to but I figure a man is a sucker if they don’t take advantage of a chance like this because in the first place it don’t cost you nothing and in the second place the men that knows how to talk French will have all the best of it when we get over there because suppose you was in Paris and felt like you wanted a glass of pilsner and if you said it in French they would fetch it to you but if you just said pilsner they wouldn’t know if you was asking for something to drink or a nasal dooch or what not.

But besides that Al after we get to France the French officers will want to tip us off on this and that about the Germans and of course they won’t talk to the privates but they will only talk to the officers and if I am a officer by that time which it looks like a cinch I will be one by that time at the outside why suppose I was standing by 1 of our genls. and a French genl. wanted to tell him what was what and etc. but couldn’t talk nothing but French and our genl. couldn’t make head or tales of it then I could act like an interpeter between the both of them and the first thing you know all the high monkey monks when they want to talk back and forth will be pageing Capt.  Keefe or Major Keefe or whatever officer I am by that time.

Some of the boys laughed at me tonight when I told them about going to attend the lessons but I will be the one that does the laughing when we get across that old pond and Shorty Lahey the smart alex that I told you about says to me “We won’t do all our training with the French army but we will do some of it with the English army so while you are at it you better learn to talk English to.”  So I said “You better learn to talk English yourself” and he shut his mouth.

Well Al Florrie and little Al will be here to see me Sunday and I can’t hardly wait for them to get here and I suppose Florrie will bring along some daintys of some kind that she cooked up herself or maybe got the swede girl to do it but of course I am not worring about whether she brings anything or don’t bring anything as long as she brings herself and the kid only most of the wifes that comes out here Sundays brings something along to show they been thinking of you though if I was most of these birds wifes the only time I would think about them would be when I said my prayers at night and then I would thank God they had joined the army.

Your pal, jack.

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Camp Grant, Oct. 14.

FRIEND AL: Well Al its Sunday night and I been entertaining company.  Florrie and little Al got out here just after noon and I was in the barracks reading about the world serious game in Chi yesterday and Florrie says she asked 1 of the boys where I was at and he told her I was polishing the general’s shoes and wouldn’t he do just as well.  How is that for a fresh bum Al and of course I don’t have to polish the general’s shoes or any shoes and if I could find out who it was that Florrie was talking to I would polish their jaw for them.