Part 3 (2/2)

He said a company was built up somethin like a man. There was the brain, which was the officers, an then some was the muscle an some was the bone. He said I seemed to be pretty well fitted for my part by nature so he wouldnt change me. Ive always been strong ever since I was a kid, Mable.

Ive rote a pome. I sent it to the Divisun paper. They wouldnt print it cause they said it was so real that it might depres the men. I guess they was right cause I read it to the fellos in the tent an it seemed to depres them awful. Im ritin it to you. Its about the war. Youll probably notice that yourself if you read it careful. Here it is.

I

Here the thunder of the guns Smas.h.i.+n down the German Huns An the sticky pools of gory blood Soakin up the oozie sod The rus.h.i.+n, roarin, shreekin boom Of bullets cras.h.i.+n thru the gloom

II

Listen to those grate b.u.ms bust On the quiverin Hunnish crust Listen to the shreekin, moanin Swearin, yellin, gruntin, groanin That comes to us across the trenches All mixed up with grusome stenches

III

Biff, an from there h.e.l.lish lare The shreeks of Germans rent the air.

b.l.o.o.d.y lims lie on the ground.

Bits of Huns go flyin round.

Bang! And through the cannons roar Is plainly herd the splas.h.i.+n gore.

IV

But this cannot go on for long, Cause Uncle Sam is comin strong.

An when we charge the German line We'll chuck the dam thing in the Rine.

An blood an slauter, rape an gore In Bel Le France will rain no more.

Aint that terrible, Mable? I read it to one fello an he said it made him absolutely sick. He said he didn't see how I could rite it without gettin sick myself. Just between me an you Mable I did come pretty near being once or twice when I was ritin it.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”IF I CATCH ONE OF THOSE AILIN ENEMIES WINDIN UP YOUR VICTROLA”]

Most of all thats confidential but I dont care if you read it to some of your friends just to give em a good idea of what war is. Some of the things aint very nice of course. If your ritin big stuff though you got to put in everything that comes into your head, or else you lose the punch. I think the ends the best. A lot of fellos has said that. We ought to have more of that. It gets the slackers.

The Rine is a German river where they make wine near Berlin, Mable.

You keep menshuning a fello named Broggins in your letters. Now I aint got a spark of jelusy in my nature. Big. Thats me all over, Mable. But I warn you frankly. If I ever catch one of those ailin enemies windin up your victrola Ill kick him out of the house. Thats only fair. It isn't that I care a snap. Theres plenty of girls waitin for me. Its just the principul of the thing.

Dont think for a minit that I care. I just menshun it cause I couldnt think of nothin else to say.

Yours till you here otherwise, _Bill._

_Pom de mon oie:_

You say that like oie yoy in Yiddish. It means apple of my eye. I never saw an apple in n.o.bodys eye, Mable, but I guess thats some French custom.

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