Same old Bill, eh Mable! | Page 7

shell. Then I close the door an
start the shell on its way with a piece of string. Its a pretty important
job cause if I dont latch the door the whole works will probably come
out the back entrance.
Our horses came today. They must have thought this was a mobile
vetrinary hospittle insted of a battery. Whoever grooms those things
will have to lean them up agenst something. I read somewhere how the
average life of a horse in this war is only 60 days. Accordin to that this
bunch has seen about seven weeks service already.
[Illustration: "WILL HAVE TO LEAN THEM UP AGENST
SOMETHING"]
Every mornin we go out to the range an shoot away liberty bonds. The
good part about shootin into a desert like that is that theres nothin out
there to hit so you can call it a bullseye no matter where you land. The
oficers just walk around shakin hands an tellin each other what good
shots they are. They sit up behind the guns in a place that looks like the
press box of a baseball game. It has a nice roof an everything. When it

rains they just pull their toes in sos the water wont drip offen the roof
on them. Then they say "This is war. We cant stop for a little wet."
Every time a fello fires they call it a problem. About the biggest
problem is to figger what their firin at.
In the afternoon we go to school. Yesterday a fello gave us a talk on the
"Art of Handlin Men." Marv Motel says he knew him in New York. He
used to be a rubber in a Turks bath on 42nd street.
Theyve ishued green badges to the fellos that was down on the border.
It looks like St. Patricks day around here. Angus MacKenzie that wasnt
there calls them horse exercise medals. The day I put mine on the
French fello thats learnin us about telefones came up an shook hands
with me. All the Frogs think somebody has sighted us for bravery. Its a
good thing nobody knows enuff French to tell them about it.
The French have a medal they call the Crawdy Gare. If you do
something pretty good like sittin on a hand granade sos it wont go off
an bother the Captin or fieldin a shell right over the kitchin they hang
one of these on you. Then if you do somethin awful good like drivin a
General fast past a place thats been shelled they let you wear a silver
rubber plant on the ribbon.
Were almost ready to go up to the front now. I guess they want to get
us there before the horses 60 days is up to save funeral expenses. Just at
the last minit they ishued us a lot of replacement troops as if we didnt
have enuff to carry. The governmint dont need to waste no tin derbies
on that bunch. They certinly looked as if theyd been doin some hard
fast travelin when they struck here. All they had was what was on them
an that was mostly cooties.
I aint allowed to tell you wether were goin to the front from here or not.
I dont see why its such a secret tho cause were so far in the rear here
that its about the only way we could go. If you dont here from me for a
long time I dont want you to worry cause I may not be killed but just
badly wounded or taken prisoner or something. Or there might be just a
chance that it was because I was to busy to rite. This door tender job is
pretty important. When they get to fightin I guess Ill have to be around
most of the time.
Yours till I leave the door unlatched Bill
_Dere Mable:_
Were on our way to the front. I bet the Kiser an that funny lookin kid of

his is gettin there pulmoters out. We traveled three days an two nights
on the train an now we been hikin two nights more. I havnt heard a gun
yet. I dont think the Captin knows where the front is. Theres a roomer
around that we got off at the wrong stashun. I suppose now we got to
walk half way across France just because that fello dont know how to
read a time table.
They landed us in a field outside of a town. Youd have thought we got
off right in front of the Fritz trenches the way the oficers acted. The
new Lootenant bawled everybody out for not wearin there gas masks at
the alert. That means tyin it under your chin like a bib.
[Illustration: "TYIN IT UNDER YOUR