Believe you me derie, the way our boys made that sniper climb down out of that tree would make Tarzan of the apes have a hemorage, and turn green with envy; he shinned down that landscape decorashun like as if it was greased.

Well derie, when we first swore our way into the army, I thought Skinny was a coward; I figgered if he ever got in a regular scrap with Bill the Twicers hired patriots his knees would knock together like a pair of castnets played by a Spanish bull fiter; but I take it all back, Skinny in battel is a whole team and a cross dog under the waggin.  It came about like this.  We was bein bumbarded by the Fritzies in the most approved style and believe you me derie, the shells and shrapnels was flyin round and over our heads thicker than hungry bums around a free lunch counter; all to once Skinny commenced to get a bad case of the hecups.  I didn’t say anything to him as I was busy with a little party of my own when all to once he yells to me, “Say Barney, fer Heavens sake do somethin to scare me so I can get rid of these d——­ hecups.”  So you see Julie dere, you never can tell by the looks of a frog how fer it can jump.

This lil’ old scrap has brung out a lot of cases like Skinny’s; fellers in civil life that you think wouldn’t have the sand to get manicured, or ther hair cut without takin cloroform, are puttin themselves on the map faster than towns on newly opened Government land.  Even the married men in our regiment are gettin so “Spiffy” that I believe they’ll have sand enough to talk back to friend wif when they get back home.

Yours until they make bottles without false bottoms.

Barney.

[Illustration:  He cum down that tree quicker than Tarzan uv the Apes]

Dere Julie,

Well Julie, a courier has just horned his way into camp with the “info” that this lil ol’ scrap is over, and I’ve lost an other chance to be a hero; but I’m not gonna go round making a noise like a dill pickel, just because I didn’t get no show to give the Fritzies a upper cut.  I’d rather be a live simp Julie, than a dead hero, any day.

Its better for me ennyhow, to say “there he goes, than here he lies.”  Believe you me derie, I’ve saw enuff of the damage these Boch pills can do, to know that a boob who tries to stop one of ’em with his frame, has no more chance than a 10 cent piece of ice when the thermometer is 99 plus in the shade, or a scuttle of suds in a Bowery gin mill.

Well Ol’ dear, she’s over, and I didn’t get a chance to croak a single Fritzie.  My ol’ man had better luck in the civil war.  He was out one hot nite with a foraging party and they run into a confed ambuscade, a big fat Johnny Reb took after my old man and the chase was nip and tuck fer about 2 miles.  Just when the ol’ gent had give himself as lost, he saw over his shoulder the confed fall down in a heap and die from being overheated.  But at last Julie dere, we have made the world safe