The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1918-07-18

if can stick to it that means raise
in pay. About the time you folks
are sitting down to coffee and frieC
lcation to be jumbled in with rabbl'
ike that.
You and mother are terribly exer
Used about the food. Why, it's
)ullyl Last night, for instance, W.
aad cocoa, welsh rabbit, corn bread
and cottage pudding with some kline
Of sweet sauce-all we could eat 0ul
company chef used to be a cook In
a big hotel. Nothing wrong with
the grub, except in your imagination
The same is true about mothers wor.
ny as to whether | am warm and all
that. Why, of course | am. For the
love of Mike, where do you think we
are? Our barracks are we'll heated
we've got plenty of blankets, hot and
cold shower baths, and fine bunch
Of fellows in the company.
Another thing / don't think you
know about is the Y. M. G. A.; that's
where I'm writing now. All this note
paper with the stars and stripes on
it and the little Red Triangle is given
away by the GYM, as we call it.
They have these big buildings all over
the camp-nine or ten of them-with
fine open fireplace, plenty of books
and magazines, note paper and en-
velopes given away free, music, moy-
les and boxing or some such stunt
going on every night. One wing Of
the building is used for an entertain
ment or meeting every evening; the
other wing is kept quiet for the fell
lows who want to read or write or
play games. We have no end of
good times herein fact, my evenings
are fuller Of fun than when was on
the job and at home.
Then the fellows here? You ask
are they mice" Of course, we have
all kinds of human beings here
ditch diggers and bank clerks and
professors and millionaires. That's
what gives one such a satisfying
feeling about it: Wee all here to-
gether, no one better than anyone
else except in being a better soldier.
Uncle Sam called us, and here we are
The fellow who has the next bed to
mine in the company barracks used
to be professor at some college or
other, and the other evening | found
him as happy as a king because he
had found a book called "History of
Philosophy" on the Y. M. G. A.
shelves. He was lost to the world
reading that stuff, while every kind
of rumpus was going on around him,
men. singing, talking machines play
ing, one of the Y. M. C. A. men un-
Grating big box of athletic equip
ment, and so on. Some highbrow!
The spirit Of the men is great.
The first few days we were all q
bit mopy-sat round and wrote let
tiers all the time we were off dutv-
but the 7. M. G. A. fellows got us
started singing and that madeaa heap
Of difference. You can't shout "Over
There" and where Do We Go From
Here, Boys 2" at the top of your
lungs with 900 others doing it with
you and still feel grouchy.
This is one fine, healty, spirited life,
and we all have the satisfaction of
knowing we're doing our bit. You
folks don't need to feel sorry for us:
you had better be enyious. And [
hope you will pass on the good word
to anyone else who's likely to be in
this big draft we hear about.
And | am going to study French.
In. fact, just as / got to this point Of
my letter the Y. M. C. A. man came
over to tell me that the French class
! signed up for is going to have its
first lesson tonight, so I'll have to
quit. Believe me, there isn't anything
those X. M, C. A. fellows don't start.
French classes, Bible classes, English
classes there's lot Of men here
don't know any English. heard one
big Pole ask for chickens when he
meant checkers!
Honey, we boys are out to do a
big job. We all know what we're m
against, and we're ready to give All
we have to prevent such things "a the
massacre of Belgium from ever han
penlng again. Some of the French
otficers here to teach us bayonet
lighting have told US just what hap
pened over there at the beginning of
the war. | tell you, it made us pretty
keen to do our part. And we need
AZ the encouragement we can pet.
all the good news from home. But
what we don't need is the sob stuff
that makes man feel blue. There's
no room for that in soldiers kit.
SO get move on sis, and mother
toto that mental state Of yours
Change it. Reediust it. It's onlv
you folks back home that are sad
ana worrying; we are not. And YOU
must turn about. It's your bit!
My dear love to all, sis. III look
forward to that next letter, because
| know it'll be the kind | want. Tell
this to all the folks who have bows
at camp: If every mother and wife
and sister will write us the kind Of
letters they ought to, thisll be 4
fifty per cent better army.
Now for that lesson in parlevvoo!
Best love from JIM.