Letter to Teddy from Witley South Camp
5-2-17
Witley
Dear Teddy:–
Your last letter received and it was a dandy your improving in your penmanship to just stay with it, it won’t be long until spring is here now.
We got about 4 inches of soft snow last night. today is a little cold and the sun’s coming out pretty good it may melt some again today but if it don’t we don’t care, I am on quarantine guard now and having a snap any thing to pass the time away, I guess the war may not last long of coarse no one knows
I got a letter from one of our boys at the front that I will enclose I think it is good all tho I know all the boys that he mentions and that will make a difference when you read it.
There is old men out here that are repairing these huts one of them has no gloves or mitten of any kind they get 18¢ an hour and work 9 hours a day they bring there cold dinners along with them and have no hot tea at all to drink at there meals they eat two or three meals a day here, I guess that they are very light meals tho for they just carry them some thing like a bacon sandwich and etc.
Well Ted it is a 6.15 and I just came over to the recreation room to try and write you a good letter. I started the rest of this at noon, say Ted you can’t realize how good and lots of places funny litter Kathleen writes. I surely like to get them,
The latest the athesaste corporal Walker has said about me was that I was a fine boy with fine principals but it was a shame to see me putting them to the wrong use ;like professing to be a Christian and giving God the credit for the power to live this kind of a life. There is not a day but I get a chance to tell some one some thing about this different life than the life of the world. I can’t tell you so you will understand the freindship that is growing between the boys and me every day, This McDonald I have spoaken about before would sit and talk with me by the hour on different things and he is just on for getting me started every time. He wanted to have his picture taken with me the day that groupe was taken but the boys came into it any it is just as good. The other day he says, Wait for about ten years after we get back and I run across Laurie he will say Mc do you remember the time I stayed on the water wagon for a full day. and do you know Teddy he has only tutched it two different days since, but I keep saying to him to stay with it when he starts out at night and he has for about three weeks or more.
I hope you get lots of coal to keep warm this winter for it must not be very nice to be in a chilly house. I tell you Kid if any one wants me these times they generaly find me sitting close to the stove, but we sleep as cosey as any thing, so we are very lucky I tell you my little pall. I would hate to think of you coming in the 128th for look how close I came to being in the trenches this winter. It was Gods will that I should come and see the mysterious way he deals with use. I am sitting with my back about two feet from a good fire so you may know that I am comfy.
That is to bad about Rolin where does he seem to be hurt do you know? tell me all about it. Now if you can sell any of the horses at the right cash price let them but otherwise keep them over if you have to pasture them out for next year an other fall you will know when I am coming home and then you will know what to do. I want them if I get back for the 1918 crop it will pay to Pasture them out or build more fence sooner than do any thing else for the one summer. I hope you will have good luck next year and I know if you don’t neglect God you will surely prosper. The faith I have in God gives me such joy well Kid you will have to pray and seek this joy thru the study of his word before you can understand what I mean and what it realy is to experience this.
I am going do what I can to encourage British emegration after the war it is a disgrace the conditions that have domineered in this country for the last hundreds of years.
We have not heard any thing about Will Byrnes here yet so I can’t tell you any thing about him.
Well bye bye my dearest brother and pal as ever
Laurie
P.S. Just build your life entirely on Gods word and none of your freinds or relations will every worry about your future posterety may Gods rickest blessing blessing be yours now and for ever, is my earnest prayer tonight and always.
L.