Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-03-18
D. L. STEBBINS TELLS, STORY OF
ALASKAN TRIP


mt woke up yet. We quite often get
messages addressed to the Governor
of Alaska. Sitka. Alaska" which are
always returned and with the note that
the capitol is Juneau, Alaska" i ar
/ rived In Seattle on the 3rd day OF
| January. Feeling fine. 1t was some
! trip and one that l would not miss for
farm. but il was one that i would
not want to take again.
l am undecided whether to re-enlist
or not. / can tell better when the
time comes, il is October, on the nth
Eday. ! don't know whether told you
that | was promoted or not. / am a
l"Corporal" now. and altogether i am
drawing down $3.50 per month, and
liz re-enlist l will draw $3.50 per
month, and have the rank OF sergeant.
You see, this job is a snap for the
man that understands the work. al
though 1t is terribly nerve racking
when things go wrong. / worked all
night last night. going on at p. m.
and 4 should have been off at IL p. m.
but the cable went. on the blink thus
putting us out. and getting off at
30fa. m. this morning. We work
only five hours day each, according
To doctors orders Doctors claim
that II sye work over that time, that
our nerves would be all shot TO pieces,
and we would be nothing but wrecks
Where il is hard is upon the eyes. /
think that | will have to be getting
glasses, if / have to do much more Of
this all night~stuntssI was simply
tagged ont at 8: 80, and I went home
and piled INTO bed. getting up at dim
ner time. s 49,
Called On my girl this afternoon.
and she insisted on putting a wet towel
around my head, and now / feel some
better but not fresh by long shot
Well, l. guess both you and aunt Ida
and uncle Chas. will have to divide
this letter UP, among yourselves. / in
tended to write each of you, but I'm
so tagged ont that ! don't feel like il.
I was as nervous as a cat when ] first
started out on this, as You can see by
the errors that j am making In the
typewritng, and spelling. My fingers
simply slide over and hit the wrong
key. l use kind OF a touch SYSTEM
can write about a hundred words a
minute when | want TO get up and
go. So you see il is some faster than
writing by hand | use a typewriter
exclusively in all OF the work that i
do now II is easier, and besides, folks
that ! write to, don't know what a
bum hand | write. OF course there
are certain parties that ] can write to
on mill very well, and ell of those
letters are short and sweet.
Aunt Ida, you needn't worry about
my growing up. ! don't want to. /
am having a pretty good time as 1 am.
Just think Of me as a great big kid,
and you have got me correctly catal-
oged. | am in for any sport that
comes up, and having the time of my
life on the side. The crowd that / go
with are mostly young married folks
that I've gotten acquainted with here
in the past two years, and are a jol-
ly bunch. / think that | will have to
send you my picture some day. That
is, If / ever get up enough gumption
to have 1t taken, (and IL / find by look
ing over my expense account that /
can really blow myself that much. oh
yes, i keep books, and every jitney /
spend goes down in them) and pro-
viding other complications do not set
in that would disturb the diagnosis OF
the case, I'll do il. / had one taken
last June by lady friend, but she
Kept 1T. having only one made, and
afterwards she broke the film, which
was quite good a -snapsh OF, (which for
a wonder did me justice. Well / am
going to quit, and take another stab
at II when hear from you again. Love
to you all, and say, what's the matter
with the threeA of you getting. your
photo taken, and shooting it to me.
| sure would like il. Wrote Maude q
postal yesterday. Well. so long.
-sS u. l.. Stebbins.
BIB Arcade -ispitding, Seattle, Wash