Im glad there tellin us this before we go over.  It would have been awful embarassing to have tried to observe the action of the 75s in my B.V.Ds.  I asked him if they had any trouble with the B.P.O.Es.  When he left he said “Cheero.”  Without winkin a hair I says “Beevo.”  Same old Bill, eh Mable?

They said the other day that my name was on a list to go to school an learn all about liason.  I said there wasnt much use in there doin that cause I was pretty well up on that stuff.  At home, I says, I had a reputashun for a devil with the wimen.  Nobody knows better than you, eh Mable?  I guess thats a little over your head though, Mable.  I try to be as simple as I can.  If Im not just tell me.

Im ritin this letter with my shoes off.  I hope youll excuse my bein so informal but Im havin the old trouble with my feet.  They never been right since that winter I taught you to dance.  I went to the doctor with them an he said to keep offen them as much as I could.  So they put me to work scrubbin the mess shack on my hans and nees.  I bet if a fello had both legs shot off theyd prop you up against the wall an put you peelin onions.

[Illustration:  “I HAD A REPUTASHUN FOR A DEVIL WITH THE WIMEN”]

I got to quit now.  They got a thing called retreat they have every night.  I always like to be there just to show the Captin Im behind him regardless.

Im sendin you my pictur in a uniform pointin to an American flag.  Its kind of simbolical the man said, if you know what that is.  I thought youd like to put it on the mantle in a conspikuous place sos to have somethin to be proud of when your girl friend comes in to talk.  Id ask you for your pictur only I havnt got much room for that kind of thing down here.

     yours exclusively
          Bill.

Dere Mable:

Everyone round here is goin to school now so they can be speshulists.  Not the kind your mother goes to, Mable.  A speshulist only does one thing.  I been doin everything round here ever since I came.  I was gettin sick of it.  I went to the top sargent an says I guessed Id be a speshulist to.  He said all right hed make me a food speshulist.  Said Id have to go into it pretty deep.  I been into it up to my elbows in the kitchen ever since.  Never trust sargents.  Least of all top sargents.  If it keeps on like this there wont be nobody to do the actual fightin but me, Mable.  Its too much responsibilety for one man.  Suppose I was to get sick or somethin.

An then a bunch of fellos went away to lern to be officers.  That kind of struck my fancy it bein about the only thing I hadnt done round here.  I went to the Captin an told him I thought Id go to.  He said I could go to, and then he added somethin.

[Illustration:  “IT SEEMED TO DEPRES THEM AWFUL”]

He said a company was built up somethin like a man.  There was the brain, which was the officers, an then some was the muscle an some was the bone.  He said I seemed to be pretty well fitted for my part by nature so he wouldnt change me.  Ive always been strong ever since I was a kid, Mable.