Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1918-08-22
From Tom Brazeal

| just received two letters from
you this evening. one dated June
4th the other the Sth too |
reed one from Marda. Ralph
and one from Bob NJ. SO YOU see
| am Very well supplied with
news from home but | would
never get trek of reading home
news, | have seen and heard SO
much that | hardly know how to
start or finish a letter. but / do
know this much; | don't know
just where | am but | was told
that | am about the same latitude
here as | was the last time l was
working from home. | guess I'm.
Gle Sam knows where | am for
he gives me all | can eat and all
the work that is necessary for
exercise and make me eat hearty
| wish | could take the trip ov
er here just for pleasure to take
time to see every thing, for this
old country sure is some place
it is so odd and much older look
ing than the L S. The buildings
are all of stone or brick and are
covered with tile or stone. The
people that farm live in small
villages and have no fences
around their land. They also
have to drive the stock out anu
Craze them every day. We also
live in one of these old villages
where there are a few French
families. These people are very
kind and good to theU S soldiers
They seem as though this war
was farther away than it is.
.annOt carry OF a conversation
with them but | can by motion,
ing and looking make my wants
known. | don't know just how
far | am from home but there is
about six hours difference in the
time so you see we get up here a
short time after you have retired
AS far as your going to Califor
mia, | believe it would be all O X.
if Ralph would go with you but
don't believe you should 60 with
out him, also if you get my allot
ment | believe it would be best
for him to come home while | ani
away, for it would take a lot of
the work off of your hands and
besides he would be more of a
comfort for you. The allotment
would be very near enough to
keep your expenses paid. l am
very glad that the stock is doing
well and sure would be glad tu
have some of that good milk ana
butter, although | have plenty to
eat but no milk. We do not drill
as much now as we did there but
do more studying. Ley Shin
paugh is not with me now but is
still in the regiment. Erna
thought the last time that | saw
him that he would not have t.
come to France. You can tell
Bob that | received his letter and
was glad to hear from him for he
said he would be glad to be with
me again, tell him that | will be
glad to see him. | wrote you a.
bout my serial No. 21s2791 in the
other letter, so if you wrote the
Government about me be sure to
give my number just after my
name, so be sure to keep my
number. Be sure to write about
this for | will continue to give
this until | know YOU have it
Now don't work too hard for
someWay | believe this will be
over by another year but this is
just my belief, although you
know as much about this as | do
you get more news than |. AS
| mentioned about your taking
the trip to California. Be sure
to take Ralph with you or go to
K. G.. and stay with him for a
while. If you do 90 be sure and
let Bob have the place, for you
could not beat him. You can tell
Uncle Link to wait for | feel as
though | will fish with him again
alsD tell him that ! saw fish and
whales as | crossed the pond,
that if they were in Bryant they
would make a dam across the
river. One whale looked as
though it was SO or 100 feet long
| am sorry to know that Mr..
Park was so bad. AS paper is