Ripley County democrat., 1917-11-09

Uncle Bill Lackey one dav this week,
and he gave It TO US TO publish, in
order that DR.. Hume's friends hore
could hear and know Of him and how
he is doing:
SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE, [
October 16, 1917. I
WILLIAM CoNFED. STATES LAcKEY,
SOMEWHERE IN MISSOURI;
My DEAR UNCLE BLL:-I am only
writing to my kinfolks, and IS you are
one of my long time uncles ] will write
a little and see II the bogy man will let
it go by. / am censor for my company,
but there may be Others. do not
know how many hands the letters must
go through before they reach you.
am here; but where? Why, in
France; not million miles from the
battle line. hear the roar Of heavy
guns every day and the aeroplanes fly
over US quite often. The whole land is
full. Of soldiers, French, American,
Russian, Portuguese, and some German,
but the German contingent has ceased
to funcionate on the firing line. They
"tote" about the signihcent words
stamped on their person, up. CO.,
which stands for military prisoner.
But they are all right. They say they
get three good meals day here and
only one in "Yermany," SO they are
very we'll satisfied. Withall they are
not dangerous looking animal. All
the dangerous swinettes that Kaiser
Bill had when the war broke out are in
a state of inocuous desueitude. That
Is, they have gone where good "nig-
gers" go. (Ain't you sorry for the
''niggersp) But this bunch Is COM
posed Of school kids averaging IS years
old, and are sorry looking lot sure
enough.
/ don't think this war will last very
long. The indications are that this
winter will end II. We will be very
comfortably situated here till 1t does
end, or at least till the winter gets over.
And they 20 have some winters here.
The snow often gets as much as 8 feet
deep and stays on sometimes all winter.
We are farther north than the north
line Of the United States or about as
far as the south end Of Hudson's Bay.
The weather here often gets i2 TO 15
below for days at time bat the winters
are not as severe as there, but worse
than in the north part Of the United
States.
I am commander Of the reeimental
hospital and do not have to 90 out as
much as would as regImental surgeon,
which | have been most Of the time
since came away from Doniphan, but
I get to go to the firing line occasion
ally. The sights there bar description,
even II they would permit it, which
they will not. BY they I mean the
censors. I will try to get q paper
through to let you know what we read
here. am reading the French papers
some, but not very rapidly as have
been here only about d month. We
have been taking lessons every night
for the past three weeks but l can't
speak y much yet. ! can make my
wants known d the stores and hotels,
but that 10 ALL There are thousands
Of Americana here in the same shape,
though the French are learning En-
giish very fast. The kids are mostly
the teachers Of che soldiers. They car
ry their little, well-worn school books
|hnd scatechisms around and read to the
soldiers, and the soldiers learn faster
than we do &C. they have teachers Of
very limited vocabularies who only
know Cow to talk on the more necessary
subjects They are very well paid for
their services for these big<hearted
American boys add very material
part TO the limited amount Of food that
the governments allotment furnishes.