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Letters to France Olive
September 14th, 1951
Dear France Olive: Thank you for agreeing to be my pen pal. I’ve never corresponded with anyone in Europe before and I’m very excited to do this. Weren’t our teachers really cool to connect us?
- I am most thankful to you for agreeing to speak English. I know only a
little French. I’m studying it though. I hope I can learn it really well. Maybe I can learn
a few words from you, France.
- I can’t wait to hear back from you. It takes a while for letters to go
from France to New York, but let’s try to send a letter once a month. And I’ll send you
a photo of me if you’ll send one of you, OK? We’re both the same age – 13.
- One thing I do want to ask you is this; is it customary in France to
name newborn babies after their country? Your first name is France. Imagine if my
name was America!
- Well, I have to study now, France. I can’t wait to get a pen pal letter
from you.
Martha Scott
Hello again France Olive: I was so excited to get a letter from you today, and your photo too. Thank you for writing! How pretty you are. I’m not nearly as pretty as you are, France, but I’ll send you my photo too as soon as my father takes it and gets the film developed. I’m so happy we can be friends. I have a few friends --- do you too?
- Do you play a lot of sports? I don’t. It’s not that I don’t like sports---I just don’t
get much opportunity to play them.
- I’d really rather read or paint pictures or write stories. I love stories. Do
you? I’d rather hear a story than to do almost anything else.
- Well – back to my studies. Please do write again soon. Next letter
from me will have my photo enclosed.
Martha
- Oh my, it seems we have so much in common. You too don’t get to do sports
too often? Or get to the movies as often as you’d like?
- And you love stories too? Gosh, it feels as if we’re already old friends.
- As promised, I enclose a recent photo of myself---just head and
shoulders like your picture is. I’m about 5’ 5” tall when I stand up. What about you?
We have the same color eyes but your hair is so light and mine so dark. Do you set
yours in curlers every night? Me too!
- Do you have a dog? I do. Her name is Abigail and I love her very
much. We are together all the time. She is my very best friend in all the world and
she helps me so much. I can’t imagine my life without her.
c Write soon again France, OK?
Martha S.
- You think I’m pretty? You do? Really? And your dog Juliette is with you every
minute too? That’s wonderful. Juliette is such a pretty name. I think Abigail and
Juliette could be good pals the way we are, do you think so too?
- Do you train Juliette to do things for you? Abigail does a lot of things for
me, too. Aren’t we lucky to have such sweet, clever dogs!
- How I wish we could actually meet someday but, well, I guess it’ll never
happen, but we can stay good pen pals, right? Keep writing to me France. I look
forward to your letters so much.
- Hi France!
- I just can’t believe this! I can’t! I finally told you my “big secret” in my last
letter and I was so surprised to find out we both have the exact same problem. I
don’t think our teachers knew this when they put us together as pen pals, do you?
- Well it doesn’t matter. Now I know we will be friends for life for lots of
reasons, but especially because we’re both in wheelchairs! I am so happy you are
my pen pal and my new friend, France Olive.
Martha.
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