Dear Dolly V

Dear Dolly, I am 26 and in love with a nurse in one of the hospitals in the Transvaal. Unfortunately, while she was away I fell in love with another girl here at home and this one is trying to trap me to the altar. But I still love the other girl and have not told her about this one, nor have I told the this one about my first girl. --[Signed,] Johnny-Boy

"Dolly" replies: My dear man, you are a muddler. You couldn't be in love with tow girls at once. Which IS the girl of your dreams? Stop fooling yourself and remember you are now in love with a girl who is nearer to you.

Dear Dolly, I am a Muganda of 19 and in love with a girl of 16. She is also a Muganda. Whenever I want her to go to bed with me she refuses and when she sees that I am angry and want to leave her she starts showering me with nice gifts and writing me romantic letters. What should I do? -[Signed,] Karg No. 2.

"Dolly" replies: If you really love this girl, my dear man, you had better marry her. You cannot expect her to have relations with you outside marriage.

Dear Dolly, Please give me the address of Dolly Rathebe and ask her for the name of those tablets which develop the hips and where they can be obtained. --[Signed,] R. D. Mbele

"Dolly"--not Dolly Rathebe, the famous singer, but Dolly, the imaginary woman who was actually a rotating cast of male writers for Drum magazine who hung out with the singer many nights at Sophiatown bars--replies: You may write to Miss Rathebe direct through my address. I am sorry I have never heard of the tablets you want. But you may ask Miss Rathebe about this in your letter to her.

...

Yes, that was more from Dear Dolly, the "Heartbreaks" columnist from Drum. Instead of re-typing those from the "Best of Dear Dolly" book where I've gotten the rest of the letters I've shared with you every Friday, I took those from the actual pages of the May 1955 issue of the magazine, which Katie printed out for me in the course of her research. That's why the letters include those amusing names at the end, when the others didn't.

The column looks like this: