ht since that winter I taught you to dance. I went to the doctor with
them an he said to keep offen them as much as I could. So they put me to
work scrubbin the mess shack on my hans and nees. I bet if a fello had
both legs shot off theyd prop you up against the wall an put you
peelin onions.

[Illustration: "I HAD A REPUTASHUN FOR A DEVIL WITH THE WIMEN"]

I got to quit now. They got a thing called retreat they have every
night. I always like to be there just to show the Captin Im behind him
regardless.

Im sendin you my pictur in a uniform pointin to an American flag. Its
kind of simbolical the man said, if you know what that is. I thought
youd like to put it on the mantle in a conspikuous place sos to have
somethin to be proud of when your girl friend comes in to talk. Id ask
you for your pictur only I havnt got much room for that kind of thing
down here.

yours exclusively
_Bill._

_Dere Mable:_

Everyone round here is goin to school now so they can be speshulists.
Not the kind your mother goes to, Mable. A speshulist only does one
thing. I been doin everything round here ever since I came. I was gettin
sick of it. I went to the top sargent an says I guessed Id be a
speshulist to. He said all right hed make me a food speshulist. Said Id
have to go into it pretty deep. I been into it up to my elbows in the
kitchen ever since. Never trust sargents. Least of all top sargents. If
it keeps on like this there wont be nobody to do the actual fightin but
me, Mable. Its too much responsibilety for one man. Suppose I was to get
sick or somethin.

An then a bunch of fellos went away to lern to be officers. That kind of
struck my fancy it bein about the only thing I hadnt done round here. I
went to the Captin an told him I thought Id go to. He said I could go
to, and then he added somethin.

[Illustration: "IT SEEMED TO DEPRES THEM AWFUL"]

He said a company was built up somethin like a man. There was the brain,
which was the officers, an then some was the muscle an some was the
bone. He said I seemed to be pretty well fitted for my part by nature so
he wouldnt change me. Ive always been strong ever since I was a
kid, Mable.

Ive rote a pome. I sent it to the Divisun paper. They wouldnt print it
cause they said it was so real that it might depres the men. I guess
they was right cause I read it to the fellos in the tent an it seemed to
depres them awful. Im ritin it to you. Its about the war. You