the
street on 6th avenoo. Only in the army when anything like this happens
they give you a gas mask. A gas mask is like a cracked ice bag with
windos in it. An in the front they got a cigaret holder. I always heard
how the French was cigaret feends. I guess it got so bad they put in the
holders sos they could smoke during a gas attack.

Im goin to put on my mask an have my pictur took en cabinet. Thats
nothin to do with furniture, Mable. Its the French for what its goin to
look like when its done.

The gas fello said the other day that gas was perfectly safe cause you
could always tell when it was comin. You could hear it escape or see it
or smell it. The only trouble was, he said, that when the gas started
the machine guns made so much noise you couldnt hear it an it always
came at night sos you couldnt see it and when you smelled it it was most
to late to bother anyhow. I been thinkin that over. Seems to me theres a
joker in the contract somewhere. Ask your father to read it over an see
if it sound droit (thats French for right) to him. Better still. Ask
Higgins the grocer to give it the once over. Hes got a grand tete as the
French say when they mean brains.

[Illustration: "NOT THE KIND YOUR FATHER HAS"]

[Illustration: "I WEAR THEM EVERY NIGHT OVER MY UNIFORM"]

Its getting frappayer and frappayer down here (meaning colder and
colder). It got so cold that I put on those sox that you nitted me. I
guess I wont any more though. I guess my feet are going to look like
corderoy the rest of my life. Youll understand no hard feelin I know.
You know how delicate my feet is an how I cant afford to prennez a
hazard with them.

Thank your mother for the flannel pajammas. I wear them every night over
my uniform. I got to quit now an read some pictur post cards that some
girls sent me.

Good night
(or as the French say Robe de Nuit).

_Dere Mable:_

I havnt rote for some time because I been made an officer.--a corperal.
I admit I deserved it. I didnt apply for it or nothin though. They just
come and told me.

Bein corperal means I dont have nothin more to do with details. An at
the same time I got more details than ever. Thats a sort of a joke that
us military men understand. You couldnt get it probably Mable. Its
tecknickle.

Yesterday being Sunday me an a couple of other officers borrowed a
couple of mules from the stable Sargent an went for a ride. We saw a
cabin that they said was a moonshiners