an help unload a rashun truck thats
stuck in the mud down the road. An by the way, the wars over in about
five minits so dont go around shootin anybody after that unless you
want to land in the gard house." I bet if the angel Gabriul stuck his
head out of a cloud an said the world was goin to end in twenty minits
all that would worry the Top would be thinkin up details to keep us
sweatin that long.

Thats about all there was to the end of the war as far as I was
concerned. Angus says "Ill be damed." Then he squinted thru his gun an
handed it over to me an says "See if you think thats rust up near the
front end." We stopped everybody that came along an told them about
it. Most of them would just say "Ill be damed." Then theyd stand
around for a minit thinkin it over an ask "When are we goin home?"
Youd think me an Angus was runnin some kind of a Cooks toor.

Things warmed up a little after it got dark. Everybody got there
fireworks out an touched them off. It was the first time since we
been in the war that we found out what a lot of those rockets were. It
made 4th of July look like Sunday in Philadelfia.

Of course all anybody thinks about now is when there goin home. Most
of the fellos is expectin to help put the fires out on the family
Crismus tree. Theres a few of them thinks theyll be eatin homemade
turkey Thanksgivin. I wouldnt worry much if I was a turkey tho.

Well, Mable, after all the baths I took last winter an all Ive been
rained on since I got here I finally adopted a pack of cooties. I
guess some Fritz left them in a dug out to starve. I dont know why it
is that animals seem to take to me so. This bunch is so attached to me
I havnt been able to shake them for two weeks. I used to think cooties
was funny just like you think slippin on a banana peel is funny till
its your slip. Now all I do is scratch, scratch, scratch. Thats me all
over, Mable.

[Illustration: "ALL I DO IS SCRATCH, SCRATCH, SCRATCH"]

Im enclosin a blank slip they gave out today. Anybody that wants to
send a Crismus present has to have one. I wasnt goin to send it first
cause it sounded a little like I was expectin a present. Then I
figgered Id just tell you I didnt want one an send it for a curiosity.

I guess Ill see you in about a month. Its just a question of findin
somebody thats fool enuff to take these guns offen our hands. You
might as well start oilin the victrola. You can tell your father hes
goin to sit down to the biggest