Letter to Mother

9.3    A.M. 
23rd

Dear Mother, I must write some today to get caught up with my corespondence, I don't want to put it off untill after I get out of the line entirely,

I slept enough in the night so I just feel like staying up in the nice cool air I will sleep after dinner some,

I don't know which kind of cap I would sooner have but I have two again now I salvaged them both I got a fine one just after the advance, some boy left socks over coat and cap, to pair of home knit socks, handkerchief to the socks had his initials worked onto the top of them -

There is an occasional shell coming over but they seldom find us these days, we stay so low in the day time that they don't know where we are.

24th

Dear Mother, I am sitting in a very nice place some trees surrounded by a valley, we are all lying around on the grass - we had a dandy bath and change of clothing.

There is a dandy spring to get drinking water at night handy,

It is great to be away from the guns again, you feel just like sinking down in the grass and going off to sleep for hours. I slept in my bivouac that I discribed a week ago last night McKeith was with me and Calmon a machine gunner, from the west coast,

I have been some buisy fixing up a lot of the boys feet the marching makes them tender the first day especially they walk to fast or some thing. Well bye bye mother dear as ever your loving son

Laurie

25th      8 - 18

Dear Mother.  A dandy Sunday evening in old sunny France. I am sitting in a wood by my bivouac, I have had a rather buisy day fixing up the boys feet and etc,

But I lay down a while this P.M. and found I was not tired enough to sleep so I am not in bad shape. I saw a bunch of Yankees go by the had the stars and stripes in the front of the bus,

I came closer to being bombed last night than ever I suppose. the bombs dropped a good safe distance away at that, maby like the dam from home,

It never bothers me to have them bomb, because I never had a narrow escape. I can go to sleep when you can here several bombing squads in the air.

I bot a box of chocolate today, when I feel hungry I never seem to remember that it is sunday I just auto maticly walk up to the canteen and buy what I want then hours after it may done on me that it is sunday,

There was a voluntary church service at 4 P.M. but I just got ready to ly down about 2.20 so I read the last psalm and went off to sleep, feeling thankfull and content with life, and strength a comfortable little bivouac. I was realy tired when I marched in here at 1 A.M. and you can put as much emphysis on that tired as you like and you will have it, but the beauty of being young and strong is that after you get your battle order off for thirty minuits, you are ready to on an other four hours if need be. If we get clean out and stoped I will lighten my load by sending my souvenirs. I think I will quit gathering them now if these get home safe for you will have a few relics of the European war,, of the 20th century.

Bye bye Mother dear as ever your loving son
Laurie

26th

Dear Mother we got a little rain last night and some showers today, but it is only comfortably cool at that. There is a very pretty view where I am, woods and villages roads with big trees along each side. but there is very few crops,