Fragment of a letter to Mother

[page 3 – possibly from letter to Mother]

The service is over we had a good talk by our chaplain and a good many of the old hymns were sung it surely does us so much good. Things that I used to just mildly enjoy are such a joy to me now I can’t explain just what I mean but I guess a little home life would mix with my army life a little fine about now. they have raised our pay from 6 to $9.00 per mo. we will spend it all that is the caracteristic of the soldier to always be broak. I have only spent 8¢ in 10 or 12 days. I spent that 5¢ piece that Kate sent me. I bot some chocolate one night after a work party with the 5¢ and I spent the other 3¢ a few days before on the way in. we have had two slight white frosts the last two nights but more cosy where we are now. we got paid this P.M. I received two packages one from you and one from Annie yesterday A.M. Kate and Kathleens socks and candy cookies they were fine all so Annies cookies they were great I have a lot of them yet.

My mother, I surely will never need for socks the way you folks fire them at me and handkerchiefs they are increasing to I don’t need any thing I am going to make a pair of fingerless gloves out of a pair of the legs of a socks I can make a good pair. I will do it tomorrow.

Soldiering now an’t anything like it used to be we have a metal road right up with in half a mile of [hunges???] line and each trench layed with village side walks te he. trench mates so you can see the difference the new system of bringing up grub we never miss a meal, and the mail each day. of coarse it would not do to bring the mail up the first day on an advance for a shell might blow it around.

Well, bye bye again
Laurie