The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-22
Mud and Slush and Cold Are
Laughed At
W0MAN PROVIDES COMFORTS
Men Sometimes Go for DAYS
With Clothes Unchanged.
Always Plenty of Work In the
Front Trenches.

An Interesting letter has been re-
by young captain. but "a years old,
extracts from which are given below.
The letter. which In addressed to his
Dad, was written in a dugout On the
firing line. Here I am In smoke,
dirt, mud. slime. rats, fleas and lice
cold as a gravestone and happy too,
happy to think that I have led into
the first line trenches, the first or
ganized group OF combatant troops
under our dear old flag. I am doubIy
pleased for I have done my ten day
tour without q casualty, either thru
shell fire (and we caught a gob) i'll
ness brought about by trench life, ak
posture or ordinary sickness. But am
now chirp as a squirrel, for tomorrow
night we will be relieved.
We have slept in all our clothes
including shoes and mud In a dark
damp dugout. forty feet below the
ground, Shiny and wet on old well
used straw hunks. double decked and
with chicken wire for springs, full of
all sepecies .of 'crawlers.' Cannot
build fires in daytime for fear of in
wiling the ever-ready and willing
shells. When we do build one 1T night
Ine miserable little TN stove smokes
you out. Oh, this Is the life. Until
the relief comes nothing to do but
watch. that eternal stand to- watch
ing, ever watching
Can't Work All Time.
when the boche moves we know It
When he sleeps we 'comprende.' When
he works We know what he does a
smell may pop the top OF OF your
little shelter or q bullet knock your
o. "a zgar
right on watching. it's your job and
thousands OF lives are depending on
Just this watching. But we do work
too, mostly at night. The boche
won't let you work all the time, nice
Fellow he Is, so the trenches must be
drained and the caved in earth re-
placed and made secure with revet-
ments. Food and material and NUM-
tons must be brought up by hand.
Nights here, even tho arduoUs, are
strange, the rockets. millions OF them,
sizzling up in the sky and bursting
peacefully thru the darkness and
lighting up = bit OF shell-toru bloody
land.
Down on the ground strange things
happen An ordinary everyday
post; Just look at it It's pretty dark.
everything Is quiet; soon the post gets
larger, you strain your eyes trying to
pierce the blackness OF night; now
shoulders appear, later a helmet.
Yes. the helmet has a spear on it,
surely this time it is a boche trying
our wire. When this apparition
moves. the sentinel fires. The ". c..
Q. comes. walks out and finds q lit
tie round bullet hole thru the post
Sometimes the machine gunners cut
posts down when they start to walk
ing away.
When Shells Come.
To-day as I was showing the Sec
tor to the captain who will relieve
me, 1 heard the familiar whistle of
Frttzie's prize IT. It kept coming
right at US. Down we went-the mud
wasn't too deep-down in the bottom
or that trench. Surely this fellow
would never hit. We crouched lower,
in knot, trying to make the helmet
I thought this one would do its trick
but here I am Then-bang. Just
over. When I opened my eyes, the
mud and wire were still going up.
It had burst about ten feet away.
More work for Sammy tonight fixing
that wire and clearing the dirt out of
the trench.
Am now back rs miles from the
front. When we arrived, the surgeon
greeted US with an order that all must
be inspected for lice and bathed eve
now have hot showers.) The cots are
IA AAlE 5lOIe EOOQl anu al the blankets
and packs have gone some three miles
away to be disinfected, no cover, SO
down we flop right in the gutter on
the side Of the road. The big trucks
rattle by dangerously close but no one
knows, all of them have gone or dead
asleep. All but the cooks and officers,
for chow must be ready in the morn
ing. I have sent the other officers OF
to bed and go hunt up a cup Of coffee.
Old Lady Thoughtful.
The old lady in the place where I
am to sleep has been fine enough to
voluntarily fix me up some rations.
Into bed flop, no sleep for three days
and feet as cold as icicles. My feet
nit something hot under the cover
Down I went to see what (maybe one
OF those big trench rats we Just left) :
1t was a hot water bottle. This dear
old lady has slipped in and put it in
my bed and gone out-not q word
said. isn't it fine? I dozed off to sleep
thinking of how mummy would love
to thank this thoughtful dear old lady.
Now today, have put in for q pass to
Paris. Its granted, so I am OF to-
morrow from darkness. gloom and
death. to brightness, false pleasure
and false living