If theyd only come right out an say Bill Smith were goin to
get you. Sneaky. Thats what I call it, Mable.

Ive half a mind to transfer back to the artillery. If I transfer much
more theyll be chargin me extra fare, eh Mable? Only for me an the
Captin not bein able to agree Id never have left. I understand hes been
awful sorry since. All you have to do in artillery is to put a bullet in
the gun. It does the rest. In the infantry you got to go up and do all
the dirty work yourself.

[Illustration: "THEY COME ROUND AND WATCH YOU EAT IT."]

Besides Im gettin leery of these infantry fellos. There always talking
about what were goin to do to the Germans, blowin em to pieces and
slicin em up an throwin em all around the lot. I got thinkin what if
the Germans was learnin there men to do the same thing. They never seem
to figger on these things.

An these baynuts, Mable. They aint safe. When you get a lot of fellos in
a trench with there baynuts stickin every which way some ones goin to
get hurt sure.

I got those cigars your father sent me. Thank him an tell him if he ever
gets takin like that again not to send such a large box but-well you
explain it to him Mable. You can do that sort of thing much better than
I can. Outspoken. Thats me all over, Mable.

Why is it that no matter how fussy a fello was when he wore a vest as
soon as he begins to call a coat a blouze no one thinks he knows whats
what. If you got any old magazenes what was old before the war started
send em to the soldiers. They wont know the difference. Some wimen sent
our regiment the Baptist Review for three years back. That aint right,
Mable. They give you candy that comes by the bale. Then they come round
an watch you eat it. I bet if you walked into there place an watched
them eat theyd raise an awful holler. They make speeches to you that
youd get your money back without askin up north. They give you free
movies thats so old they look as if they was taken in the rain.

It seems like feedin the hippo at the zoo, Mable. It dont matter so much
as long as theres lots of it.

Im goin into town tonite with a bunch to eat a swell dinner on a china
plate. All but Angus MacKenzie. He eats all his dinners on me. Im awful
sick of eatin out of a tin fryin pan. When you put food in it it folds
up like a jacknife goin the wrong way. It takes months to make a good
mess kit eater.

We get our mess from some fellos what stands behind a counter. One of
them divid