Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-01-03
Mason
PHOTO TAKEN IN FRANCE or THREE MISSOURI VALLEY BOYS

them too. but the way they shot
them up it looks like they were
scared all the time that the Am
orleans We're coming over to pay
them Il visit.
Several nights after we went in,
a patrol was sent out and all men
who wanted to go on it could, not
to exceed certain number. /
went. We got out on No Mans
Land. crawlcd out there on our
hands and knees and bellies. Aft
er we got in front of our wire we
laid flat and waited. 1t began to
get old after short time, and
started to rain. not very much,
but Just enough so when il pat
tered on our helmets we could not
hear much else. ii was quite
dark, but we could see anything
that moved if it happened to be
where the sky line was low. When
you get out on No Mans Land and
look at the posts of he wire en-
tanglemcnts long enough they will
do squads right" forward
march. or anything you happen
to think of. One fellow, a great
big sandy-haircd strapper out of
he headquarters company kept
tapping nc on the arm and ask
ing nc nv hats that out there 2"
He kept looking at those posts so
long that he could see them move
evclE time he shifted his position
Il little. Well we sIaid there most
of HE night, and there were no
Boclrcs tried To cul our wire, so
we came i'm. Mckecver and both
went out ON the patrol.
believe all the boys from home
have had a touch of the front
lines. The 10th was the first i'm
the lines. hope we are the first
to go home. We We're the first
ones over here. We lost several
men, killed, and believe about
eighteen We're captured. God help
those poor fellows if il is any
thing like the French say it is to
be a prisoner in the Germans
hands.
Tonight's paper says he Brit
fish have captured Jerusalem. The
bible says the capture of the Holy
City will be the beginning of the
end. Let's hope the end comes as
quick as did the beginning.
am full Pledged company
clerk now, and getting along very
nicely. much better than when
there were two of us. We will
have a student clerk as soon as a
man in the company is found to
have a little experience i'm clerical
work
Well, folks, il is only fourteen
days until Christmas. We will
have two days off, and | hope we
have dinner like the one we had
THANKSGIVING. II was great.
When | left home thought |
would he back by this time. but
there don seem to be much diff
ference in the conditions. | know
of Very high officer who is will
ing to bet we will eat our Christ
mas dinner on The transports, hut
| am willing TO bet there is some
thing wrong With the mans head.
The Italians strength seems to
he giving away to the fierce fight
ing of the Germans. | have heard
nothing cfficia! about it. but a
rumor came out last night that
they had LOST a great number of
men. 1t is hard to believe. +
can't see how it can be possible.
The Germans must be getting
support from somewhere.
wish we had waited until
warmer weather to declare war on
Austria. II is cold enough here,
let alone over in the Alps. We
have had several light SHOWS in
the last two weeks. One night
that we slept out in tents | froze
a big toe, but that has been the
worst thing that has happened. to
me so far.
Oh. yes, forgot to tell you
about the rats in the trenches.
The blamed things seemed to
think we were taking their homes
from them when we took our po-
sition. They walked all over us
when we We're asleep, ate our
bareback. and got up on the
boards above us in the dugouts
and scratched dirt down on us.
One of the boys said that of them
actually raised his head up to get
his bareback. But that was not
all. They We're loaded down with
fleas. | know. We all had to
take a gasoline bath when we re-
turned to camp. | was afraid to
light match for a week after
ward.
How is my dog? l don't sup
pose he will know his old pal
when | come home. l will have to