Filling Alan in on Delhi
July 9, 1953
Dear One,
If this were strictly a world of “an eye for an eye…” instead of “do unto others as…” I wouldn’t write you now, you know. If we made a strict accounting, I think you’d owe me a letter….however, I never can resist very long.
I waxed ambitious the other night and put all my slides in apple pie order, with little dividers and all bottom side up and shiny side out, etc. and in the process mounted the Jaipur roll that Bombay had returned in strip. My mounting job isn’t expert but it gets them off the roll. They are a little finger printed and scratched from so long handling in the roll. I gave a few of them to your friend Eddington, and thought you might like these. I know you’d like the street scenes too, but I had a hard enough time parting with the elephant.
I have been thinking about you of late .. first because I made another trip to Simla and I naturally remembered the first time. Mariella and I rode up with Charlie and Ruth Duffy (Charlie is a very capable and speedy driver, much to my surprise and delight). Except for the fact that I pulled my old “stop the car” act every few miles / the trip was pretty good, considering we made it in 7 hours. Helen, Mary London, Gloria Morasco (probably one of those you claim I mention and you don’t know - but she’s not worth explaining), Mary Tinley (another one?) and Millie Krause had gone up the day before. Then Maud and Al Awagain and an Indian friend of theirs came up. Tikki was there. It rained part of the time but was nice enough in between for us to take a few pictures. Saturday night they had a big night with Leho and Mane, the french dance team from Delhi, as the cabaret, and fireworks up on the street after dinner. Sunday we went out for a picnic, stopping to take pictures at the famous 190 miles to Tibet sign. We went way on past where we were before to Kufri and when we got there we were surrounded by clouds and mist, so we ate on the porch. Then Mariella and I came back to Delhi that afternoon with Leho and Mane in the Imperial Hotel car. I took a couple of pills Shirley Duffy had got down in the bazaar, and was o.k. It’s too much of a trip for two days. Never again. But it’s lovely up there. I’d forgotten how nice. And I remembered poor little puny Alan in Simla. My legs were tied up in knots for a couple of days after. I’m getting soft.
And second…because it was the 4th of July. Hard to believe it has been a year since last 4th of July. Glad it’s this year and not last year, though. I’d hate to go through last Aug, Sept and Oct again, even though the 4th of July was nicer. I guess they had a party with fireworks at the Taj and then went over to Jaipur house to swim, but Hi said it wasn’t the same fun and he missed the old crowd.
Only two months to go and I’m really sweating them out. The closer it gets the worse I want to get going and I’ll hate the St. Dept. if they keep me here very long.
Mannie and Helen are still on the outs, and it seems so strange. With John Geltz and Ellen Watlington both leaving, Mannie is back again into a gay social whirl of parties and is booked solid for a week. He takes great pleasure in bragging about his engagements. You’d think that after two years of his nonsense I’d eventually get bored, but he knows darn well he can make me laugh, and constantly does. Like the other night.. we stopped in to see Pat Basnett and the baby and we got to talking about weird tales and we each told a few. He told about a guy going through the jungle with his friend and falling into a well and the spiders coming back to their home…etc (I’m sure you’ve heard it.) and as we started to leave said, “I enjoyed all the stories, especially the one about the spiders.” then, “Oh good heavens, I told that one.” A typical Mannie bit of humor and just corny enough to send me into gales.
I refuse to think about leaving him. It makes me sorta sick at the stomach. The FS is no place for one who gets so attached to people. I hate to think of being at some other strange ugly post and not having Helen and Barbara for friends there. And speaking of Barb, she and Joe are as thick as thieves lately, since he got back from his Germany trip.
They are moving people into two rooms at the Taj. Helen and I were going to be on the list and Baxter called me and said that I could move into 10 and 11 or 30 and 31 and to look them over and decide which / which I did, and decided neither. I said that if Helen wanted two rooms I’d move into Ellen Watlington’s rather than either of those, or take Pat Whitney’s which is still empty and the one next to that which is occupied by Frances Lapedis of TCA who’s leaving soon too. Helen told him she didn’t especially care about moving, so we are staying as we are until Frances leaves and then I guess I’ll go into there. I have BBB type couch and chest of drawers and end table and buffet thing and I’ve built shelves in the half of the kitchen which doesn’t open and I have a coffee table and lovely house plants (including a terrific baby jackaranda), and my Ceylon mask all freshly painted and hanging on the chimney, I can see me moving now and spending the rest of my time in India in upset.
I see Jack is back in town (again!). Must have it bad. She’s a cute looking girl.
How are general services treating you? I hope they aren’t doing to you what they’ve done to Bill Dwyer lately. He’s lost about 20 lbs, but on him it looks good. I just saw him when I went to get my third diphtheria shot this morning. He was telling me about his piano lessons. I think he’s stuck on a Pan Am hostess and he’s nervous and losing weight over her, and he keeps himself busy plunking the piano. What a card.
I feel lousy today. I had dinner last night at Jay Walker’s replacement’s. The Von der Leith are very nice. She’s Swedish. Bill Blue and I and William L.S. Williams (from the department) and Mrs. Loftus (he’s home on consultation again) were there. We had before dinner drinks and table wines and dessert wines and liquors, etc., etc. and everybody skolling everybody else. I’m not used to this gracious living.
So o.k. Allin, dear ‘lil w.t. so long for now.
(Signed in red pencil—) Petunia
