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Image provided by: New York State Military History Museum
GAS ATTACK 5 A Soldier’s Letter to His Sweetheart Dere Mable, ' I thought Id write you and let you know they w asnt nothing particular to say. Theyve called of the firing for a few days till they can get some more amunishun. If theyd only scatter a few Germans out there it wouidnt be such an awful waste. Ive fired .so much now I guess I could fire anything. Tell your mother the first thing Im going to do when I get home is fire the cook. Same old card, eh Mable ? Its nice and warm here now. We havnt used the Sibley stove for a week exceptin to keep our dirty wash in. An old niggei comes round once a week and takes it out. I cant figger that nigger out, Mable. From the looks of the wash he brings back he thinks I only got one leg and from the looks of the bill he hands me he thinks Im a sen* tapeed. Angus says hes not all there him- ■self. Thats why he loses so much. We had a boxing fight the other night. The lieutenant says they increase the moral. I dont think they do the non corns no good though. Joe Loomis has been talkin so much about how he could lick the whole divishun w ith one hand behind his back that ■we got him to go in. I put some money on him at his advice. I guess lie made his mistake in not tyin his hand. Somebody told me he was fhst. He was. He outran the other fello all the way. Angus says they ought to m ake spesh ut fightin rings with banked corners sos fighters could make better time. Joe thinks he won yet. He says if he had ‘4 He Outran the Other Fello. slipped and fell out of the ring on his el bow hed have nocked that fellos head often his shoulders so hard it would have hurt somebody. Im glad I borrowed the money I bet on him. It might have been a total loss. Im goin to ask the lieutenant to make me a bugler, Mable, sos I can find w here buglers go between meals. Nobody ever sees a bug ler except at mess and on payday. Ive asked a lot of fellos but nobody knows what be comes of them. I wouidnt want to be a bugler all the time. Its too much of a strain on a fellos face. As soon as I find out where they go 111 transfer back as a fighter. I w ent into Sparkingsburg the other night, Mable, and went to a dinner that me and a lot of other fellos was ast to. I sat next to a lady what didnt seem to have much on but a lot of jewels as far as I could see. Of course she was sittin at the table, Mable. I looked the other way all the time I was talkin to her ca^se I didnt want to embar- ass her. I was goin to offer her my coat but I didnt see why I should take cold if she wanted to. We didnt talk much. Once she looked at me for a long time and then says “You know Mr. Smith, every time I take a hot bath I feel very guilty.” All I said was “Because youre not sharing it with somebody I sup pose.” Then we didnt talk much again. There was a lady across the table with turtle hide eye glasses what was collectin things for the sufferin in the Palacestein. I asked her why she didnt put an add in the paper askin everybody to send in there old brown derbies. Nobody got it though. I was the only one at the whole table that got a laugh, out of it. Angus McDonald, the skotch fello was there. He says he likes that kind of a party. He is always full of get up and go from the minute he gets there. I never saw so many dying relatives in my life as is comin by telegram every day. Have you got an epidermic or something up north, Mable. It seems as if everybody I know had been home at least once to help his grandmother die. None of em seem to care much for there relatives, though, from the way they act when there starting home to w atch them pass away. I asked the Lieu tenant for a furlough. He wouidnt give it to me. Got it in for me just like the Captin did. I wish youd telegraph him that you died quietly and could I come up to the funeral “on or about” the middle of the month. While we was firin at the range the other day a couple of fellos rode out by the tar gets lookin for shells. It was the first tim e wed seen anything worth while firin at. Every body was right on there toes. I guess the Lieutenant didnt see em though cause he had us cease firin. Dopey. Thats the way he is all the time. I dont see how were ‘ ‘Dinner in Sparkingsburg/’’ ever going to learn nothing if we dont cease our oportunities. I dont guess theres any use in my askin you if your havin a good time. I dont see how you could be under the circumstances. Just make the best of it Mable and as soon as me and the rest of the fellos can get things straightened out 111 come back and paint the canoe again. until then yours faithfully Bill, (per E. S.) FOR THE DANCING SET. The management of the Overseas Club at Rock Cliff regrets very much the disap pointment occasioned by the failure of the orchestra on Friday and Saturday evenings of last week. They hope they have perfected arrange ments that will prevent any such disap pointment in the future and they intend to serve punch and home-made cake gratis Friday and Saturday evenings, the 5th and 6th of April. This club has added so much to the en joyment of the dancing set and the man agers propose to renew their efforts to make it pleasant for officers Friday even ings and for enlisted men who are mem bers of the club and their guests on Wed nesday and Saturday evenings.
