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Dearest Mother & Family: -
While the water is heating for my bath I will drop you a few lines. The
cooties and I are still at war and I think I am winning out. My new plan
of attack is this. I have two suits of underwear now and I boil one and
hang it out side where it freezes stiff then I bring it in and do the same
with the other. Any “cootie" that can stand this double torture I will
take to raise. They alone are not so bad, that is to say one can stand
them but they carry an itch along that is unbearable almost. To keep any
way clean a fellow must bathe often and keep his clothes boiling. Last
night we ran a lighted candle along the seams of our trousers and burned
hundreds of the eggs which they lay. Yes, hundreds!
We are going to get new clothes at our next camp and also get scrubbed
clean and (painted) before we move on to the boats.
We are enjoying a nice snow this morning. Only about an inch deep but the
day is cold and brisk. I excused two fellows to go boar hunting. The woods
over here are most all inhabited by wild pigs and this pair claimed they
could track one. They promised to bring back a rabbit at least.
On Sat. the dentist and I held our little meeting which resulted in me
coming away without a few teeth. The holes have not closed up yet -- he
had to cut a good bit of the gum away to get at the old snags and that way
butchered me up just a good deal. I am glad to be rid of them and have my
mouth clean again.
Our mail is on the blink. Yesterday we received one letter and two cards
for the entire company. One of the cards was for me and came from Ben who
informed me that he is wintering down the warm coast of the Mediteranean
(sp) --at Nice. That is one of the most wonderful places over here and I
know it will do him good. Hope it is true that he has gained weight. Not
me! You’ll never see any difference, I'm just as rangy as ever. I feel
fine all the time. Some of the “comrades" have gained many pounds since
the Armistice and they claim not to feel half so good as when they were
fighting.
It won't be long now. Only a few more months and we will all be home and
the war forgotten. We are very anxious to get home as you would expect us
to be and we are willing to embark in any old tub headed west and never
mind how stormy the briny deep may be.
(time out for dinner)
Mess is over, I have had a bath, received six letters, and tossed our
French Landlord out. So you see time is hanging heavy today. Here is my
story. We moved into this wood house and have paid this ungrateful "Frog"
one franc (twenty-five cents) per day per man for his wood and the
delightful "chambre". He came in at dinner and I paid my rent then he
asked Sgt. Aldinger (the tall fellow in the picture) for the two francs he
owed him. Aldinger was broke and the Frenchy lit out about not getting his
money in advance. It made me so damned mad I asked him in my broken French
if he thought the Bosche would have paid rent had they occupied this room
and impressed him with the fact had it not been for us the same Bosche
would have been in possession. He began to chatter and Sgt. Aldinger just
tossed him to me and I in turn tossed him out.
He went cross the courtyard waving his arms and shouting "Insulte" ! "Insulte”!
and calling for the interpreter. In about five minutes he came back with
the interpreter and when he came in we put our bayonets on our guns and
you should have seen him go. We kept right on his tail and run him to the
house. He was squealing and when he dissapeared in the kitchen we could
hardly walk back for laughing.
He went to the Capt. and he in turn sent for us. We told him our story and
he joined in the laugh. He said "pay him for the wood you burn and for the
room, gas, light, etc. & let him go to hell!" It was fun but at the same
time shows the true character of the French whom you all think are so
grateful to us. They are an ungrateful, money grabbing bunch and thinking
we are all millionaires soak us for fair. I'm off them for life .You would
have died laughing had you seen him waving his arms and traveling.
I received six letters, one from Florence, one from Grace (thanks for the
Hersheys) and one each from Gilbert, Red Bill, Ethel and Madeleine. Perry
must have cut a swath. He probably got a touch of the “One Man" or "Yellow
Gas" as we call it. I've seen it work! One man lost heart and became
gassed when an hundred around him never smelled any. He can pull that
wound stripe stuff now but not when the 28th gets home. If you are
entitled to a wound stripe it is certified on your Service Record and
Discharge. I'd like to read his. If he has any brains left he’ll "take
cover" when the rest come back. Either that or wear his steel hat!
You can tell the men who have “been through.” They say very little here
about those sights which were not good to look on this side of hell and
will say less whey you talk to them back home. I would like to forget it
as soon as possible and I know the rest who watched their comrades go down
and kept on with the splashes of warm blood on themselves and the echo of
the cries for “first aid" in their ears do not like to think back over
those moments much less attempt to pose as living heroes and "watch lips
go pale and hearts quale to hear the tales of peril they have seen." "And
boast they were true, as cowards will do." "When danger is past.” When I
come home, I’ll tell you what a gassed soldier looked like, or what one
who was shell shocked acted like then you can draw your own conclusions.
Enough for him! He is unworthy of any attention. A real soldier hates the
guts of a ("punk") like that.
I can't tell you how glad I was to receive this last mail. All the letters
were so newsy and each one took a slam at Perry hence the return remarks.
I'm laying for his kind and expect this tongue of mine will maybe bring me
into great favor. Think of regular guys like Hump, Bob, Ramsay, Danny
Kelly and the others shot down and blown to pieces than these of his kind
trying to reap credit.
I can hardly lay off him but will go on to tell you that I was glad to
hear you were all well and didn't mention any more deaths from Flu.
(Time out. I'm called to the Colonels Hdq. I think it's the Frenchman at
work again. )
I was right! He brought charges against Sgt. Aldinger and I. The Colonel
gave us a good fatherly talk then dismissed us with a warning not to have
any more quarrels with our "loving comrades in arms" at this eleventh
hour. The war will never end! In a letter to Florence some time ago I
spoke of her friend Helen Jane and told her I was enamoured of the same.
In her reply she didn't think much of me and my attitude toward the fair
sex. Even sent me a poem about being an old bachelor. This for me when I'm
really sincere.
Gilbert spoke in his letter of the cruel war they had at the U. of P. My
God! Those guys “never will know or never can understand." Think of how
hard they had it with their studies and their half an hour drill!
I don’t think I have become a knocker but I can give vent to my feelings.
In the last 11 months I’ve been in two Divisions, 3 cantonements.,4 Co's.,
five battles etc. and will soon have an honorable discharge from a trifle
over one years service to prove it.
Hope dad is taking to mill work with zest again and is still in good
shape. I am enclosing a few lines from Ben and another picture. I have
already sent you one of the bunch. Dispite the several interviews I've had
today I am in a good humour and feel that the monotony has been relieved
somewhat.
“Blow! Blow! Thou cold and wintry wind. "
“Thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude. “
Love to you all and wishes for a speedy and happy reunion.
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