The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-01-18
Daddy Now in France Writes
His Son From "Over There"

From Somewhere in t'rance," where
he is serving as a first lieutenant in
Uncle Sans heavy artillery, Frank w.
Cavanaugh, famous former Dartmouth
football coach has written a letter to
his little 6-year-old son that because of
its simplicity and tenderness, will APP
peal to every American boy and every
American grown-up who has red blood
| in his veins. The letter was printed
| first in the Worcester Post. Here it
| is:
Dear Davie Boy: Your good mother
writes me that you have a Chum. and
she says he is a fine boy who lives
next door. Isn't that fine? l wish |
had a chum. You and your mother
used to be my chums and sometimes
Joe and Billy and even dear little Rose
Marie and Phil, too, when he was home,
but now that is all changed and l have
no chum in all the world. l think it's
rather sad sometimes. don't you. but |
| have your pictures. which | take down
and talk to when am lonesome.
| II am happy to know you like your
new school and home. and I'm sure
you'll only play with clean boys who
don't do anything very had and who
also like to go to school. Didn't we
use to have great times together and
wasn't It fun when you'd come up to
tho car to meet me? Then when you
saw me getting off, do you remember
how you'd hide behind a tree and run
up behind me and scare me after l had
passed? And do you remember how
sometimes you and l would race and
you were getting SO you could run
pretty fast. for you were getting to be
Il big boy?
Heart Yearned for tho Christmas a,
II Home.
"And then we'd all go down to see
/ the circus and the parade and hold
hands 50 we wouldn't get separated OIL
lost. And then Christmas, oh, wasn't
THAT wonderful day! Early in the
morning how you'd all rush downstairs
to see your presents. And, then poor
tired mother would work and work &c
give all you boys and girls Christ
mas dinner-turkey, cranberry sauce
and dressing and plum pudding, and
lcandy and nuts and everything. Oh
Dave, did any little boy ever have such
a good mother as YOU, | wonder?
| And now YOU are soon to have an
lother Christmas and old Cav won't b,
home. But | want you to have the
NEST time YOU ever had on that day
so that may be happy over here
thinking of you all | wish l knew some
little boys and girls over here so that
I might talk to them and hold thcil
hands and l would call them by my
boys and girls names and pretend that
l was home.
THE other night had lovely dream
land l was SO disappointed when
awoke. l dreamed l was sitting i'll oul
kitchen with mother and David and
all the children, and IA chair which was
tilted back against the wall. slipped
and l fell gently and without hurting
me, to the floor And then mother and
you and all the children laughed and
laughed. just like good, naughty folks
And you came over and took my hand
in yours and lifted me up easily. Isn't
that funny. Dave? Think of any boy
lifting big. fat father like me from
the floor with one hand. Then we
laughed some more, and suddenly I re-
membered it was after O'Clock.
said, why, children, what are you do
ing out of bed at this hour of the
night% And you said: why. il isn't
very often our father goes away to wal
SO We thought We ought to stay up tc
say goodby.' And then I was SO sur.
prised to learn that hadn't gone away
to war yet that suddenly awoke, onl,
J to find myself in my little. lonely bar.
tracks and the rain was coming dowu