Dear Ma and Pa:
I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and
Brother Elmer the Army beats
working for Old Man Minch by a mile. Tell them to
join up quick before maybe all the places are filled.
I was restless at first because you got to stay
in bed till nearly 6 a.m., but am getting so I like to
sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you
do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine
some things -- no hogs to
slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split,
fire to lay. Practically
nothing. You got to shave, but it is not bad in warm water.
Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit
juice, cereal, eggs, bacon,
etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, beef,
ham steak, fried eggplant,
pie and regular food. But tell Walt and Elmer you
can always sit between
two city boys that live on coffee. Their food
plus yours holds you till noon,
when you get fed.
It's no wonder these! city boys can't walk much.
We go on "route marches,"
which, the Sgt. says, are long walks to harden
us. If he thinks so, it is
not my place to tell him different. A "route
march" is about as far as to
our mailbox at home. Then the city guys all
get sore feet and we ride back
in trucks. The country is nice, but awful flat.
The Sgt. is like a schoolteacher. He nags some.
The Capt. is like the
school board. Cols. and Gens. just ride around
and frown. They don't bother you none.
This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing.
I keep getting medals for
shooting. I don't know why. The bull's-eye is
near as big as a chipmunk and
don't move. And it ain't shooting at you, like
the Higsett boys at home.
All you got to do is lie there all comfortable
and hit it, you don't even
load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.
Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join
before other fellows getonto this setup and come
stampeding in.
Your loving son,
Zeb
P.S. Speaking of shooting, enclosed is $200 for
barn roof and ma's teeth. The city boys shoot craps,
but not very good.
:weed:
I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and
Brother Elmer the Army beats
working for Old Man Minch by a mile. Tell them to
join up quick before maybe all the places are filled.
I was restless at first because you got to stay
in bed till nearly 6 a.m., but am getting so I like to
sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you
do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine
some things -- no hogs to
slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split,
fire to lay. Practically
nothing. You got to shave, but it is not bad in warm water.
Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit
juice, cereal, eggs, bacon,
etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, beef,
ham steak, fried eggplant,
pie and regular food. But tell Walt and Elmer you
can always sit between
two city boys that live on coffee. Their food
plus yours holds you till noon,
when you get fed.
It's no wonder these! city boys can't walk much.
We go on "route marches,"
which, the Sgt. says, are long walks to harden
us. If he thinks so, it is
not my place to tell him different. A "route
march" is about as far as to
our mailbox at home. Then the city guys all
get sore feet and we ride back
in trucks. The country is nice, but awful flat.
The Sgt. is like a schoolteacher. He nags some.
The Capt. is like the
school board. Cols. and Gens. just ride around
and frown. They don't bother you none.
This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing.
I keep getting medals for
shooting. I don't know why. The bull's-eye is
near as big as a chipmunk and
don't move. And it ain't shooting at you, like
the Higsett boys at home.
All you got to do is lie there all comfortable
and hit it, you don't even
load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.
Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join
before other fellows getonto this setup and come
stampeding in.
Your loving son,
Zeb
P.S. Speaking of shooting, enclosed is $200 for
barn roof and ma's teeth. The city boys shoot craps,
but not very good.
:weed:
