My dearest Bennie,
Immediately I "snap out of it" I write to you - As you!
Your letter and the book were fine. Gee-wizz, I didn't mean to sting you to the quick with "make it snappy". Good Heavens, that is about the last thing that need be told to you; I just made it clear that I want to hear all about the happenings at home as soon as it is convenient to you to impart the information. Dearest Bennie, I can just about see the look of surprised annoyance on your august features!
And now a bit of geometry: "the pleasure your letter causes me, though always great, varies directly as the square of its magnitude". Q.E.D. As for the quality of your letter - well, it reminds me of the best advertised tobacco "always satisfies and never varies"!
Yes, that fire at the Falls must have done a lot of harm to your mother. I do hope that now, with all the troubles over with little more independence and responsibility, your mother will improve speedily.
My life so far is O.K. You know, a thought came to me just now (what a wonder!)One thing is to be able to stand with ease the inconveniences and the difficulties of a new environment and quite another thing is to be able to carry on without noticing or feeling them. There is a great difference between the two, and I felt it on my own neck. This life - life of an ordinary miner is full of petty inconveniences which I feel much, but can stand with ease. For instance, I now work on a shift of which the shift-boss is a German-pol and the stope-boss is a Bulgarian. Having got hold of an English student in their power, they proceeded to make a beast of burden of him, making the perspiring wretch do the work of one and a half men if not two. One day, I has to carry three heavy machines, each time with a different man, while my regular job is to carry only one. Any heavy work needing strength and endurance immediately fell to my lot. One day, with two other men, we three carried about three tons of steel (drill bits ranging from 3 feet - 12 feet in length)through a height of about 30 feet. They cursed the job and looked at me as though they expected me to groan and fall over. Sad disappointment was theirs when I came off as fresh as ever.
But after that awful week, Fortune smiled upon me. We have to take stock of all the pipes in the mine: 1", 2", 3", 4", 5" and 6" pipes. There are many thousands of feet on the whole. The job was given to an English-Canadian - a pump-man. When asked whpm he wanted as a partner, he chose me and now we have two-weeks' job of doing nothing but walking about and measuring pipes. I expect to get disgustingly fat by the end of the fortnight! Woopie! And it gives a splendid opportunity to see every nook and crook of the mine. My partner is a good fellow too - and a "white man" (i.e. Anglo-Saxon race ). I guess I am a bit interested in myself...
The book - The Golden Wind - I read in a day. It is really the most wonderful bit of literature. The introduction was right: parts and passages of this novel could have come out of an ancient Chinese manuscript. But it made me think and feel and any book that can do both those things to me is a fine book, worth reading over and over again.
Well, I must go to work. I shall continue this letter to-morrow. Byee.
3. The letter (continued)
Both yesterday and to-day was raining miserably and I stay indoors all the time. I wish the now would come sooner.
I think it is perfectly sweet of Miss Stone to let me have all Reader's Digest was a masterpiece! Such a great variety of subject and so well written. I read them all and found "Our Changing Morals", "Learning how to be black", "Blazing New Trails of Education" the most interesting. The Story of the Eaglet made me very sad. But a lot was said in the "Blazing New Trails of Education" sounded to me as the most powerful common sense possible. By the way, what does "psychiatrist" mean? Have you ever told me before? If yes, I apologize for forgetting it!
I do not know how much I weigh, but I think I must have lost a lot, but the muscles on the arms, torso, and back, and legs fairly ripple when I do a little shadow boxing in front of a mirror. But brain-work and elevated thoughts (don't you know) will, no doubt, prevent me from becoming a more muscular animal! As for you, Bennie, your whole personality impresses me ever so much more than would any huge hulk of bulging muscles! And I don't mean maybe!
I do not know if I have told you about my new room-mate. He is a sampler [takes samples along cross-cuts and galleries to find the varying richness of ore deposits] and is about 20. A fine fellow, English and very interesting to talk to. We are both very keen on mining and talk so much that people in the house dropped hints that a decrease in volume of sound issuing from our room would be most welcome. But we are both very well tolerated here!
You say that 'See Naples and die' was very light. I hope it wasn't too light, otherwise -- shame on you, Bennie, going to such entertainments! But you know an actress in the play! What is she like? Pretty or fascinating in any way? Eh!?
So your joint engineering was not destined to stand? That is touch luck. Of course, if you had me, the results would have been different. Poor Owen, I hop he'll take it well.
Well Bennie, I must stop. I do not know if I have said much, but you now have all the news and most of the thoughts such as assailed me lately [not much of an onslaught!]v
Please give my love to your mother and Aunt Lydia.
My best hug and kiss to you, my dear pal.
Your loving Guigui
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