The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-02-14
LETTER FROM ERNEST LIVING
sToN TO HIS SISTER ANNIE,
RECEIVED FEB ATH.
Bissy La Cote, France,

RECEIVED FEB ATH.
~ Bissy La Cote, France,
Jan. 13, 1919.
Dear Sister and Family: Have been
looking for letter from some of you
for quite while now, but none comes.
We don't know what to think. / know
you are still writing but none of US
boys are getting any mail from home
or from anybody back in the States.
Has been almost a month since any
mail came to amount to anything and
/ should and had been getting on an
average of two, or three letters a day,
those from you folks at home and
others that were writing me. / think
it is being held up somewhere for
some good purpose. Hope it is a sign
that we are coming home soon.
How is everything and everybody
getting along back home and surround
ing country? Hope everybody is well
and happy.
have been writing to some Of you
often for the last month. Hope you
have heard from me since the war
ended, because l got several letters
from you written right after it stop
ped and as you said guess you all were
anxious to hear from us. Well l
wrote right after we came back from
over the top, short letter to let you
all know that / was safe and sound.
Hope you have gotten it long before
now.
l don't think told you much about
going over the top did I? Well, it
would take too long so will wait un-
til I get home to tell it. Anyway will
say that it was what Sherman said
it was, you know what that was, don't
you?
Have you all heard from Robert
lately 1t has been long time since
I have, would like so much to know
Just where he is and how he is getting
along.
How is the weather back home this
winter? 1t has been very mild over
here so far, you know everybody said
before we came over it was so cold
over here. Well it has not been as
cold yet as we always have it at home
this time of year, but rainyit rains
almost all the time and is the mud
diest place you ever saw. Every time
you put your foot on the ground you
are in a puddle of mud 1t has showed
little two or three times, hut very
little, just about like we have it at
home, in fact, the climate is about
the same that it usually is at home.
Would like to tell you all about
this country and the way the people
live, but that would take too long, so
will let the most of that go until l
get home, too.
We have travelled a great deal since
being over here, have been billeted,
that means that we camped, in barns,
stables and old houses of every kind,
in 27 different towns. That is going
some don't you think? And we hiked
the greatest part of the time when
we moved
We hiked every step of the way from
the front line trenches where We went
over the top near Verdun, about $50
miles north of here. We were on
the road about-that is actually hik-
ing-ten days. We rested day at a
time for three Or four days, SO it made
{ a total of about two weeks from the
time we left there until We arrived
here
You know we heard SO much about
the pretty French girls before left
the States. Well there are some pretty
ones, but on an average they are not
half as pretty as our American girls
are. They don't appeal to me. You
should hear me talk French l can
speak few words, but l don't try to
learn it; think l could learn it if I
would try, but hope we will be COM
ing home soon, then I would not need