or I'd have had a regular individual picture taken for you. 
Maybe these won't be printed for quite a long time, too, 
since he hasn't got the necessary paper. But I'll do my best 
to get one to you anyway. Although you sure never married 
me for looks and you must love me a lot to want one. 

Joe 

26.

August 1 

Dearest,

I just got your letter of the 25th. This is being written 
on what I gather to be a German Royal so all mistakes are 
due to it. Anyway our having it is a marvel. It is the first 
decent machine we have been able to acquire for ourselves, 
and our getting it is due to some first-rate wrangling which 
Bob and I did at the General Staff plus over half an hour 
of swearing in Spanish and French simultaneously at the 
store-keeper at the International Brigade warehouse, who 
first swore he had no machines to fill the order we had from 
G.H.Q. and then, after much swearing, threats, etc., tried 
to palm off on us all kinds of old broken-down specimens. 
We finally got this new one, but I have far from solved the 
mysteries of its keyboard as you will very well see.

I do hope that you will continue the splendid practice 
of sending me snaps each week, only you are not sufficiently 
religious about keeping it strictly once a week---sometimes 
two weeks go by without one. I have all the snaps mounted 
in a little pocket photo album which I carry in my shirt 
pocket in my union card case all the time. I need less than 
no excuse at all to demonstrate you to all and sundry if 
they are good guys.

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