Letter # 64
Bountiful,
Utah
July 21, 1918
My Darling
Sweetheart,
Sunday night once more and I have
gotten home from meeting tonight. At
last the Service Flag was unfurled and oh, such a beauty as it is! Mamma, Hazel, Deloras and I went. Anyone surely would know it was wartime if
they could see the Woodville procession. Ha! Ha! On the program tonight there was:
Song Congregation and Choir:
“Oh Ye Mountains High”
Prayer and Presentation of Flag
Acceptance Speech
Bishop Stringham: Prayer
Mixed Quartet: “Keep the Home
Fires Burning”
Reading: Naomi Barlow
Rec: William Doxey
Song Choir:
Soldier’s Chorus
Speech:
Frank Jardine
Roll of Honor: read by William Doxey
Congregation and Choir: “America”
Prayer:
David Willey
This is the program in full. They had all the mothers of the boys in the
stand. Mamma was up there. I said she had a boy, can she claim you, sweetheart.
She surely thinks of you as such, I know. They surely praised Hazel up for her
good work. Boo Hoo, but they didn’t say anything about the star I sewed
on. Ha! Shall I tell you where your star
is? It’s on the 4th row down the third from the north. The flag was
hung above the Vestry door north of the stand.
William Hardly hung the flag up where it was presented and
Hazel unveiled it. There should be 46 stars instead of just 40. So you see,
sweetheart, there are many others able to stand the separation, so we must brace up for your lot, for your
lot be easier on account of our
love, for it surely is a great help.
Well, love, our friends have neither forsaken nor forgotten us. Tonight, or
after meeting as I was at the table, Ward came and asked me to go to Kaysville
with him. Mabel was up there so he took Elna and me up. He promised his mother and my folks that he
would get me back in time, so for meeting, we got back at 8:20. It took just 35 minutes to come home. Jay came up on the seven-car so he was up
there long before I left. He is still
the same old Jay. Mr. and Mrs. Graham
had gone.
Oh yes, Olivia Nelson has a diamond
from that Hayes. It’s is not nearly so
large as mine, 1/100th as
pretty. If any went the world over they
couldn’t find one half so pretty nor 1/10000000000000000000000000000th
as good, sweet, loving, grand, and pretty as you. No love, I’m not flattering
you, for when it comes from my heart and is true.
Enclosed find the poem I said, or
tried to say tonight. I got from the Sister Bartholomew, taken
from the Liahona by Grace D. Vanamer. She
sent it to Clarence and he said he wished every boy could have a copy of it.
The Soldier’s
Hour
Between the
dark and daylight
When the
night is beginning to lower
Comes a pause
for the busy woman
That is known
as the Soldier’s Hour
It is then
that mothers and sweethearts
Think
tenderest thought of their boys
Who are
fighting for them and their country
Away from the
dear home joys.
In the quiet
dust of the evening
They breathe
a heartfelt prayer
And involve
the blessings of Heaven
For the loved
ones “over there”
And the brave
lads in the trenches
Or wherever
their posts may be
Are cheered
by the spirit of loved ones
From their
homes across the sea
For faster
than letters or cables
Our thoughts
and our prayers can go
And how much
they mean to a soldier
Only a soldier can
know.
Oh, mothers,
wives and sweethearts T
Thank God for
Love winged power
And by all
that is pure and holy
Keep sacred
the Soldier’s Hour
Well, sweet love it is close on to
twelve o’clock and I don’t allow you to stay later than that, so will say
goodnight. Can I have one darling?
X
Thanks. Pleasant dreams, Violet
Good morning sweetheart.
I’m up and dressed, too, and sluffing work to write to you. I don’t care who I sluff or what, if it isn’t
you. Yes, I still love you as much as
ever, and a great deal more. For each
day I love you more, and appreciate you and your manhood, your purity and love
you more each day. I was reading an article entitled “Why Boyd should not?”
It surely was fine. The last quotation given
was by one of the apostles and was the promises given at the conclusion of the
‘Word of Wisdom’. “The promise, you know,
reads something like this: “And all those who are walking in his ways or
following his commandments shall receive health in their naval and marrow I
their bones: shall run and not be weary, walk and not faint, and the Destroying
Angel shall pass by them as the children of Israel, and not slay them.” I have
written this by heart so it may not be entirely right, but you know it. Well, good things can stand to be repeated,
can’t they, love, as such beautiful promises and blessings as that.
Oh, you think I’m getting exceedingly religious, dear? Well, I surely do value it more each day, and
I am trying to improve my living of it, for then I can more worthily ask my
Maker for the desire of my heart.
It rained last night a little so we
couldn’t get right to picking beans this morning. We will have them to pick this afternoon. We
will get about a case or two of berries as we picked half the patch Friday. We
are working today, too.
Elna says Tab is in England training
for the tanks. He says he liked it fine there but will be glad to get back to
France. Walt Pace has left for overseas duty.
I told Elna how proud we are of our
soldier boys and how the other fellows will stand on the curb and watch you
come marching home after having done your share in this conflict.
I told the kids yesterday I knew
when the war would stop, and they asked, “When?” I told them:
when Henry arrived over there.
Well, they laughed, but it’s the truth.
Isn’t it glorious lately the gains
we have made fasting. Frank Jardine struck this nail on the head as to my
beliefs as he said, “The Allies would have been licked inside of six months
when the ward first started, had it had not have been for some supreme power.”
I hope you are enjoying your real
camp life now, for I know you are. Just
look for the pleasant and funny and see how many incidences you can find, and
tell me about them next time. Well Henry
dear, I think I have written quite a plenty, so,
Good moonshine to you.
As
ever yours, Violet
No comments:
Post a Comment