Letter from Sinclair Lewis to Marcella Powers, April 24, 1942

              3/.  SINCLAIR   LEWIS  Route One  Excelsior  Minnesota  Friday, April 24  I'm in The house, all settled; now, the  the night cap, the picture of Marcella,  flashlight, the horrid brown socks, are  sacred place, never to be moved from it  nity of six months, and God help any one  move it.  pastepot,  the pocket  each in its  for an eter-  who does  It's charming  the difference between being  instead of a block away as in Lakeville  here;  right  the road as in Mr. Hammond's  on the lake,  or even just across  Suspicious Cape, is astonishing:  the water changing  with every breeze, the trees and a little hill across  the sunrise and sunset glorious, the air sweet, and  birds and muskrats timid visitors.  The house is  so comfortable:  four grand master's bedrooms, with  a fifth which I use as study; a large living-room;  and the biggest porch you ever saw, all screened and  furnished like a country club lounge, most comfortable; with seven million deep chairs each with its  private reading lamp. And I have a sleeping porch of  my own. Yet it's  ""Sit  not too  wicker.  grand; the furniture is most-  well-cushioned wicker. And we eat  includes Jim and Gladys Hart, who won  on  't  the porch, (we  get into their  *>  own small cottage, near here, for another couple days.)  AND I have an excellent colored cook; slightly aged  but eagertoplease.  I also have a shack on the place which I can use for  writing only, but I won't do so till guests come in  hordes — particularly if Micky should come out here,  as I hope he wlll^ sU 13<jUj ov- Au,^5^  Oh, darling, it would be wonderful if you could come  for a week, and bring your mother. She, at least, would  have the sense to be mad about the place. Your presence is the only thing lacking to make the place perfect — you and a little wee novel, but I think I can  do something about the latter, the little bas ■— —  You think Dorothy Kilgallen's item from NY, enclosed,  is just funny, do you? You think it's just a typical  cuiumnar lie, do you? Well maybe you'd be surprised  if you knew how often Loo Mayer, I call him Loo, telephones me.  Oh? You would be surprised, would you?