Typed letter signed : Las Melaleuccas, to Mr. Brittain, 1937 Dec. 6.

Runyon's response to a fan or critic, who wrote "kind expressions" about his stories. Runyon begins by apologizing for a belated reply, explaining that the letter "pursued me about the U.S.A for quite a spell but did not catch up with me until I moved into my winter quarters here the other day." He admits to the accusation of "perverting the English language with my slang," and explains that the slang he uses in his fiction may be traced back to English Renaissance literature, giving the source of the terms "doll" and "guy." (The musical "Guys and Dolls" is based on two of Runyon's short stories.) Runyon assures Brittain that "the curious thing about underworld slang is that it has changed so little across the centuries and that the slang words that were in use in the old English underworld are still in use today." In closing, Runyon asserts that he believes "the story is more important than the manner of telling it."