The Real Dope | Page 4

Well Al I will have to cut it out for now because its pretty near time for
chow and that's the name we got up out to Camp Grant for meals and
now everybody in the army when they talk about food they call it
chow.
Your pal, JACK.
* * * * *
On the Ship Board, Jan. 19.
FRIEND AL: Well Al they have got a new nickname for me and now
they call me Jack Tar and Bob Lee got it up and I will tell you how it
come off. Last night was one rough bird and I guess pretty near
everybody on the boat were sick and Lee says to me how was it that I
stood the rough weather so good and it didn't seem to effect me so I

says it was probably on acct. of me going around the world that time
with the two ball clubs and I was right at home on the water so he says
"I guess we better call you Jack Tar."
So that's how they come to call me Jack Tar and its a name they got for
old sailors that's been all their life on the water. So on acct. of my name
being Jack it fits in pretty good.
Well a man can't help from feeling sorry for the boys that have not been
across the old pond before and can't stand a little rough spell but it
makes a man kind of proud to think the rough weather don't effect you
when pretty near everybody else feels like a churn or something the
minute a drop of water splashes vs. the side of the boat but still a man
can't hardly help from laughing when they look at them.
Lee says he would of thought I would of enlisted in the navy on acct. of
being such a good sailor. Well I would of Al if I had knew they needed
men and I told Lee so and he said he thought the U. S. made a big
mistake keeping it a secret that they did need men in the navy till all the
good ones enlisted in the draft and then of course the navy had to take
what they could get.
Well I guess I all ready told you that one of the boys in our room is
named Freddie Smith and he don't never say a word and I thought at 1st.
it was because he was a kind of a bum like Hall that didn't know
nothing and that's why he didn't say it but it seems the reason he don't
talk more is because he can't talk English very good but he is a
Frenchman and he was a waiter in the big French resturent in
Milwaukee and now what do you think Al he is going to learn Lee and
I French lessons and Lee fixed it up with him. We want to learn how to
talk a little so when we get there we can make ourself understood and
you remember I started studing French out to Camp Grant but the man
down there didn't know nothing about what he was talking about so I
walked out on him but this bird won't try and learn us grammer or how
you spell it or nothing like that but just a few words so as we can order
drinks and meals and etc. when we get a leave off some time. Tonight
we are going to have our 1st. lesson and with a man like he to learn us
we ought to pick it up quick.

Well old pal I will wind up for this time as I don't feel very good on
acct. of something I eat this noon and its a wonder a man can keep up at
all where they got you in a stateroom jammed in like a sardine or
something and Hall smokeing all the while like he was a freight engine
pulling a freight train up grade or something.
Your pal, JACK.
* * * * *
On the Ship Board, Jan. 20.
FRIEND AL: Just a line Al because I don't feel like writeing as I was
taken sick last night from something I eat and who wouldn't be sick
jammed in a room like a sardine.
I had a kind of a run in with Hall because he tried to kid me about
being sick with some of his funny stuff but I told him where to head in.
He started out by saying to Lee that Jack Tar looked like somebody had
knocked the tar out of him and after a while he says "What's the matter
with the old salt tonight he don't seem to have no pepper with