The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1918-06-28
WHEN THERE is SUCH
DEMAND FOR BRAIN AND RRAwN
When the War rs Over I'd Rather
Know | Was Stretcher Bearer
and at the Front Than
General.

SSTSTdI.
May 81, 1918.
Dearest Mother:
l am just over a spell of tonsilitis.
but it is quite over now. We have
been on the go so continually I've
missed my mail some how and failed
to find paper to write you. But when
it comes, there will be some from you
there always is-thank the Lord.
Well, Mudgie, have my six months
foreign chevron-it doesn't seem that
!ong-constant change and crowding
events have kept us in a whirl. A let
ter from R. E. says he "envies my dan
gerous and exciting work 1 have
certainly seen France. Instead of
Somewhere in France for me it's
everywhere in France" The good,
the bad and the Indifferent places. 1t
is a great time to learn human nature.
Every phase of it is strained to the
utmost, one way or the other; the
good ones are very good, the bad are
very bad. Some one has said, Life
in the raw" 1t is awfully hot now
the sun burns terribly. am as brown
as a Mexican and about as tough. My
! feet don't trouble me any more. They
are at last army broken The
shoes we wear are enough to break
anything-being of unfinished leather
with hob nails and iron heel plates.
They are the only things that will
stand the wear of the marches "up
line" Yesterday afternoon Elsie
Jones gave an open air entertainment
some distance from here. You know
she is a wonderful comic opera star
in the States. She is making the
round singing and dancing for the
troops. She told stories and sang and
danced in real American fashion. 1t
made me homesick While she was
singing one of the French soldiers on
the outside of the crowd climbed a
telegraph poie and when she had fin
ished threw her a kiss, and she, re-
turning it, he pulled off the electric
light which was suspended out from
the pole on pipe and enthusiastically
waved it over his head. It was so
Characteristic ard spectacular. Tell
Bob Pool 1 met Balientine in dis
tant city on the street. He has what
is known as "bomb proof job. There
is new man in our company who
was a company in the States, in
which Hub Boland is lieutenant. He
will be interested in that, too.
Give my love to the Central NJ. e.
church people. wish l could sing
for them now. I think 1 could do,
"Why do the Nations, So Furiously
Rage Together" with great under
standing.
We are in camp in a most beautiful
part of France-right in the woods.
You know I've never been ii the
country for any length of time and
the singing of the birds is wonder
full. 1t is my first sight of cuckoos.
I've never heard one before except
from a clock. There's brook run
ming along the edge of the wood with
rushes along the banks, and beyond 1t
are fields of the most beautiful wild
flowers imaginable. And right near
ali this beauty is the hideousness of
France; the boom! boom! And in
the quiet and glory of the breaking
day-the morning hate" is begin
ming.
l have been on guard all night. |
am sending you my messages from
the first peep of day. Your letters are
wonderful and 1 feel the courageous
ness of your spirit all across the deep.
The box of woolen socks sent by
you and Mabelle Starke, March %,
came yesterday (May 2S). They are
beauties. I've never seen any like
them. When the mud is cold and deep
and sticky, and even the good Lord
seems unmindful of what the ele-
ments do up there ION the line"-my
feet so exposed before, will now be
warm and dry and 1 shall think CT you
and Mabelle, who has loved me since
l was a little kid They are just the
kind needed-how did you know?
They come up over the calf Of the leg
white and soft and caressing and ft
snugiy at the top.
Along with the socks came your
letter and Isabelle and one from