March
16, 2016
Marson,
France
Mon Cheri
Sweetheart,
Sunday once more and still that
great body of water separates us, but one more week to that glorious meeting. I want to tell you it will be an eventful day
in my life. One never knows how much he
loves home and loved ones until he has been deprived of them for a short time,
but it’s a long time when you look ahead ten months. Just think, it’s been ten months yesterday
since I kissed you goodbye leaving you with a broken heart and a tear, which
did not appear until you were alone. It
seems as if you and I have been cast upon the roughest road of life, but things
seems a great deal brighter at present, don’t they, dear. For we are both looking for the day when that
span of time will be ended, and we shall be lounging in each other’s love, and
being a part of each other’s life.
All I want you to do is to have
patience and before we know it we’ll be together again enjoying ourselves, as
so many others are. As I look into the future, things look very bright for us,
even if it is so dark at present. To me,
a few months over here are sure long, but when I look back four months, they
only seem such a short time.
I surely was pleased and oh so happy
when those darling letters of yours came to hand last week. I received two from you, one from Mother, one
from Hazel, and the other from Joy. I sure feel proud to think so many in this
big world are trying to make my life more pleasant by sending those messages
from home. Joy surely is a true friend
to us both. When I read that Joy and
Viola were there all day Sunday I just wanted to be there too, but I could only
come in my imagination.
You have often spoken about when you
are home alone, would I come and keep you company? I surely would like to fall
in someday and spend an hour or so.
Nothing would please me more. When
I do get back, I’ll come so often you’ll say, “Not so often, Henry” Ha! Ha!
We’ll I’m back again. You did not know I had left. I had to go get
my hands warmed, for they were so cold I could hardly write. The weather seems a little colder than it has
been for the past week. Of late, we had
a little sunshine and very little rain, but that is not saying we won’t have
any. For it seems to rain just when it
wants to. The mud has dried up a little, so the streets are dusty now. We finished up with the barracks at Mauvages
Thursday. Friday afternoon we came back
to the company. Before I got out of the
truck, Geo. was there.
We surely were pleased to see each other, for it had been
nearly a month since seeing each other. That night we went to the “Y” and had a
good ole chat together about those at home.
There are no secrets between us.
He shares his pleasures with me.
I in turn do the same with him.
We read each other’s letters and then talked about you two girls back
home. And of the great time we are going
to have when we get back.
Thursday night the sergeant
and the eight of us had a French feed.
We surely enjoyed it even if it was not the very best. But it was a change from what we have been
having. We were taken into the living
room … no carpet nor rug on the floor.
Just plain rough boards. The
table was set. Just plain dishes without
a tablecloth. The meal constituted of
fried rabbit seasoned with garlic, French fried potatoes (beau coup) two eggs a
piece, and French bread. It surely is
funny to see them cut the bread. They
take the large loaf, which is like a doughnut, cut you off a piece, and put the
remainder away. Then they had French
beer which tastes like near beer at home.
I only drank one small glass and of course I did not like it.
Yesterday was that dreadful day we
were inoculated again. This time for
typhoid. I had this shot put in the left
arm. I did not feel it at the time, but
along toward evening, I began to get stiff (my arm). I slept fairly well, but I awoke in the night
with a little fever, but everything is all okay now, except for it’s a little
sore. It did not seem to affect me as much this time, but that is not saying it
won’t.
Last night Geo. and I went to Boville
to see Holman, but he wasn’t there, so we stayed for the Vaudeville, put on by
the 313 Sanitary Train. It surely did have plenty of jokes for the 2nd
Lieutenants, shave tails, as they are called. [*Origin of shave tail comes from the
practice of shaving the tails of newly broken mules to distinguish them from
seasoned ones.]
You asked what I thought of you
going to school. Well dear, seeing that
I won’t be home till after school is out, I would rather have you go, for it
will help to pass away the time, and your thoughts will be upon your lessons
and not upon me all the time. If you are
anything like me, you suffer just the same even if you are working at
something. Now dear, do as you please
about it, but don’t sacrifice your health for education. For without health, life is a miserable
thing.
You
are beginning to learn a little French, are you? Well dear, those words are
nothing bad, but the French have a way of saying goodbye at the end of a
letter, Notre Cheri Amie. They only mean my dear friend.
I don’t know whether I’ll go out on
the detail that goes out this afternoon or not.
I’ve been on all of them so far.
Yesterday I boxed up two souvenirs. I don’t know when I’ll get them
off. I’m sending the socks you sent to
me. It’s getting warm weather now, so I
won’t need them, for we can get plenty.
I did not wear them much. Only at
nights, when it was very cold. Now don’t
be disappointed, for I want as little to carry as possible. Well dear sweetheart, I must say au revoir. Goodbye.
For it is nearly time for mess. I want to send you my love, for even if
I can’t be there, you know the desires of my heart. May you ever have the spirit of God near you,
and that we may meet is the love I send you, Dearheart. Henry X O X O X O X
Corp. H. D. Call Co. A 313th Engineers,
American E. F. France A.P.O. 795
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