Letter to Teddy

5-3-17

Dear Teddy -

I have nothing to do tonight but to stick around and read and write. It snowed a skiff last night last night but was all gone away before noon and the sun shone bright at sundown

I have a hard time to do the christian act with Mitchel Burns all the time. we seem to be at outs over such little things It is just envy on his part I think and a little contraryness on mine but do you know Ted it has taken an awful lot of prayers for me to keep right with him and I an’t right yet for the truth makes him spit fire some times. I had a chance to get a stripe and I threw it up, Well it went to him and he excepted it but swore up and down to use in the hut that he never would wear it, Well you have heard of the boys that travel around the country and look for work and pray they won’t find it. Well that is him he will stand so mad his eyes are like saucers and swear he won’t except a strip and yet be so tickled inwardly that he would work night and day to get one

Now I said when I first was posted for the coarse that I would never get a strip because I would not be able to qualify, but I never said I would not except stripes if I saw any good reason why I should, but before the date for the coarse come off I volunteered for the transport and, Mother will well know what I am like when I get a notion to do any thing or get any new thing, Well there is no use of me telling you all about this but any way Leeper and I started to tease Mitchel telling him that he was working for stripes and he got so mad at me that he was ready to fight and then he felt so mad at him self that he could not be pleasant for ever since. but today he put up his strip and he is as proud as cuffy, but we teased him in the dining room again tonight and he gave me a look enough to kill me if looks could kill. But he fells he won’t be as popular with the boys if he can say he never worked for stripes and did not want to except them, but he don’t want to let that worry him for he is not gifted with being a popular boy in lots of way that I havent time to discribe here and if he would just take time to size him self up once he would see how every one can see right thru him from starte to finish, he has got some very good points he says he is a christian and is willing to fight for christianity he don’t smoke chew or drink or blaspheme or tell dirty stories and he attends church services right along, but if there is two ways of reading a sermon he wants to read it so he is excused for all his short comings, not that he should change his life, he realy never has been converted and I have tried several times to tell him the difference but we have never had time to go nearly thru with it. so he don’t understand and untill he is born again he can not change his being. but if he ever sees how, I beleave he will be willing to change. I am going to continue to pray untill I can get so I can keep from answering him back in a way that it will cause resentment. for my religion encluedes peacefullness all around and as long as I keep him resenting me even every word I say is all true I can not do him any good do you understand, It looks all right for the other boys sitting around to see me argue with him and beat him four ways and make him feel mean, but that is the very thing that I have to learn to guard against. Kid I have got my faults cut down untill they are small to those big red sins I used to yeild to but even at that I have to struggle for the rest of my life to conquor one by one little things that will help me to reach my fellowman in away that they will not resent, There was night work on tonight but the bugel just went no parade to night so I am always thankfull for little favors, I am Brigade orderly carrying messages tomorrow I have quit the machine gun section I pulled my badge off my sleeve to day. so now the next job is to get onto the transport, I am going to work it hard and off coarse may loose out in the end but there is a chance to win,

Well bye bye my little pall as ever your loving brother
Laurie.

Wed. 3 P.M. 7-3-17

I was Brigade Orderly from 7.30 A.M. to 9 P.M. yesterday riding all over the camp bicycles with written messages from the Brigade head quarters to all other orderly rooms and Divisional H.Q’s.

There was ten of use with two bicycles so some of use had to walk part of the time, we stayed on the veranda of the Brigade Office and several officers were giving use the messages so I new they had no way of telling where I was so I beat it for a hour and a half to watch a m. gun bunch break a cupple of bronco colts to ride it was good fun but no good pitching no one could stay on these little saddles if they would pitch. It rained hard in the night and today is very chilly. a little frosty since ten oclock so I guess we are going to be up against a young winter. L.