The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-09-06
PENETRATOR PENS

In a recent column we told
about our correspondence with
M0llie, former Britisher, now
in ST Petersburg, Florida. Our
copy of The Key West Citizen,
containing that particular col
umn, was sent to her house. She
read the item about herself with
tgreat interest but we did not
understand it when she laid the
newspaper down without a word
and left the room.
She came back in a few mo-
ments, j queer smile lighting her
face. She carried a cardboard
box in her hands. Riffling
through the box she extracted a
packet Of letters and handed
them to us. They were the very
letters we had written to her
as a youngster, while she was in
England.
The first one was dated Janu-
airy Z. 1914, in which we intro
duced ourselves, enclosing a
''ping-pong''- The picture OF
herself that she sent back, she
called a stamp In February,
1915. We were at this stage, Yes
terday two ladies came and call
ed on ne and brought me bOu-
quet Of flowers l passi0nately
love flowers We also thought
Mary Pickford IS just dandy
One thing in a letter of Octo-
Der. 1915. mystified Mollie and
our explanation gave her no
further inkling. We went on
hikes and twice we went on
bacon bats. A bacon bat is a
basket-lunch with raw bacon
which you fry on sticks over q
fire" Bacon bat OF basket
lunch meant nothing Ineligible
in Liverpool
A reference to beach resort
amusements, which included
''loonv houses" meant nothing to
her, either. But we understood
each other when it came to the
mention Of boys. From what
you said about it being quiet be-
cause of your boys being at the
front l should Judge you liked
their society rather well. If you
do. you're a girl after my own
heart. Boys and brothers came
under different categories. q
have one brother. a small boy OF
five the tease of my life"
I By November, 1915, the mail
had become uncertain and ouI
letter starts off, 'Once again ]
received a letter from you, safe
". This same letter reminds
US Of the enthusiasm of American
youths TO pet into it" over there
I got a postal from fellow in
London on which he said. Not
+ enough excitement in America
I 30 carnn over hnre-1nd found
plenty" TIE letter continues
HE already has five cousins al
the front. From what you write
I should certainly say that if he
got into anything like what you
describe he got a little more than
he was looking for This Ameri-
can young man joined the Raj
aid was killed in actiOn)
We see now our prOclivity foT
quoting others, in this paragraph,
"On November 25th we have a
holiday called Thanksgiving
Day. which / am looking forward
to with pleasure l haven't any
plans definitely but - That
makes me think of something a
grammar school teacher once
said to me You may have brains
but-can you prove it,"
In September. 1917. after we
had entered the war. the tone of
the letters changed.
Since the U.SA- entered the
war women have been knit
crazy. l didn't know. how to
knit but l learned and knit four
wash-rags for practise. Now l
am knitting wristers. In this
i country they are drafting all
men between q and 81. barring
physically unfit and those with
dependents A wife doesn't seem
to be sufficient to exempt man
as lots OF married men are being
taken They have built large
camps for the men to train at
We do not have to make shirts
for our soldiers as the govern
ment supplies them all clothing.
We have not felt the war pinch
here vet. except on foOdstuffs.
clothing and coal, etc, but all