The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1918-08-13


Somewhere in France.
July 9Th, 1918.
Dearest Mother
Your letters of May 20 and 2S are
inst coming after weeks and weeks
of no mail at all. I saw criticism
in a n. Y Herald of the mail system
for, the soldiers. 1 am glad some one
is waking up-for it is pretty bad.
You asked me about my work. l
am not permitted to tell you anything
more than l am killing the Boche.
Isn't that enough?
You say you would be so proud i
/ had stayed at the University one
year more for my B. S. That would
have been glory for me-Wouldn't you
rather have it as it is? My highest
duty is to my country. You have
taught me that-and you always said
L could go when I could be of service
have had hard and steady work.
No time off. 1 wrote to Lyles for a
letter of introduction-if I get a
chance to see Paris; but it is difficult
for combatant soldiers to get to-for
non-combatants it is easy.
You spoke of my letter of April 80
being eheerful-I'm rather proud of
myself for having made that impress
sion thru those-the most gruell1ng
days of my experience. The mud was
knee deep everywhere-and Heinle
was not stingy with his worst gas,
which made it devilish uncomfortable.
And oh there was the hardest work!
7 remember slipped headlong in a
shell hole fun of water Sone dark
night, and lay there a few moments
because it was SO much more COM
Portable than any place I'd been But
it makes a mans heart big to see the
true American spirit under such con-
ditions: Not the stolid, silent scar
rying on of the British-but the fire
and warmth that fires the spirit of
man when he slips off duck board
with a Is lb load into water and mud
hip deep and laughs about it.! But
here's what helps-you spoke of wish
ing to do canteen work. That's the
thing that warns soldiers heart
to getlto canteen where he can have
smoke, drink of coffee and crack
ers. It will keep more men out Of
Ncafe's" than all the ssout of bounds
signs in creation. In one town where
we were, there was Salvation army
tent rpn nv three women. i was ir
easy gun range Of the line-right in
the 'fgas mask area These three wo-
men made thousands of doughnuts
and pies.
One day after that our truck team
was en- route. and as we slowed up
for bridge a gray haired 7. M. G. A.
woman stood by the road and each
truck got carton of cigarettes and
we hadn't seen cigarette for days!
Those are the things that count in
our bard days. They mean more than
knitted sweaters and temperance lee
lures There ere nultitudes of things
the Y. M. C. A. Salvation army and
the Red Cross do over here that
makes man think of he good thot's
in the wor:d And lhnv cont ask ycu
what your ra1:q,o1 iS either.
I have not sent you signed order
for anything because it is too much
of a risk to send envthing now The
valuable rackage Ehirlich sent in
March with my Arch supporters,
knife ard other needful things has
never come.
July A+h.-S+I1I rowing. The mart
of the country I'm in now is the most
beautiful ~ S""n"e' dark '~"on hills
high and s+eep-valleys with lovely
streams winding thrr like silver rfh-
bon Aud vast elevated fields all
about lire a erazv-quilt. No wonder
the Bocha wants it!
Rioh+ now = On, SITTING Under p
RlaamSree looking beyond these lovely
-: u'--o % ho-o an5 +hare with !
sd +i'od ~oofs aoa'nst the g~ean
trHs Pm - tha +:oe thare is the !
boom: anA vnn pra breathless for a !
moment-thoo tf'a 7o'ee As of loco !