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Dearest Mother:-
This is a half holiday for us but we are not allowed to go out. Sat. is
sort of an off day all around. We have inspection in the A. M. and have to
lay all our clothes out on our beds, shine our mess kits and all knives,
forks, etc. Then when all this is done the Major passes around and looks
you over and if your hair is not cut or your beard shaved off you stand a
chance of working the kitchen or on the woodpile on Sat. or Sun. I shaved
my mustache off because I was afraid he might mistake it for a dirty lip
and punish me. We were called out on drill today to settle up our income
tax. That is we must make out a report but the Capt. said he didn't think
we would have to pay any. Not before June anyway. Tell Dad to let me know
when my note comes due and I'll send him the interest. I'm ashamed that I
still have that hanging on to me but you know ---. I suppose my insurance
policy will be mailed to you and it is, I suppose self-explanitory. Grace
will know all of that.
[next line indistinct because of paper crease]..down here and am glad I came south to meet the spring. To tell the
truth, I haven't been homesick an hour since I came here. You know there
is all kinds of fellows here. Happy-go-lucky, chronic cranks and so on.
Some of these guys think all the officers are picking on them and all want
to tell you how they are abused. One guy from our room just got back from
the hospital. He was a cocaine fiend and almost died soon after he got
here and now he is just on edge all the time. He told me himself what was
wrong with him. He's surely a bright guy and I pity him. By the way we are
all numbered and mine is #1,850,971 (one million, eight hundred and fifty
thousand, nine hundred and seventy one). You can lay that away because the
casualties will be published by no. instead of name hereafter. Best wishes
to Grace and Ben and Love to all.
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