[Letter to Ellen, May 18, 1918]
 
[American YMCA logo, ON ACTIVE SERVICE
WITH THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE]

May 18 1918

Dear Ellen,

Just received several letters from home, one from Blodwen Stephens and 
another from Aunt Ellen.  When I got through reading the clippings, I 
left them in the tent and they are still pawed over from time to time.  
It's surprising how much war news there is in the home papers, the 
Times-Leaders especially.  The papers here are a joke because they so 
small and thoroughly censored, nothing but the least war news and some 
local stuff that doesn't interest one.  If Garfield is married, it's 
his own fault.  Anyway, he can't prove that I advised him to do it.  
When the Am.E.F. gets back, watch for a flood of wedding notices.  That 
reminds me of the letter I wrote to George Callahan.  Hope he found it 
rather

(2)
interesting.  And tell Charlie H. that I'm certain I wrote to him in 
Feb. but I'm sending another to be sure.
Now for those questions you had the nerve to ask.  Far as I know, my 
hair is the same color and this outdoor life is a sure cure for pale 
skin.  About 8 1/2 or 9 for the shoes, I'm afraid.  Same old height.  
Looked-up the dentist a few times.  He took a big back-tooth on the 
last trip.  We were stopping over night at a village and after supper I 
looked around for the infirmary to get some iodine and just by luck, 
found the dentist.  He wanted to know who told me because he thought 
they were hidden for the evening.  Then he picked up a little case of 
tools, from a corner, his man got a glass of water and placed a chair 
by the fireplace and that's all there was to it, except the taste and 
the gap and etc.  The watch is a prize, also the Populars'.
Rob.


[Transcribed by Lauren Kanne on 5/27/2009.]