Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-02-09

L YET tltne lOT sue dSkeu me 10. IL you
notice we got lots Of handkerchiefs, but
when we get settled in the barracks and
have rooms to live in we use lots OF
handkerchiefs. Buty your handkerchiefs,
Julia, were just grand and 1 shall take
the best OF care of them and bring them
back just as nice as they are now. /
shall never use them for they are too
nice and | have lots of common hand.
kerchiefs for that. / will keep yours
as remembrance of you, keep
ing them where can look at them all
the time. Noticed the mark OF the
scissors on one Of them. 1t must have
taken a long time for you to do that
work around the outside. You couldn't
have sent me anything which would
have appreciated more. like to sit on
the railing of the ship at night and hold
up my hand and see my ring shine in
the moonlight. wear it on the third
finger of my left hand. 1t is the only
finger can wear it on as the third right
finger is little larger than my left. BY
the kindness and thoughtfulness of all
of you, we passed as happy Christmas
as we could at home. But of course
Christmas without the home faces
around isn't the same. We ate the fruit
cake and it was awful good. 1t seemed
shame to eat it, but Of course we did.
We ate little for supper last night,
some for breakfast and the rest for din
ner. We had good dinner OF bread,
prunes, rice, mashed potatoes, sorgum
mo'lasses, boiled beef, sugar and coffee.
/ was glad to hear of Hanks arrival
home and glad to get letter from him.
I also got two from you, one from
Mother. one from "Puss' and sone from
Ralph Overholtzer. Will write to Ralph
when we get landed at Iloilo. One Of
your letters left Audubon Nov. 9th I
think and the other Nov. 18th. l was
glad to notice a sheet OF writing from
Frank G. Am glad he is getting along
so we'll. I will write to him in few
days. This letter must do for all of you.
We packed our Christmas presents in
large box with some of our clothes, so
we won't have so much to carry. We
also put in those letters which had
just received from you, so can't answer
them very well, but will do the best 1
can. We put our name in the box and
it will be delivered to us after we land.
You said in one OF your letters that
you had present which you were going
to send to me in letter or in a little
box. 1t has not come yet but will get it
on the next steamer feel sure. Icould
have written E. j. letter before but he
said in his last letter for me to write
when we got to Manila and landed, so
that | can tell him all about every thing.
I felt that l ought to write and
thank him right away after getting his
splendid box, but let him read this and
I will write him good letter from south.
The Light Artillery is loaded with
their canons on board the New Port and
the Arizona went over to Cavite this
morning after the 18th Regulars. who
are over there. Those two ships which
l mentioned will go with us to Iloilo,
taking the troops I mentioned. Dewey's
feet, or part of it is going along, for
of course we have to force landing, Az
the Insurgents have captured the city.
We will, I suppose, drive them out of
the city and keep them out. I feel
anxious for want to crack my rifle
once at an enemy any way. The rest of
the regiments here envy us like every
thing because we get to go. hope You
are all we'll. We both are. Our arms
are nearly well now. l asked Mr.. Krell
for you how Alfie was and he said he
was doing nicely. Mr.. Krell got a box
for Xmas too We are going to have
swell supper | guess. You said Ross
liked to read my letters SO well. | will
write him one when get to Iloilo. The
reason am not writing with pen and
ink is because we did not want to open
the ink bottle until we landed for the
bottle is in the box packed and if we
opened the bottle it might spill over the
other things.
It's pretty hot today and tell you we
stay in shady spot. We have lots OF
fun with the natives. They are the most
ignorant class of people ever hope to
see. They can't catch anything when
thrown at them at all, and one OF the
boys took some hot mush last night
which was rather thin and put it in a
paper sack, then he threw it down to a
native who was standing at small barge
at the side of the ship. The native held
his hands together all right at first, but
as the sack neared him he became excited
and threw out both arms wide to catch
it, but the sack took him squarely on
the nose, breaking the sack and for
while that native wasn't black. His
face was covered with yellow mush He
didn't get mad though. They don't
know enough for that. You might as