The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1919-10-02
Is PRIZE WAR LETTER No. 3 n.9M &&&H%
By
FRANk MILLER
4 Soldier

the dark and keeping hid as much as POSSIBLE
in the light The longer I'm here the more
find The necessity of being careful and ready
all the time. ! mean ready 10 duck, because
we are back Just far enough TO get the art-
Jerry fire and our only weapon OF defense Is 10
duck and be sure YOU have your gas mask with
YOU when YOU duck laid mine off for the
last time short while before the storm hit us
the other day and had TO crawl out Of the shell
tering confines Of that dear little hole TO get
il in the midst of all that hell I'll bet I'll not
be caught like that again. III never forget the
way felt when | smelt gas and suddenly re-
membered that my gas mask was outside the
hole ! could feel myself slipping believe me, but
! decided il was better 20 run a chance on shrap-
mel and crawl out after that mask than TO lie
there and smother out ! went.
BY the time got the mask on | was so out
of puff from overweight nerves and gas that
| pretty near smotheqed anyway. This is GER
tainy one hell of war and if get out of II
O. X and ever feel blue or unsatisfied at home
I'm going to try and think of some of the fixes
I've been in over here and maybe it will ease
my mind
NEARLY WOUND UP.
Lots of things happen that are aggravatng at
the time and quite humorous after il is over
! often laugh at an incident that happened to
another fellow and myself one night while on
lnP ROAD. IL WAS pouring ram anu we were WI
top of one Of the ammunition wagons trying
to sleep, covered with talpaulin that the
wagons have 20 keep the contents dry We had
tied II down on one side and left the other loose.
so as we could crawi under. and were keeping
dry at least if we weren't doing much sleeping,
when the cover began to slowly tighten up. ]
thought my buddy was pulling II and was
about TO tell him that he couldn't pull it any
further when he yelled at me and wanted TO
know what was the matter. Before II tore
il had us near squashed rs II IS made Of the
heaviest kind Of canvas but IL finally ripped
and away II went, leaving as IN the rain. One
Of the loose ropes had got caught in the wheel
and the wagon only went a short way before
the whee was locked and before we got that
canvas untangled from that wheel we were wet
and axle grease from head TO foot and the rest
of the train about mile ahead Of US on a road
that was dark as q dungeon. and we knew bet
ter than TO light light
About such times we always feel as though
we would like 10 run across the Kaiser Yes
terday afternoon the horses took trip back TO
what We call the delouslng station. place
where YOU can get a bath and new clothes That
is about the only chance fellow has 10 get
clean clothes, 50 am at present clean and with
an entire new outfit All dressed up and no
where TO go suppose I'll have to wear this
until the next time we hit n delouser or until
the end Of the war.
have received three letters from YOU in the
last three weeks one with the address Of Mrs.
Spragg's brother incosed and ! will certainly
call on him II | ever get TO Paris. ! am glad
you gave the address by my little French girl
to Herbert and Mrs. Spragg, as have not been
able 20 write 10 her at all. ! wrote 10 her friend,
the other school teacher once while we were
at the Chateau along the Marne but have not
heard from her yet. | suppose they will all
be done with me il Herbert or Mrs Spragg tells
them that they secured her address from my
wife, as | hardly think the French customs
would permit them to correspond with a mar
ried man.
Well dear. I'll have to close and try to find
a spot big enough to lie down in as am sleepy.
With love TO all. So long,
FRANK MILLER,
1iorseshoer, Co. c. 103d Am. Train.