East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1918-09-17
BOLD HEARTED ECHO BOY
CHEERS MOTHER,

There is much amusement at the
front if you can see things that way,
says Private Lemuel E. Esteb of
Echo in letter to his mother. The
following is an extract from the letter
as published in the Echo News:
Don't imagine that the army offers
no laughs. There are many amusing
incidents If one will only look at it
that way 1 tell you a smile will car
ry one farther than anything, and
beefer hits many a rut and has a
whole lot harder time than the per-
son who looks for the brighter side.
Fret and Worry are two words a per-
son should leave out of their vocab-
ulary. Trench life ofttimes grows
monotonous but there is always some
thing doing. Our domestic pets con-
sist of mainly the famous trench rat
and graybacks. Do you know what
they are? Little parasitic animals
that had advanced the art of camou-
flaging to high science before man
ever suspected that there was such
a thing In the trenches momentary
relief is found by picking them from
your clothes, reading our shirts, We
call it. Almost any time in the day
you can see someone reading the
news-always the same-more cooties
coming. They are little pests They
have an itchy crawl that gives you a
creepy feeling and ones arms are
ever busy keeping them on the move
all the same as traffic cops. 1 have
a well trained army of them. They
do squads right here and a squads
left there One of the boys says he
got rid of his by carrying joke book
in his pocket and they all laughed
themselves to death.
Well you know there are times when
a soldier can't mail letters as he wants
20 so please don't let the fact scale
you If a letter fails to come accord
ing to schedule. I am out of the
trenches for the second time and now
we will get a rest. 1 have seen the
real thing, / assure you. have not
cleaned up yet, thinking my first du-
ty is to write.
Old Jupiter PIuvius scheduled not
a little rain but whole bucketfuls
this last time. Speaking of mud men,
I should smile we were-no way to
wash and even now 1 have enough
coolies scampering all over my an
atomy to populate our state and rats,
why they are as big as jack rabbits.
ing with them. but when got a
chance to sleep which was seldom,
after all night in the rain. no shells,
rats. or anything disturbed my slum:
ber-nothing but n call to arms.
] have seen this little game played
from almost every angle. but as soon
as I finish this letter. me for a good
bath. change OF outfit. and then for I
get the trenches as much a. can. !
have one wish of you and that Is that
you do not have too vivid Imagination I
because you NAV see Tho names of t
comrades missing or in the casualties, 1
for Shakespeare had the right idea
he must have had quite a struggle In 1
his battle with mans foe fear be- +
fore he conquered IT, for he tells /
about # when he said. towards die /
many times before their death. the I
valiant man tastes death but once"
pray for you all and may your
faith be such that there viii be M
worries. because earthly hopes shah
be dashed to pieces. as the great plan
n salvation is coming to completion.
Desiring Sour prayers and those OF my
friends. 7 am your affecfionaie son.
PRIVATE LEMUEL 2. EsTEB.
co d. 12T L. S. Infantry. y. c.. A. Z.
r., France.