The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1918-02-15
LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIER
BOYS
Wednesday, January Both 1918

Wednesday, January Both 1918
Last Sunday | had very pleasant
surprise awaiting me at Manhattan,
for when | got there who should | see
but Homer Wilson Well to say the
least it was like finding a friend on
a desert island, for although | am
among thousands, yet being used to
the fine life of the prairies, | am,
naturally more at home among the
! few of western South Dakota, than
among the multitudes. Mr.. Wilson,
of course, told me all about my folks,
and the other folks to. This, natur-
ally was exceedingly interesting to
me. He also said that you were hav-
ing very bad weather am sorry to
hear this for it means great deal of
| hardship to both man and beast. One
would think we could have at least
one or two good winters after a series
Of bad ones, especially at this time,
when we are short Of help. But the
weather man is no reSpector of con-
ditiOnS. Tomorrow Mr. Wilson eX-
poets to visit the Camp / will try
TO get a pass so as to accompany him
We are still at very much the same
work; drilling In the forenoons and
usually the afternoons are spent at
study in quarters. When the weather
is good most Of us would rather be
outside. but on those cold, raw days,
inside work goes fine.
We are getting as part of our train
ing long hikes about once week, and
shorter ones most every day, Tie
last hike we took to Junction CITY
and back, distance of about eighteen
miles. This trip we made in four
and half hours. The following day
We went trench digging, Liking about
fourteen miles and digging six hours.
OF course we do not work so strenu-
ously at all times. Unless there is
special work to be done we have the
time between supper (5:30 p. n.y. and
taps Q0:30 p. n.y. to ourselves, also
Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
/ often think Of my folks at home do
ing chores, during my leisure hours.
| know what work there was to be
done when / was home, and now there
is even more work and less help But
the time is coming when we will have
less time for ourselves.
The life in the army seems to agree
with me physically, for l am fatter
than | ever have been before, and
everybody that sees me says "My,
how big you are getting" or SON,
thing like that. However / have not
increased around the waist.
Bachelor life seems to have had it's
influence on the Melette county boys,
for large per centage have develop
ed into full fledged army cooks Geo
Durrin is cooking in the officers mess,
Roy Anderson and Will Hedrick are
running company mess i'm their res
pective companies, "Chick" Hagman
and Chris Peifer are also cooking.
We, of Mellette county, all know
something about rumors and gossip,
but if | am Judge, | will award the
army the prize for being able to spread
rumors and gossiping, but perhaps
the army brand is less harmful, for it
Is chiefly about when we will leave
and where we will go. The funny
part of it is no one really knows and
yet those that offer the "inside' in
formation are giving it with all posi-
tiveneSs.
There is also much 'peace talk"
but when one stops to think Of how
the Germans fatty turned down our
peace conditions, as set forth by Pres
ident Wilson. and how absolutely i'm
possible regardless of cost, it is for us
to submit to the German peace plan,
1t does not look much like an early
end Of hostilities. Yet peace may be
near, but there is no logical reason to
expect it, SO 1t seems to me, at least.
Last night l had the privilege of
hearing lecture, on the German peo
pie and their Government, given by a
professor Of the Kansas University,
who spent several years at the Uni
versity Of Berlin. He very ably told
how "Kaiser Bill" through his class