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February 10th, 1939

Dear Hugh:

I dined last night with a very dear old friend of mine, Madame Frieda Hempel, who told me that she is giving a concert in Palm Beach towards the end of this month, and during the conversation, naturally, your name came up.

She told me that she knew you many years back, and apparently she is a friend of your friend, Joe Ruyter.

Frieda Hempel is a terribly nice woman, and I wonder whether it would be possible, and interesting to you, for her to stay at the Club, or if you can arrange for her to be there for a few days on a guest card. Of course, it is understood that she is not to be your guest and that she is going to pay for whatever the apartment will be. Would you kindly be good enough to drop me a short wire on this matter. I am going to see Frieda early in the week again, and could speak to her then.

At the same time, another thought passes my mind. We are going to have in April a very important charity exhibition for the benefit of the Public Education Association, and the title of the exhibition will be "The Stage".

In this respect, I am collecting any data that I can get on paintings of well known actors and actresses, or theatrical scenes, etc., from which we will choose the items for our exhibition.

Perhaps you may know of one or more such paintings, and I would appreciate it if you would refer me to the owner, etc. Does any picture exist of Joe Ruyter either in private life or in one of his stage characters?

I am somewhat at a loss over your silence. I have written you two or three letters and not a word from you. Are you ill, or are you just so busy that you have no time? Anyhow, I trust my worries are needless; so pull yourself together and drop me a few lines and tell me the dirt.

t.s.v.p.