The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-01-12
Letter from the Front
December 49,, 1917.

Dear Friend:
We'll they did write a few things on
that envelope all right. However
such decorations were to be expected
from such circumstances. When
| Glove called me out to give me the
| letter ] had been staying in bed all
/ day with tonsilitis so ] did not stay
outside to talk with him. Am all
right now only l never talk out loud
any more. l am going to send you
n snap Of myself taken about
month ago, but I just got the pic
lures last night. The box on my belt
is q kodak carrier and not cartridge
I box. I have ordered some more pic
lures from another boy and If he ever
gets them finished ri have some
more. There are no photographers
here whose work IS worth much so l
have never invested in any of their
work.
Really I have not paid any atten
ton to the way the men spend their
leisure time And we have been IN
der quarantine so long fear I'd need
a guide to lead me over the camp If
[ started out. We have a fine bunch IN
this company it seems to me- The
straight fellows far outweigh the
others That $4,000 men could be
brought into camp without some I'M
desirables is not to be expected. Per
haps some of the men here are not
as clean as l think. One thing that
makes the camp far better then 1t
would be otherwise is that devOtees
, of King Alcohol have to worship from
: 9far. If there was a saloon IN camp
It would be converted into a regular
hell on earth in an hours time. My
philosophy of conduct and between
5 periods Of instruction. My cot is the
writing table and about each two OF
three paragraphs represents the
= amount written at one time.
2 /: have raised 2O2 pounds twice
2 when I weighed and each time I de
/ cided to get sick and cut down about
S fifteen pounds, so you see that foul
s hundred dream is rather remote. A
h present I am the same long connect
{ ed Individual I always was; about a!
s clumsy; about as lazy; and about q
e absent minded The uniform so IA
e IS only another suit and the innel
= man remains Just the same
= Just now all my chances of a Chris
d mas pass seem about 0-1O00. Their
o was a list of those who were to re
e ceive Christmas passes and my nam
q was on. Then they were pullet
e down and the report was out tina
f only three privates were to receiv
,. passes. Then last night we heard tia
Secretary Baker had issued an orde
that everybody would stay on the iO1
f and eat hash that day. Maybe toda
:, the report Will be out that the who'll
s company will go home.
[. Our company commander has beel
r, assigned to another company an
s. everybody is sore. IF we ever ge
another that is half as good and hal
as popular it viii be a surprise t
Is me. They. scared ME half stiff las
" night. I was working on the reg
mental building when a man cam
7e over and said, Harvey report to tn
o. orderly room. The sergeant's &c
about half dozen names on his lis
q, for men to report" Well about
s, dozen men have been transferred on
rs Of the company in the last week an
so I said hers where your truly get
n, q change OF scenery. And was wish
k ing I could get a pass if it was t
s, France-part of our transferred me
g were sent direct so they say. Well
L. reported and the First Sergeant saiC
es Report to Regimental Headquarter
You won't need your overcoat."
tn reported minus the overcoat an
there they said, Report to Sargear
he Maj. Gibbons down in the parad
s. grounds. We'll ne wanted me fC
a tug of-war and l stood around fc
T. about an hour with just my JACKIE
IL on. Of course it was fine. I a
r, surely crazy about that particulc
rart of cur Christmas festivities.
n I viii close without leaving MOI
undecipherab1e marks on this pape
es As ever
r Charles Harve