Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1918-12-19
From Ira e. Stout
Somewhere in France, Oct. %.
Mr.. Fry and family.

~
scribble a few lines as l otter
think of you folks and the gooG
times I have had at your house,
I never will forget. Well, I an
still among the living, and hope
you are all we'll and enjoying life
| am well and as mean as ever
Never felt better in my life.
would like to be there and go tc
Ashley again. Do they still have
meeting at the Baptist? Does
Mr.. Reams still pueach for you
folks. Sure would like to be
there when he CONES. l was
thinking last Sunday about you
and wondering if you we're at
church. Would like to step in
when you are doing some o. that
good old singing. Well, l don't
think it will be long till we all
will be back. I think the Dutch
have about all they can stand and
they are still getting more but
they are looking the Yanks in
the face and they can't bac =:
them an inch. We can give them
all they want and lots more.
Sometimes the lead pours around
US like the fire Goals did at the
mill but l have been lucky so far
but sometimes it looks blue. But
stand up to the colors, don't
weaken and the victory will be
aurs. Sometimes they shoot
shells at us almost as big as a
barrel-we call them garbage
cans. I was right at a Dutch
aeroplane when our army aircraft
shot it down and our artillery
puts them to hunting holes. Well,
| am cooking again, you ought to
be here for supper-I had steak,
gravy and beans, ha, ha, that is
the down fall of Germany. Well,
does papa and Joe still run the
mill? guess I will want a job
from them when l get back. Well,
Joe take good care of old Caste
till I get back anyway and I will
try to whip US a ~Dutchmanapeice
Well, Joe, we have lots of big
dugouts but when one of our
storms comes you would sure
have to run some or you would
be to late but most of the time it
is too late to run. We are sure
having some fine weather but it
rains the biggest share of the
time and gets awful muddy. Did
you have a good crop this year.
1 haven't seen an ear of corn
since I left the state. They don't
raise corn here, mostly small
but lots of grapes and raj
sins and make lots of wine. l
think they are all good people
for every one you see has a pone
of bread in one hand and q bottle
of wine in the other, la, ha. They
all belong to the church. l think
the man grows the grapes and
then the wife sells the wine. 1t
is altogether different from the
S. | see lots of funny things
if | we're there I could talk tor a
week. l have just got my old
gun shined up ready for inspec.
ton. We call our gun father and
our gas mask mother. l could.
Mt go to church yesterday, so !
took father and mother and went
out to see if | could find a hog.
We have some wild hogs that
have been left here since the wal
1t is just like a 4th of July cele.
bration here of a night. We can
see all kinds of fire works, air
raids and bombbardments. How
is school? How is Herbert? How
does he like his teacher? What
grade is he in? Ida, how are you
getting along? Have you a fellow
and how is he? Well, how are
the girls! l dld near pfetty reg
ularly from them but they have
quit coming. I have written sew
eral but got no answer. I guess
John Rich has got oil the girls
now, and we soldiers are left out
but l can only hope not. l have
seen the French lily and the Eng
lish rose but they don't look good
to me. Well I guess you will be
tired of nonsense by this time,
SO with lots of love and best wis
hes to all | am as ever your
friend; so goodbye to all. Hoping
~~- 49,