Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1918 — "Bummer” Expects To Return To U. S. About 1980. [ARTICLE]

"Bummer” Expects To Return To U. S. About 1980.

Dec. 28, 1917. Dear Father and Mother:— Yes, our mail is alPread before it is put in the mail box by the lieutenant. Your letters are not bothered. I received your letter dated November 12th concerning the sleeping bag, etc. i Am glad to hear that you are O. K. I am, also. pave plenty of blankets because I use the ones

out of my car. , The U. S. will be sending us a big double blanket, too, shortly, and then ! will not be using the Blesse ones from my car.- I have plenty of underwear, socks and caps and will soon get some from the U. S. The mittens you sent will come in handy. It is hard to get a pair warm enough. I received the stationery that Glennie sent. This is some/Of it. I cannot tell you at what point we are located, but we are 25 kilometers or 18% miles from a good sized town. We are still doing evacuation work. Our section was ordered to evacuate a hospital train that came in from near the front with men with frozen feet, hands and all kinds of wounds. Eight of our cars left to do the work. We drove about twenty miles to where the train pulled in and there we lined our ambulances up by the station. The train was about six and one half hours late. The snow is about six inches deep, so I suppose that was the trouble—likely drifted in places. After that long wait was before us we decided to look for something to eat. The staff car went back about six or seven kilometers to an English aviation camp, located in a small village, where we succeeded in getting a few eggs, so we got a woman in a small case to cook’them for us. After supper was over we still had two hours to wait. Finally the hospital train pulled in at eightthirty at night. The night was moonlight and cold. The radiator froze up on one car, loaded with wounded, so the load was transferred to another one. We are evacuating about eight or nine miles back to a chateau, which the French had turned into a hospital. All of us worked fast and hard and drove as if a 500 mile race was on. It was all finished in about three hours, then we had twenty miles to drive back to camp. Two cars lost the road and drove five or six miles the wrong way. They run into an English aviation camp that is bombed regularly 'three or four times a week. The English put them on the right road, so they got their load to the chateaux O. K. I made four trips, hauling thirteen the first three and coming back empty the last time. The car ahead of me finished the job. We got back to camp about eleven-thirty, had some' hot coffee and went to bed. I received a letter from Louis and a picture of his boy. He looks like a husky, healthy, little fellow. I have no picture of Harold. We have plenty to z eat almost all the time. I am enclosing our Christmas bill of Tare. Did you get the one I sent on Thanksgiving? We received of the U. S. for Christmas, two turkeys, nute, figs and dates, which came the ddy after Christmas, so we will have them for -New Year’s day. As concerns “eats,” I don’t think anyone over here has to go without foodWhen we are out to the extreme posts at the third line of trenches we eat down in the cave with the doctors and stretcher bearers. Some times when we are overworked we get hungry before we can get where we cart eat, but we don’t kick about that. By the looks of things notv—the Italy and Russian trouble —I will ask you to reserve a place m the Old Soldiers’ Home for me, as when I get back I will be eighty-two or eighty-three years old. I have enlisted for the duration of the war and will stay until it is finished. I have not discovered any lice or greybacks and absolutely no greenbacks. I don’t believe a soldier has greenbacks. I have locfked myself over several times but there are none there. Have plenty of soap and etc., but no powder to use after shaving. We meet iome Americans occassionally. The Kaiser did not have dinner ready for us in Berlin Christmas, so we ate our own. We got another word that we would return to the front.. Will write later. Answer soon. • Your son, VERNE C. DAVISSON. S. S. U. 9 Convois Autos, Parr B. C. M., Paris, France.