TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT MARCH 24, 1919 P. 2
I went to a French party last night and had a fine time dancing but the most fun was a game they played. Every fellow put his hands on his knees, and a fellow tells them to commence patting their knees. Then he tells them to stop, if you make a mistake you must pay a pawn. Then to get it back someone tells you what you must do—maybe kiss a girl through the back of a chair or let her stand on a chair while you kiss her over the door. There are two kinds of kisses—the French, on the cheek, and the American, on the lips. I had to kiss a good-looking mademoiselle 10 French and 10 American kisses, so, you see, life is not so dull after all. Believe me, these “frogs believe in kissing.” But honestly, I am crazy to get home.
At night, when we go to bed, we lie and talk about what “mother used to cook” until we get so hungry our stomachs think our throats are cut. What I want is hot cakes, hamburgers, chicken, calf livers, hogs brains and eggs, cream potatoes, sweet potatoes, biscuits, corn, hot rolls, banana pie, angle food, oyster soup, salmon croquettes, salmon salad, fruit salad, stuffed eggs, English peas, oatmeal, buttermilk, sweet milk, coffee with sugar and cow’s milk, fried peach pies, pear preserves, plum preserves, any kind of jelly, beet pickle, and almost anything else to eat.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by John Wallace Sallis Jr. from Ravieries, France to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Wallace of Clarksville, Arkansas. He served as a MUS HGRC Co. 315th F A. He was born on November 11, 1901 in Clarksville and died on May 12, 1957. He is buried in the Oakland Memorial Cemetery.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
I went to a French party last night and had a fine time dancing but the most fun was a game they played. Every fellow put his hands on his knees, and a fellow tells them to commence patting their knees. Then he tells them to stop, if you make a mistake you must pay a pawn. Then to get it back someone tells you what you must do—maybe kiss a girl through the back of a chair or let her stand on a chair while you kiss her over the door. There are two kinds of kisses—the French, on the cheek, and the American, on the lips. I had to kiss a good-looking mademoiselle 10 French and 10 American kisses, so, you see, life is not so dull after all. Believe me, these “frogs believe in kissing.” But honestly, I am crazy to get home.
At night, when we go to bed, we lie and talk about what “mother used to cook” until we get so hungry our stomachs think our throats are cut. What I want is hot cakes, hamburgers, chicken, calf livers, hogs brains and eggs, cream potatoes, sweet potatoes, biscuits, corn, hot rolls, banana pie, angle food, oyster soup, salmon croquettes, salmon salad, fruit salad, stuffed eggs, English peas, oatmeal, buttermilk, sweet milk, coffee with sugar and cow’s milk, fried peach pies, pear preserves, plum preserves, any kind of jelly, beet pickle, and almost anything else to eat.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by John Wallace Sallis Jr. from Ravieries, France to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Wallace of Clarksville, Arkansas. He served as a MUS HGRC Co. 315th F A. He was born on November 11, 1901 in Clarksville and died on May 12, 1957. He is buried in the Oakland Memorial Cemetery.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT