The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-08-28

guard now for the first time in
France. We have got couple new
lieutenants now. They are good and
snappy to drill under. / haven't run
across any Of the old Bedding boys
yet. But / may some day. Lynn
and are still together. 1t is a great
place over here for athletics. baseball,
boxing, running and other good exer-
cises. We expected to have q big
time over here the 4th. / haven't
received any mail yet since we arrived
over here. Well / will have to close
as paper is scarce. ] am as ever,
your cousin,
Harmon Palmateer,
End. Bin. French Artillery, Battery
d., A. E. F., via N. Y.
Mrs. w. H. Shaw sends in the fol-
lowing letter from her son. Edwin K.
Bailey, am enlisted man, who evident
ly feels that the men who are leaving
getting more attention paid them than
did the men who enlisted:
June 20, 1918.
Dear Mother:
Just few lines this evening while
l am at work in the French telephone
office. 1t is sure some job when the
Frenchmen can't understand what
the Americans want; have to find out
and make the Trenches understand.
Sometimes it is easy and again it is
today. Gee whiz, all we hear over
here the drafts are doing this and the
drafts are having q supper or a party
or something else; it makes me sick
When we left we hardly got a good
bye and good luck except from few
personal friends and now when we
get letter from home or home pa
per it is all about the drafts.
You asked me if there is anything
want you to send me. Well,
don't know of anything that / need
and as far as anything l want there
is nothing that you could send me!
have more money than i can spend
here. got $40 bill and it is al
most pay day again besides French
money have which amounts to about
SIS or so and there is nothing to buy
here except bottle Of beer or two a
day which cost about 16 cents. OF
course we can buy wine and cham
payne but what is the use. a person
gets tired of that one night or two a
month is enough. don't think you
have anything to worry about.
think l can take care of myself, /
have for quite awhile.
Well, guess this will be all for to-
night, so / will close for this time.
remain as ever, your loving son,
Edwin r. Bailey.
Letter No. IL Is from our own dear
brother, Hub, formerly president of
the Banner Publishing Co., up to the
time that he returned &c the range,
after having been home ons sick
leave. Hub writes TO cousin, w.
j. Martin, about his duties as an in
structor, as follows:
Navy Rifle Range. Glen Burnie, Md.
July 81, 1918.
Dear Cousin Bill:
Received your most welcome letter
a few days ago and as it is a steady
rain that we have this afternoon we
for once have little time off.
Say Bill, / often think of what
got shot you always were when we
would go out hunting and shooting
together. And let me tell you, Bill,
l sure would like to have you here to
give you few lessons in shooting.
That would have sounded funny from
me year ago, Bill, but let me tell
you / sure could do it now.
There goes the bugle and we must
fall out in the rain. Just got back
again. Had the school on the Spring
field rifle. i was instructor to 9
gobs. The other night helped give
an exam. on the Springfield and to
tell you the truth / never took it my
aAl Ill I.I D..&
to say before that bugle blew. / bet
Bill / sure could make an expert team
rifleman out Of you in short order.
Of the chatter coach gives the fell
lows. Of course to different guys
one must talk different, you know, but
in the main you tell them all the same
things. You see there is the nervous
fellow, the near-sighted guy, the guy
who never shot before, the one who al
ready knows it all, when he really
don't know anything and the fellow
who thinks the fine little gun is
regular cannon. l could name more
but that is enough to show you that
there are different kinds. So Bill,
lam going to try and give you little
lingo that we hand some of the re-
cruits, maybe it will be interesting
to you.
you never shot before; no it isn't
going to kick any. you just start fig
uring on hitting that bullseye and let
me take care you don't get hurt; I'll
see to that. No, get into the strap
from this side, then you want that
good and tight. No there really is
only Is lbs. kick to this gun and the
strap lakes it all up but four and /
guess your shoulder can hold that
much. Now get that bullseye right
in the center of this peep and get the
tip of the front sight right in the CEN
ter of the bullseye, then you get that
slack out of your trigger Spread
your legs out and tip your heels in
board, there that's right, now always
keep your thumb along side the stock
and not over it. Now get the slack
out of that trigger and when you get it
on the bullseye just squeeze the trig-
ger so easy you won't hardly know
when it's going off, keep right on aim
inn xxrIsI.x <H ri .,xrx L., L.