Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-04-16
FLYING WITH SHAFFER
LUCK IN THE AIR
LETTERS FROM DAUPmN BOY TO HIS MOTHER
Somewhere in France,
Eah Of 1918

Somewhere in France,
Feb. 21, 1918.
Dear Mother:
Hope YOU received that last Ions
letter and its length didn't prevent
YOU finishing your housework. IN
Cidentally, when you finish Sald
house-work, YOU can send Esther
right over to make my bed and clean
up in general. The room hasn
been swept for a week and the dust
still remains in thick coat on every
thing from the last sweeping. You
don't know how muddy this country
is. so fortunately, you can't imagine
how much of said real estate rests
on the floor. And now that you have
been properly shocked, I'll proceed
to relate the latest news.
1t Just hit me to-day, so l can't be
blamed if I'm little OFF balance.
1t seems I am not only going to be
armed with a machine gun, bur re-
sponsibility and a camera as well,
and l haven't decided Yet whether
TO be tickled or mad. You remem-
ber, I told YOU we are now hyinS
the Morane Parasol monoplane, so
to-day the Captain comes around
and tells me the high mucky-mucks
are going to put cameras on several
the experiments. And as l said be-
fore. l don't know what to think.
Ny mechanic is plumb disguised and
some of the pilots talk as If its a
disgrace, but on finding that l had
not asked for the photo work they
pity me-and there you are! When
the Captain asked me what /
thought about il, l said l preferred
fighting alone, but he reassured me
by saying that when l wasn't TAX
ign pictures. 1 could "cherche' the
BoChe. That put a different face on
the matter and l am trying to per-
suade myself that l am going TO like
the hand fate has dealt me. It's
cinch.
Plenty of Thrills
There will be plenty of thrills in
the new work. for it will necessitate
flying way into Germany, lodging
Shrapne and Boche. TO get the pic
ture, and doing some more lodging
bullets and Boche to get back with
the picture. And that is the part l
don't like. for it's against orders to
fight when taking pictures. You can
see that the point is to get the pic
ture and then beat it for camp. This
playing tag in the air is thrilling in
deed, but doggone il. l don't want
to be il all the time, so when some
persistent Boche gets shooting away
at my tail. little Walter is quite like
ly to forget orders and a valuable
camera. and picture. swing around
and take a few shots himself.
Then again, this mounting cam
era takes time. which means another
week, of loafing around, something
I'm getting very sick of, since no let
ters have arrived for two weeks.
What's the matter?
Poor Christmas Presents
All the Christmas fountain pens
busted. 1t makes me chuckle
though TO think of the weapons 1
am armed with-shoot at Fritzy
with my machine gun and then when
he sees the "birdy" take his picture.
However. before l go any fur
ther let me thank YOU for that box
of mixed cakes which came some
DAYS ago. Yes. sad to say, they are
all gone and all that remains is
pleasant memory and a desire for
more.
As Putnam says. it's hard enough
TO write a letter with another for
inspiration, but with no letter and
nothing happening it's impossible.
That's the fix I'm in. so I'm rising
the wailing strains of the flute and
cello as inspiration. Yes, the own
er of the flute finally arrived-via
the railroad. having tried twice to
fly here. But he went " in panne"
both times and I suppose hadn't
nerve enough to ask for another
new Zans. having ruined two all
ready. He is the timid gentleman
once told you about, and it's an
open question among the pilots
whether his motor actually stopped,
or just began missing and scared
him into landing. Which reminds
me of what Dad told me before 1
started in this game, viz:
Boy, you will find the same petty
jealousies in that game as any
other" It's sure the truth, only
more so. for the way a man flies
stamps his character better than
any other test, and no matter how
punk the man may be who makes
comment on the one airing. he,
generally judges right, and the way