"I wrote to Mooney as soon as I received your letter,
but have not heard yet, as mail is so slow over here. A letter
can
travel nearly around the world while one here goes half way
across France.
"It's foggy rainy weather now all of the time and very
cool and damp. It sure is hard on a fellow's system. The flu
hasn't
hit the soldiers so very hard here, but it put a crimp in
the civilian population about a month ago. We are still in the
same hole, but they say the school closes December 31, and then
maybe they will send us home in a few months. We sure have done
our bit here and are ready to turn it over to someone else.
"Two of our men were killed a couple of weeks ago. One
of the guns blew up and believe me she surely blew by the
looks of it. We have buried four of our men here and I hope
that is all, for it even is a poor place to die in.
"I have had a 48 hour pass to Nantes. It is a city as
big as Milwaukee and just as gay as Paris. I am planning on a
ten
day furlough soon, and then I get a day each way in Paris.
We are waiting until President Wilson gets there, then we are
to go to one of the big U.S. doings. The government foots the
bills for ten days and you receive your pay just the same.
"Anybody can be a plumber in this country. It's all
rock walls and all open work. Shower baths and so forth. More
sanitary. All their piping, even to gas lights, is run with
lead and they wipe all joints and I have seen some good ones,
especially the four ways. A 1-4 bib is as big as our 1½
gates. Oh, they are some classy.
"Got the paper all O.K. Thank you!
"Write soon, as mail is a big day over here. The only
real thing I like about the army is there aren't any stoves to
black.
I surely did hate to do that, but I have learned a lot in
the last two years. Tell the Tinker hello for me. I can appreciate
his old song now about 'A man is born of woman, his days are
few and full of trouble,' for it sure is true.
"Give everybody a hello for me, as we will all get home
some day, barring some hard unforeseen luck."