TRANSCRIBED FROM THE BENTON COURIER OCTOBER 17, 1918 P. 1
Mr. Editor:
If you will spare us a little space in you paper, we will try to write a few lines to our Saline county friends, as we are not on duty this morning.
This is the day for contests. They are having all kinds of games, and the prizes run from twenty five cents to five dollars, but the funniest thing was the pie eating contest with their hands tied behind them. Believe me when they got through, some of the boys had enough pie on their faces to do them for quite a while. It seems just like the Fourth of July here today. There is the largest brass band we have ever seen, and all the screaming and hallowing that you ever heard is taking place.
The papers look good this morning, but we all would like to see those Germans come to peace. There are not very many but what would like to see peace in this old world again, and we pray to our good Lord for peace. There are some of the boys that don't seem to care for anything, but we ask the praying people of Saline county to pray for her boys that they may get to come home by Christmas.
We can't go anywhere now as there is a quarantine on, but we have to make the best of it. We sure would like to see our friends but guess we will see them some time soon.
We are not in the same company, but we are near each other. Watsie is in Company B, and I am in Company A. They have transferred us around till we have lost all our Saline county boys, but a few. We are near Luther Goodwin, Ollie Johnson, Claud Newcomb and a boy by the name of Monroe, and they are jolly good boys.
Say, girls, we will be good housekeepers when we get to come back home. I have learned to be a cook, and had to wash many an old dish before I learned to cook. Now I make the K.P. do it.
Reck has had influenza for two weeks but I think he is getting along all right now but he has not gone back on the drill field yet. I don't have to drill. I am on twenty-four hours and off twenty-four hours.
Say, girls, how are the parties out there now? We sure would like to go to Mr. Frank Guerins for another good old party. There is not a day but what we think of those good old times we used to have.
We get to read some of the letters that the boys write to The Courier, some of those come from France and some of them come from the camps. There is somewhere about 20,000 here in this camp. They are wanting 5000 men to help build the camps bigger. There is a new barracks going up close to us.
We sure would enjoy reading a letter, if there is anyone who wants to write to us, for we sure do like to get the news from our friends around home, or from anybody from the county.
Say, how is the little girl that I met at the depot the day I left? Fine, I hope.
We are longing for the time to come when we can come home and go to the good old meetings at Gravel Hill and other places. Say, boys, when you get in the army, you can't go to see your girl when you want to. You had better go to see her while you have a chance.
Well, guess we will close for this time, as it is our first, and write more next time.
Pvt. Robert R. Bailey,
Co. A. 3rd Reg. Repl. Troops
Camp Pike, Ark.
Pvt. Henry W. Ferguson,
Co. B. 3rd Reg. Repl. Troops
Camp Pike, Ark.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD
Mr. Editor:
If you will spare us a little space in you paper, we will try to write a few lines to our Saline county friends, as we are not on duty this morning.
This is the day for contests. They are having all kinds of games, and the prizes run from twenty five cents to five dollars, but the funniest thing was the pie eating contest with their hands tied behind them. Believe me when they got through, some of the boys had enough pie on their faces to do them for quite a while. It seems just like the Fourth of July here today. There is the largest brass band we have ever seen, and all the screaming and hallowing that you ever heard is taking place.
The papers look good this morning, but we all would like to see those Germans come to peace. There are not very many but what would like to see peace in this old world again, and we pray to our good Lord for peace. There are some of the boys that don't seem to care for anything, but we ask the praying people of Saline county to pray for her boys that they may get to come home by Christmas.
We can't go anywhere now as there is a quarantine on, but we have to make the best of it. We sure would like to see our friends but guess we will see them some time soon.
We are not in the same company, but we are near each other. Watsie is in Company B, and I am in Company A. They have transferred us around till we have lost all our Saline county boys, but a few. We are near Luther Goodwin, Ollie Johnson, Claud Newcomb and a boy by the name of Monroe, and they are jolly good boys.
Say, girls, we will be good housekeepers when we get to come back home. I have learned to be a cook, and had to wash many an old dish before I learned to cook. Now I make the K.P. do it.
Reck has had influenza for two weeks but I think he is getting along all right now but he has not gone back on the drill field yet. I don't have to drill. I am on twenty-four hours and off twenty-four hours.
Say, girls, how are the parties out there now? We sure would like to go to Mr. Frank Guerins for another good old party. There is not a day but what we think of those good old times we used to have.
We get to read some of the letters that the boys write to The Courier, some of those come from France and some of them come from the camps. There is somewhere about 20,000 here in this camp. They are wanting 5000 men to help build the camps bigger. There is a new barracks going up close to us.
We sure would enjoy reading a letter, if there is anyone who wants to write to us, for we sure do like to get the news from our friends around home, or from anybody from the county.
Say, how is the little girl that I met at the depot the day I left? Fine, I hope.
We are longing for the time to come when we can come home and go to the good old meetings at Gravel Hill and other places. Say, boys, when you get in the army, you can't go to see your girl when you want to. You had better go to see her while you have a chance.
Well, guess we will close for this time, as it is our first, and write more next time.
Pvt. Robert R. Bailey,
Co. A. 3rd Reg. Repl. Troops
Camp Pike, Ark.
Pvt. Henry W. Ferguson,
Co. B. 3rd Reg. Repl. Troops
Camp Pike, Ark.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD