Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 160, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1918 — DR. JOHNSON WRITES RENSSELAER FRIEND [ARTICLE]

DR. JOHNSON WRITES RENSSELAER FRIEND

The following letter was received by Charles Darter from Dr.-C. E. Johnson: , • Thursday, June 20, 1918. Dear Friend Charlie: Your letter reached me this morning, which happens to be a cold, wet day, and I enjoyed ever so much to learn that you are still up and going. Its hard to keep a good man down they say, so I have little fear that you won’t manage to keep op your pins. However, you must remember that you are no spring chicken, and a certain amount of care is necessary now, which was not needed in your younger years. You see lam anxious that you Should be the same old Charlie when I get back. I am having a fairly easy time as things go in the army. Have been in a hospital of 800 beds of which 200 are under my Change for several weeks. I enjoy the work very much and am learning things every day—if this war keeps up a few months I will have had considerable experience and hard to get any . where else, so I am not losing anything (but money) while at it. I hear occasionally from Rensselaer. Simon Thompson writer once in a while. Tt seems that a number of the home folks have gone to training camps .since I left. There Ts need of a lot of men in this show over here and 1. believe when all our army hits France, the Germans will have some disagreeable times to face. I don’t mean to insinuate that he hasn’t got his hands full now, but he will certainly feel it when our army gets started- I haven’t been in a dangerous place only once, however, I expect to be in the thick of it before long and am only sorry that T won’t be armed with a regular gun insteac of a hypodermic case. You can imagine a man as fond of shooting as 1. am, being forced to work around a place where one might be used, without a thing to stir the air with. This is a beautiful country, and a shame it is that war has to upset things. However, it isn’t going to last forever and a generation or two will have stopped thinking of it. There are many things I would like to tell you Charlie, but can’t—some day I’ll be back and we’ll have a plenty to visit about for a while. Am comfortable—have plenty to eat ant drink and in fact haven’t a thing to bother me. Would love to sit down to your table for a square meal, however. Thanks for looking after the gun. Give rtiy regards to your sister. As ever, C. E. JOHNSON, Care American Express Co., 6 Hay Market, London.