The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-11-15
HOMESICK SAILOR
JACK STAHL TELLS HOW 1T
FEELS NOT TO HEAR
FROM HOME.

Writing from overseas Jack Stahl
tells his parents, Mr.. and Mrs. HI. A.
Stahl how it feels not to receive a
letter from home for nearly three
months after arriving in France.
Following is his letter, in part:
by the way you write you must
have received the blue letter that /
wrote. You can't imagine how mad
l was after l had written it and mail
ed it. Actually l would have given
$40 if / could have gotten it back as
/ knew after it had gone hat ii
would make you blue when you re-
ceived it. But it was only a day or
two after l had written it hat | re-
ceived your first letters. Well, to
tell you the truth, when / wrote that
say in the navy. You know one of
the slogans of the 'gobs' of the u. S.
navy is It's a great life if you don't
weaken and I have heard that slo-
gan ever since l have been in the out
fit. 1 was enjoying the life alright
until the weeks came and went and
the time gradually grew into months
without hearing a word from the
folks at home and then the life began
to seem monotonous and / could feel
myself weakening. So one day, in
order to get it out of my system, /
just had to sit down and write my
troubles to you. If / had laid that
letter down and had not mailed it
/ would have torn it up. But the
thing is over and none of us are any
the worse off.
II suppose l will notice a lot of
changes when / get back. But / pray
every day that you will all be there
to meet me because l am going to be
there some day and don't you worry
that l won't. OF course, it is best
not to crow too loud, but l am not
exaggerating it a bit when / tell you
that I never ate, slept and felt better
time. / may not be lubberly fat, but
have sure fine health and ] thank
God every day for ii and with his
help Ii will not be very long before /
, will rejoin you with glad tidings.
"Old Kaiser Bill is finding out
where he stands and is now crying
for an armistice which l hope he will
not get because If there is anyone
} that needs a good sound ~threshing
it's him and his gang of murderers.
Il afOo., bafo,n I fnrnat ~ \ ruanf IN
) tell you a comical experience | had
= a day or two ago. Now don't think
/ that just because l have Joined the
navy that I have gone astray, because
you know me. Well, I must tell you
t what happened. AS | was standing
: in the line, waiting to buy some
1 cookies It the canteen / got it into
e my fool head that l would like to
: chew some tobacco, so / went up to
, the window and bought a plug OF
r Horseshoe tobacco, and then started
D up to the office to stand my regular
Y watch. 1t was dark and / took a bis
e bite off of the plug and started to
e chew away. Well, all of a sudden
CT must have swallowed too much oil
n the juice) everything commenced to
|, look black in front of me and / goi
y as dizzy as a bat, and / came stagger
S ing into the office. My superior of
e ficer asked me to go into one of the
i other rooms of the office to get som
certain papers and I vent to get then
= but / couldn't tell one paper from an
re other. / came out and told him tina
I was awful dizzy and he asked m
y what had happened to me and | tol'
,e him that I had taken a chew of to
Ie bacco. You should have heard hin
l. laugh, he nearly split his sides. III
is sent me over to the sick bay and tn
lie doctor gave me an emetic, and the
was alright again. But will neve
forget my first chew of tobacco i
the navy.
81 am glad to hear hat you re
ceived the little silk ~handkerchie
that / sent. You will be intereste
v to know that / bought that from
. little Belgian girl who was one of tn
refugees from Belgium in 1914 whe
the Hun overran her country. Sh
made 1t by hand.
at There hasn't been a single case {
lis influenza in the station SO far. TIL
tn doctor said that he eve saw such
d. healthy bunch.
in This has developed into a SOM
he what lengthy letter. But you d,
m serve every word that l can write
is. you. You are sure good to me an
as believe me I sure appreciate 1t.
.ly only hope as you do that We will a
nv keep our present good health an
,es will once more be reunited which