The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-12-20

! censored, but one that went to me in
Switzerland had been opened"
LETTERS FROM BOYS
| IN THE ARMY CAMPS
T. H. Connors Is IN receipt of the
following letter from France: France
| November IA, 1918.-Dear Father:
Just line to let you know that | am
all O. X. and in the very best of spir-
it's over the outcome of this war. AL
though l am still alive and uninjured l
was under shell fire up to eleven o.
clock on the morning of November
IL when the firing ceased. Although
we all knew it was over that day we
could not realize it and were waiting
for another shell to come over any
minute. 1 received those pictures
you sent me yesterday and thank you
for them. Believe me, they looked
good. l am not going to write much
tonight but will be able to tell you
everything before very long as l un-
derstand our division (The great Red
| Diamond division) is to be one of the
first to return to the good old U. S.
A. and l hope it is true.
l will write to you more often now
as we are going some place where
writing material will be more plenti-
| full. ] will close with love. Your low
! ing son, S. w. Corners.
| The following is letter received by
E. A. Frances from his son Clifford:
| France, November 16, 1918.-Dear
Dad: Received two letters from you
in today's mail and mighty glad l was
| to get them. In the same mail there
was letter from mother and Ruth so
had quite a bunch of mail for one
| day.
imagine you with nearly everyone
| else in the United States are feeling
Apply now that the thing is over, but
not anymore so theE we are over
here. It's grand and glorious feeling
knowing we will be home some time
| in the future. But it is hard to tell
| how soon. | read in the paper today
that it will require 100000 men one
year to finish up over here and l am
! hoping l won't be included in the mil
| lion, but I suppose everyone else is
wishing the same so we will have to
| wait and see.
l am glad to know the business is
picking up and hope it continues to
which it will The letter head you
| have looks quite business like and
very good / think. How is the Baldwin
| Line? Ruth said in her letter that
| Collins wanted you to manage store
for him, are you going to do it? If
the store in Mankato goes l suppose
it will be better for you to stay there .
/ am sorry that mother had the
trouble with her foot and hope it is
well now. l think that maybe she just
wanted an excuse to stay in bed so
she could sleep more. am glad
| haven't had any trouble with my feet
or didn't have rather. For a while l
was using them quite bit when the
Boche had habit of coming over
nights just after supper and trying
| to put this field out of commission,
but they didn't do it. 1t is interest
| ing to watch them work. We could
tell when they were crossing the lines
rs the search lights would go up and
then the anti aircrafts would start in.
| When they got to what they thought
was over the field they would drop
their flares which light up the ground
like day and then drop the pills as
the Frenchman that works with me
said. He didn't mind hearing the
bombs drop because when he heard
them drop, he knew he was all right,
but it was an unpleasant feeling to hear
the motor directly over your head
Sort of makes one pull in their neck.
/ am glad had chance to go through
it and also glad l haven't got to again.
| 1 was fortunate enough to visit
Nancy the other day and had a good
trip, bought several things l wanted,
mainly good blanket, paid seventy
| five francs but it is worth it. Nancy
/ is quite fine city but rather badly
shot up from air raids. l came back
through Toul but didn't see much
/ of the place as / wasn't there long
enough. Next month unless A. E. F.,
orders change by then 1 will be en-
titled to seven day leave and
travelling time. If 1 get it l will
surely see some of the places in
! L olCO ouCu co L dis, NlCc, DOT-
deaux, etc., and possibly London.
At present it is hard to get a per-
mission to go there.
l have been thinking how great it
/ would be to get a discharge over
here. l would attempt trip home
by the way of the Pacific. l could
make it all right and would see quite
bit of the world doing it. 1t is
possible that l may be able to do it,
have the wanderlust l guess.
l suppose Kenneth is having a
good time at Pillsbury this year and
hope he will be able to graduate
from there
! have about hundred and fifty
francs left now. Had about three
hundred before l went to Nancy, l
took a pretty little French Mile to
supper and they charge a small
fortune for a meal there, but it
was pretty good one. Wine is
about all they drink here, but don't
like it myself.
The flu must have had quite a
spell in the states, but from what l
have heard it is all over with now.
We haven't been bothered here much
with it. At the last place we lost
several fellows though.
Well Dad, l have written about all
can this time, but will write again