 

  HA! Don’t laugh at the one who knows. HA!

  NO N S EN SE*

  Is your kitten Disky-Disky the Disappearing cat from Mars?

  Pardon the waylaid-letter

  TO Margot Loungway Drekmeier

  Tuesday 18 September 1945

  ALS with envelope,

  Estate of Margot Drekmeier

  September 18, 1945

 

  Dear Margot,

  Are you giving up hope of ever getting a letter from me? Hold on!! Here it is:

  I enjoyed receiving your dignified letter and looked over the stamp sheets carefully. At first I wondered how you printed the sheet but figured you used carbon paper. (Is that so?) As school has begun I did not have much spare time and that was swamped with homework. Several times I have sat down to write you but only got as far as the date or making stamp sheets. I verily believe that your brother’s idea is good but as I don’t have much allowance left over after dues, church, lunch money, and such, have been deducted, I have only a few cents with which to purchase stamps but will do the best I can. I hope that you will need some of my stamps that I’m sending on two different sheets.

  I am receiving a few nice stamps from Great Britain and I’m enclosing one as a special gift in case you don’t already have it.

  Do you have any other people besides us three (you, John, & me) in your impressive stamp circle?

  I am in assembly tomorrow and so is Betsy Powley. When she was rehearsing her song on stage I ran my finger over my mouth in an imitation of a moronic relapse (she knows the joke) and she began to burst out laughing, only the Music teacher hushed her with a fierce “Shhhh!!!!!” One that afternoon we were crowed on a packed bus after two and one-half hours rehearsal and I dropped my ticket and as I was on my knees hunting for it Betsy sat on my head. Everybody around us was laughing fit to kill.

  No, I have never tried writing to anyone in foreign countries although I have often wanted to. How do you obtain the addressesses and how many different languages do you have to know?

  By the way, in Darien, did you know a blonde girl in your division by the name of Patty* who was rather pretty, self-centered, and, shall we say, “pleasantly plump” in the upper regions? Was she nice to you? Smart in school? and so on. I want to know because she is now living in Wellesley and is in love with my friends’ no-good brother and I want to know if you liked Patty huh?

  I have seen countless babies since I have been in Maine, but, I feel pangs of regret in my heart when I remember how I didn’t take “Dunkie”* and Susie* home with me as no other child can compare with them.

  How do you like school now? Mater starts teaching tomorrow.

  Love,

  Sylvia

 

  P.S. Yawn

  PP.SS. Time is passing. Almost 11:00 (And ½ hr.)

  PP.P.SSS. Mater’s calling

  P.P.P.P.SSSS. I have written to you!!!!!!!!!!!

  PPPPP.SSSSS. – Goodnight!!!!

  PPPPPPSSSSSS – z-z-z-z-zz-zz-zz-zzzzzzz

  Eureka! (or something of the sort)

  TO Margot Loungway Drekmeier

  Monday 5 November 1945

  ALS with envelope,

  Estate of Margot Drekmeier

  November 5, 1945

  Dearest Margot,

  I received your nice birthday card and incoherent postcard some time ago and have been too busy since to answer them.

  I have, in the meanwhile, received a whole pile of lovely stamps – three of which are alone worth $2.50! The Harris Company sent them as a special birthday gift and they’re from Cape Juby. I have 51 Austrian Stamps and would like more on approval. Have you any special sets or countries that you want stamps from?

  On October the 26th I went to Boston and played my viola in the orchestra for the Teachers’ Convention.* It was my first public appearance and it was fun!

  How is school going with you? I am going through grueling (sp?) rehearsals for P.T.A. night. I am “Social Studies” in an epilogue.

  By the way, I’m writing this letter from the old jail itself! (It’s the only time I can find to write to you this week in my nightmares I can see your face, which is pretty bad!!)

  (For my birthday I got two kerchief, money, books, stamps, mittens and a whole lot of everything mentioned.) Every minute I’m doing something – I even enjoy going to bed! (Strange as it may seem.)

  In gym we’re learning to play field hockey. Of course it won’t count, but I thought of not going out for sports and when I tried it out it was so much fun that I continued. I really think that it is relaxing.

  We have already had a snowfall that spread everything with a lacy veil and even though it was yesterday (Sunday) – it still lasts in places.

  Oh-Oh! (As Susie says) There goes the bell. Write soon, please.

  Love,

  Sylvia

  Give love to Duncan & Susie especially, and also to everyone else.

  S.

  TO Margot Loungway Drekmeier

  Saturday 17 November 1945*

  ALS with envelope, Smith College

  December 25, 1945

  (is coming soon)

  Dearest Margot,

  How are you old top? I am fine also.

  The address you wanted is:

  H. E. Harris Company

  108 Massachusetts Ave.

  Boston 17, Massachusetts.

  The so-called company knew the date of my birthday because they asked for it on an approval sheet.

  I’m enclosing my favorite picture of me with my little brown jug.*

  We had a lovely P.T.A night* up at the Junior High School. I was in a tableau as you probably know. There was an exibition of all our work in all of the rooms and in the hall.

  Could you name some specific stamps you want? Maybe I have it. How many stamps do you have in your album. What countries do you have most in? I would like basic information about the stamp circle. Are the stamps all your duplicates? I have bought quite a few nice stamps from the
Jamestown Company already and I find that their offers are quite reasonable. How Do you go about getting so many good duplicates?

  Its astounding about Susie saying such things! The “old top” sounds sort of fishy though. I would love to know what Duncan looks like

  For over a week now, we’ve been having cold gray weather with stinging rain almost unceasingly. Speaking of poetry I just began a notebook of my poems and already have about 5 real ones, and have about 5 medium and about 15 jingles.

  Have you many Stamps from Southern Rhodesia? You certainly were prompt in answering my letter.

  After I saw the “return within 10 days” underlined I resolved to do so.

  What are your latest stories about, by the way? I would love to have a copy of a few of them.

  I recently looked through a magazine and I found all of the various stages in eye making pictured. This is the finished model. Its a beautiful specimin.*

  This is definitely a true experience of mine:* “About a few months ago I went to the Art Museum* with Priscilla* and Patty D.* (two friends of mine.) We were studying about Egypt and so went up to the mummy room. In a showcase on the wall there were various Egyptian relics being displayed. A queer old man came up silently and said, “O ho! You girls must be interested in my treasures. I’m keeper here and I have something in my other pants that may be of interest to you.” Off he went into a dark corridor. I immediately wanted to go home for my feet hurt, but the two others were interested and I had, evidently, been reading too many “Nancy Drew” stories. I, of course, stayed on with them. In a few minutes the old man walked back with a new suit on! Out of his pocket he took a tiny, queer shaped sort of magnifying glass. This, the funny (or shall I say peculiar) man took, and lead us over to the showcase. In the case there were various types of Indian jewelry and Egyptian jewelry. (Do you know the story of the Mummy’s foot.* Ask your mother* if she does.) One little box contained an agate eye! It looked, (to shivering me) like the real thing. The man cackled when he saw my terror and held out the glass —