Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-08
DE MARET CHILD
GETS LAST LETTER
Mother Wrote to Son Short
Time Before Falling to
Death in London.

When the postman turned in yester-
day at 200 Murray avenue in Virginia
Highlands, near Alexandria, Va, small
Jean De Maret and his pal Smoky
met him without their usual romp to
the front door.
There was a letter for Jean, stamped
with foreign date mark. This the
boy perceived, somewhat frightened,
while Smoky stood by and shivered in
the draught.
After the postman had gone, Mrs.
Ernest Finisecy, with whom Jean and
Smoky are stopping. came into the
living room and read the letter to Jean
This was necessary because only frag-
mentS of the letter, like the tragedy
which had befallen him, were clear to
Jeans childish comprehension.
Jean, who is brushing up on his
A B C's, in order to enter school when
he is 6, had been able to spell out a
few OF the words by himself
Mothers Last Letter.
He was aware that it was his moth
er's last letter, because his father, Seth
E. De Maret, an employe of the Post
Office Department, had explained how
Mrs. De Maret had fallen six stories to
her death Thursday from hotel n
, London.
At the time Mrs. De Maret was a Sec
rotary attached to the American dele
cation to the Naval Conference.
Jean wasn't quite clear on all this.
but he was unable to keep back the
tears as he listened to the letter, writ
ten few days before his mothers
death.
II hope 1t won't be so very long be-
fore can get back home" the latter
had said, and, boy will be glad"
Text Of Jeans Letter.
jeans letter said:
Dear Sonny Jean:
Here is just little note to my small
son. wrote big letter to daddy, and
this is small one for a little boy.
Il hope you are making big whoopee
and enjoying yourself while mother is
away. I hope it won't be so very long
before can be back homeland boy,
will I be glad!
IF you were over here you would
have nice rosy cheeks like all the other
CHILDREN. 1t must be the cold weather.
and they seem to have such good time
rolling big hoops in the park and run
ming and playing with their pet dogs.
I've noticed quite lot of the children
your size have roller skates, and they
get around plenty lively, so you'll have
10 get busy with yours, too.
How did you like the little bank that
sent you and the box of candy? l
hope it didn't get stale before it got to
you. I'll have some other things for
you by the time we get ready to come
home, but so far haven't had much
Of a chance to really look for some
thing that you would like. The big
stores are all in another part of the CITY
from our location and haven't found
my way about yet, and all have to do
Is go in one door and out another and
I am lost and have to take a taxi 10
get back to the hotel where I started
from.
They have the Misunderstanding
taxis over here. They are lust like
beetles and crawl along just as slow.
All the cars over here have French
horns like the one you used to have on
your velocipede.
Must stop now, sonny, so be a good
little man and take care OF our daddy
hope to see you soon.
Oceans of love from
MOTHER"
The child has been stopping in the
Virginia Highlands home because both
his mother and father, for four wears
past have been occupied with their
work. Every week end, however. for
that time he has spent with his parents
in their Washington residence.