St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1922-04-15

been the prompting thing, the word
that threw you into it so hastily and
before you were ready, perhaps. I
dreaded to bear that terrible RESPONSE
bility. l hope you understand.
my great mistake has been-1
thought l was 50 1ogical'-it's been
In my starting everything with a
thought I'd never proven: that war is
the worst thing, and all other evils
were lesser. was wrong. l was
wrong, because war isn't the worst
evil. Slavery Is worse evil, and now
want to tell you have come to see
that you are making war on those that
make slavery. Yes. you are fighting
those that make both war and slavery,
and you are right, and I humbly rev.
erence and honor all Of you who are
IN this right war. I have come home
to work In the Red Cross here; work
there all day, and all day I keep say
Ing to myself-but really mean to you
Its what I pray, and oh, how pray
It: God be with you and grant you
the victory!' For you must win and
you will win.
Forgive me, oh, please-and If you
will, could you write to me? know
you have things to do more important
than 'girls'-but oh, couldn't you.
please?" ...... -.
This letter, which she had taken
care not to dampen, as she wrote, went
In slow course to the american Ex-
pedltionary Forces in France" and
finally found him whom 1t patiently
sought. He delayed not long to answer,
and In time she held In a shaking hand
the penciled missive he had sent her:
"You forget all that comic talk about
me enlisting because of your telling
me to. I'd written my father I was
going at the first chance month and
a half before that day when you said
1t. Ny mind was made up the first
time there was any talk of war, and
you had about as much responsibility
for my going as some little sparrow or
something. OF course don't mean
didn't pay any attention to the differ
ent things you said, because l always
did, and used to worry over 1t be-
cause was afraid some day it would
get you into trouble, and I'm mighty
glad you've cut 1T out. That's right:
you be a regular girl now. You always
were one, and knew that all right
I'm not as scared to write to you as
was to talk to you, so guess you know
was mighty tickled to get your letter.
It sounded blue, but l was glad to get
1t. You bet I'll write to you! l don't
suppose you could have any idea how
glad was to get your letter. could
sit here and write to you all day II
they'd let me, but I'm a corporal now
When you answer this, wish you'd
say how the old town looks and if the
grass in the front yards is as green as
1t usually Is, and everything. And tell
me some more about everything you
think Of when you are working down
at the Red Cross like you said. guess
I've read your letter five million times.
and that part ten million. l mean
where you underlined that you and |
what you said to yourself at the Red
Cross. Oh. murder, but was glad to
read that! Don't forget about writing
else you think Of like. that.
"Well, was interrupted then and |
this Is the next day. OF course can't |
tell you where we are, because that |
darned censor will read this letter, but !
I guess he will let this much by. Who
do you think ran across in village |
yesterday? Two boys from the old |
school days, and we certainly did |
shake hands a few times! 1t was that
old foolish Dutch Krusemeyer and Al
bert Paxton both of them lieutenants. |
I heard Fred Mitchell is still training
In the States and about crazy because
they won't send him over yet.
IF you have any idea how glad l |
was to get your letter, you wouldn't
lose any time answering this one. Any
how, I'm going to write to you again
every few days If get the chance be-
cause maybe you'll answer more than
one Of 'em.
"But see here, cut out that sent you
to be killed stuff. You've got the
wrong idea altogether. We've got the
big job of our lives, we know that, but
we're going to do 1t. There'll be mis-
takes and bad times, but we won't fall
down. Now, you'll excuse me for say
Ing It this way, Dora, but don't know
Just how to express myself except |
saying Of course we know everybody
ISN'T going to get back home-but lis
ten, we didn't come over here to get
Killed particularly, we came over to
give these Dutchmen HI!
Perhaps you can excuse language II
write 1t with blank like that but
before we get back we're going to do
What we came for. They nlay not ali
e ITEM he AS bad as some Of thor
t's a good thing you don't know what
We do. i" :ause some Of it would make
you sick AS say, there may be quite
/ lot of good ones among them; but
We know what they've done to this
country, and we know what they mean
o do to ours. So we're going to at
end to them. or course that's why
I'm here. 1t wasn't you.
Don't forget to write pretty soon,
Dora. You say in your letter. GER
ainly was glad to get that letter.
veil, you say have things to do more
than girls Dora, / think
7Ou probably know without my saying |