The Real Dope | Page 5

him." So
I told him to shut up.
Well we didn't have no French lesson on acct. of me being taken sick
but we are going to have a lesson tonight and pretty soon I am going up
and try and eat something and I hope they don't try and hand me no
more of that canned beans or whatever it was that effected me and if
Uncle Sam wants his boys to go over there and put up a battle he
shouldn't try and poison them first.
Your pal, JACK.
* * * * *
On the Ship Board, Jan. 21.
FRIEND AL: Well Al I was talking to one of the sailors named Doran
to-day and he says in a day or 2 more we would be right in the danger

zone where all the subs hangs out and then would come the fun and we
would probably all have to keep our clothes on all night and keep our
life belts on and I asked him if they was much danger with all them
convoys guarding us and he says the subs might fire a periscope right
between two of the convoys and hit our ship and maybe the convoys
might get them afterwards but then it would be to late.
He said the last time he come over with troops they was two subs got
after this ship and they shot two periscopes at this ship and just missed
it and they seem to be laying for this ship because its one of the biggest
and fastest the U. S. has got.
Well I told Doran it wouldn't bother me to keep my clothes on all night
because I all ready been keeping them on all night because when you
have got a state room like ours they's only one place where they's room
for a man's clothes and that's on you.
Well old pal they's a whole lot of difference between learning
something from somebody that knows what they are talking about and
visa versa. I and Lee and Smith got together in the room last night and
we wasn't at it more than an hour but I learned more then all the time I
took lessons from that 4 flusher out to Camp Grant because Smith don't
waist no time with a lot of junk about grammer but I or Lee would ask
him what was the French for so and so and he would tell us and we
would write it down and say it over till we had it down pat and I bet we
could pretty near order a meal now without no help from some of these
smart alex that claims they can talk all the languages in the world.
In the 1st. place they's a whole lot of words in French that they's no
difference you might say between them from the way we say it like
beef steak and beer because Lee asked him if suppose we went in
somewheres and wanted a steak and bread and butter and beer and the
French for and is und so we would say beef steak und brot mit butter
schmieren und bier and that's all they is to it and I can say that without
looking at the paper where we wrote it down and you can see I have got
that much learned all ready so I wouldn't starve and when you want to
call a waiter you call him kellner so you see I could go in a place in
Paris and call a waiter and get everything I wanted. Well Al I bet

nobody ever learned that much in I hour off that bird out to Camp
Grant and I'll say its some speed.
We are going to have another lesson tonight but Lee says we don't want
to try and learn to, much at once or we will forget what we all ready
learned and they's a good deal to that Al.
Well Al its time for chow again so lebe wohl and that's the same like
good by in French.
Your pal, JACK.
* * * * *
On the Ship Board, Jan. 22.
FRIEND AL: Well Al we are in what they call the danger zone and
they's some excitement these days and at night to because they don't
many of the boys go to sleep nights and they go to their rooms and
pretend like they are going to sleep but I bet you wouldn't need no
alarm clock to make them jump out of bed.
Most of the boys stays out on deck most of the time and I been staying
out there myself most all day today not because I am scared of anything
because I always figure if its going to happen