"She said, "Go out in the garden and rub two roses together.' That was all she needed.
through the door. She'd tell him what the baby did all day, how it stuck its foot in its mouth and all that. Frank would ask her if she needed anything. Sometimes she did. The baby needed a crib or the baby needed a bottle. You know. Stuff babies need. And Frank would bring the stuff home in his car and Paula'd open the door wide enough to let him shove it through without seeing her or the baby.
Then one day Paula tells him the baby should have a playmate. Not exactly a playmate, but it should have some child near it occasionally. She said she seriously believe a child's most formative period was during its infancy. She said to Frank, "111 bet you think I'm crazy." Frank told her no, but was getting damn sick and tired of not being allowed to see his own child. Paula laughed and begged him to be patient awhile.
Well, Frank had their maid bring her niece to the house. A little kid about 3 years old. And the kid was allowed to see the baby.
Frank says to the kid when it comes out of the bedroom, "Did you see the baby?"
"Yes," says the kid, very emphatically.
"What's it look like? A littler girl, eh?" Frank asked her.
It's a little baby and it can't talk
The kid said it was a little baby and it couldn't talk and it was in a crib sleeping. You know how kids talk.
Well, a couple of weeks later Frank busted down the door.
—I tell ya you won't believe it.
Paula was in the crib. Frank said she had her legs pulled up so that her knees were kind of jamming her in the chin. She had
her hair fixed like kids wear their hair, and she had it tied with this big red ribbon. Except for that ribbon, she didn't have a stitch of clothes on. Not a stitch. Naked as a baby.
What do you think she says to Frank?
She says, pulling the blanket over her, "I think you're mean. I think you're the meanest man IVe ever met."
She made him get out of the room. The he came over to our place. He was at our place just sitting in the room.
I told him he ought to go away. I told him he and Paula needed a good long vacation.
IVe got a postcard from them today, —Emily, what'd you do with the post card?
The Hincher's went to Florida. Hincher became horrible violent in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel. The assistant manager and a big colored elevator boy held him down, he was removed to the Lakewood home.
Paula returned to Otisville and several months later resumed her work as a librarian. She still there today doing a brilliant job of it.
End
Letter to John Woodman
Dear Mr. Woodman:
Both sets of proofs enclosed. They look in good shape. I"ve made one or two marks on the new set, but nothing special. Many thanks.
The slight mixup in proofs was pretty funny. I thought I was going nuts, but that's nothing new.
I tried both phone numbers you gave me, this past weekend, but I have an idea you were on your way from one place to the other while the call was going through. A nice little kid answered the Framingham number, but I don't think he had a duplicate set of proofs, so I dumped the whole thing into my agent's lap.
Hope you don't mind. I don't have a phone down here.
Regards, added thanks.
Sincerely,
JD Salinger
INCLUDES:
AN OCEAN FULL OF BOWLING BALLS
PAULA
BIRTHDAY BOY
5800078276643