Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1917-01-17

NA<AAS0AA1ALL NOONS uAANNAISoOsl
LITTER FROM THE
MEXICAN BORDER
Ralph Powell Tells How Christmas
Was Celebrated by the Soldier
Boys in Land without Snow.
(The w. F. Powell family Of this
city nearly always spend Christmas
with the N. P. Stone family in
Crookston. This year SON Ralph.
who is serving Uncle. Sam, on the
Mexican border, could not be with
them, but instead he sent the fol
lowing letter, which was read at the,
pleasant family gathering, and
which we take pleasure here to re-
produce: :-Ed.)
Llano Grande, Texas. Dec. 25, '16.
To all the Powells and Stones:
Dear People: I am sorry that !
cannot be eating New Years dinner
with you all tonight but it is i'm
possible. l know l would enjoy it
because I am sure Aunt Ada will set
up great dinner. This is Christ
mas day but it seemed a good deal
more like the Fourth Of July. be-.
cause it has been real warm and
dusty and nearly everyone is shoot
ing off firecrackers. Last night they
shot off about 5000 worth Of fire
works. That is the way they cele-
brate Christmas in Teaxas.
They had a Christmas tree over in
the First MINI. Infantry camp last
night and a program of speeches and
singing. We had dinner at o'clock
today. Our mess hall was all dec
Grated up with green boughs, palms,
and cactus. The center of all the
tables was heaped up with candy,
nuts, and cigarettes. Our menu con.
sisted of tomato soup, oyster cock
tail, turkey, dressing, gravy, celery,
bread cranberry sauce, coffee, butter,
iunnces pie, and pine apple sherbet.
After we had finished eating, onesof
our lieutenants passed around tthe
cigars, and Colonel Leach wished us
a Merry Christmas and gave a 1T
tie talk. wish you could have seen
the fellows lay into that feed. / had
not eaten any breakfast didn't get
up in tine) so that was good and
hungry. There was seconds on ev,
erything so that everybody had al
they could possibly eat. Our band
gave a fine concert all the time We
were eating everybodJ seemed
Ito enjoy themselves. This Afternoon
Davis and walked to Mercedes ane
sat in the park and listened to the
band concert and tried to keep cool
We tried to eat all the ice cream
in Mercedes.
We went swimming this evening
] and then took in program ove1
here in the Nebraska Y. M. G. A
The Fourth Nebraska Infantry leave:
home tomorrow and they were giving
them a final sendoff. The Secont
Minnesota football team beat ou7
team II nfootball this morning, 81 t,
To-. Both bands were out and nearl,
the whole camp, had great time
4 Yesterday there was a barbecue ou
I at the lake they had goat roaste;
over hot coals-and then we all wen
swimming. There were thousand !
so fellows out there. ****** Every
one in the battery is getting al
| kinds of boxes with stuff to eat iron
home. Davis got a big box iron
home with apples in it and a cor
poral in our tent with his bunk mex
to mine got a box of stuff from hi
wife in st. Paul, with candy, nuts
cakes and pies in it. He threw u
his hands, saying he didn't know wha
he was going to do with it al
Everybody has been eating so muc
stuff that they can't find room fo
any more. He said he had a MOTTO
to send all of it right back to hi
wife. He had it all unpacked an
spread all over his bunk, so he coul
not pack it up again. It was reall
;, comical-if he walked away from
someone would steal it.
The people Of st. Paul sent eac
, member of the battery a big packag
, of candy, nuts, cigarettes, cakes, sock
handkerchiefs and towel. Though
I, this was doing pretty well, as lots {
: these fellows don't live in st. Paul.
: I only have to work couple {
!. hours in the forenoon nowadays. III
weather is so fine down here that
hope we stay all winter. It is gene
ally rumored that we are going
;, stay until April 1. The Second Min
leaves for home this week I see b
5 the papers you are having a ve1
g severe winter up there, lots Of sno
! and cold weather. Too bad you can
. have little of our warm weathe
! We all get 500 apiece when we al
\ mustered out. I have had a mo-
enjoyable Christmas and I will clio!
| 90 ~ W.