Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-10-10


Dear Mother, Father and Little Sister:
Well here it is another Sunday aft
ernoon, and I'm going to write you
your regular letter. Hope you'll write
me more often than | do you. Re-
ceived nice bunch Of eight letters
last Wednesday, among them two
from mother. You can't imagine how
much they mean to me, and I've read
them all over several times. We have
lots of time on our hands UP here with
not much to do, and very little to
read. Wish you would forward me
the Cutters Book" and any other you
are taking after you are through read
ing it, Don't send it to me unless you
are taking it yourself and finish read
ing it. They will help to pass many
a lonesome hour, ! can assure you.
The ether night as | was sitting down
in my dugOut with nothing to do [
decided to put my thoughts to verse,
and am enclosing the result Am 60
ing to try my luck at it again when
get something more exciting to write
about
The excitement | spoke of in my
last letter hasn't come off yet, but
we are expecting it any day now. Then
I'll have loads Of exciting things to
write you about. At present there is
nothing but a lot of aerial activity,
and we sure get plenty Of that
This certainly is a desolate part of
France | am in now. There are a
few French people left here, but most
of them have moved out No wonder,
the way the country has been torn
up by shells. However, this land is
all these people ever had, and it's no
wonder they hate to lose it,
So Rev. Ferguson has left. I'm
sorry to hear that 1 wish you would
write him ard tell him I'd like to
hear from him.
| suppose the hunting season is just
opening in Wisconsin now. I'll sure
miss that h"t we expect some fine
shooting here within the next week or
so Hope you'll get some good hunt
ing trips this fall Tell Freem Ca
pener I'm going to write him before
long, and | want him to white and
tell me all about that hunting trip he
is going to have.
Had a lovely trip up here. l came
with the horses, while the other lieu
tenant brought up the trucks. Think
of it! | rode over fifty miles and
didn't get one bit stiff. 1t took us two
days. The first night we camped just
outside of a little French village,
which was a billiting place for a lot
of u. S. marines. I went up and got
a room for myself and while there re-
ceived an invitation to supper with
the colonel OF the marines. It was
the best meal I've had since | came
to France-Chicken and all the trim
mings. Had a good sleep, and the
men said they did too.
Got hold OF a couple Of rs Cm. shells
the other day, and have had a French
man carve them up foI ire, They will
sure make pretty vases for a mante1-
piece I'm afraid I'nl getting too much
of this plumber and will not be able
to bring it all back when come.
Took the little French lad down to
the quartermaster yesterday and
old one was all torn to pieces, and he
was tickled to death to have a new
one. He was telling us some Of his
experiences last night. OF course we
can't understand everything he says,
for he talks very little English. After
he left home, he was in the Russian
army for six months. The Russian
Of
left He tells how they threw their
guns away. Then he was in the
French army and finally how he came
to us. 1t is a pathetic story. Guess
I'll bring him home when l come.
Expect Virginia is just starting in
school again. Hope she gets right
busy, and doesn't lose as much time
as she had to last year. l also hope
she is keeping up with her music A
girl who can play piano is very
lucky, and of course Virginia doesn't
realize at present what it will mean
to her later on. There is a piano in
the town behind us where we go occa-
sionally, and l would give a whole lot
if I could sit down and play. Have
wished that a million times.
Gosh, but I'm hungry for little
candy or something sweet. We can't
get any up here, at present at least.
| hear that the government is going
to make candy part of the soldiers
ration. That sure will be good idea,
for we all miss it very much. l ex-
pect its absence will do us all lots of
good, though. Do you know I'm really
getting fat. No wonder, I've been
getting all the sleep l need, and plenty
of good, wholesome food, three times
= a day. Wish l could find a pair of
scales, but such thing is unheard of
UP here. 1 was about worn out when
I arrived in France. | was rather thin
when you were in Georgia, don't you
think?
It's starting in to rain today, and [