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- 100
France,
Jan. 22, 1917.
My dear Sis,-
Your more than welcome letter to hand about ten days ago,hut until now haven't been able to summon up enough "pep*1 to answer it. My lack of "ambieh" was due in a way to the fact that ten of us (including the kid) were attached to another ambulance for over a week, and during that time we received no mail whatsoever. And when a fellow is in that deplorable state, letter writing is a virtual impossibility. To csp the climax we rejoined the -unit two days ago to find that our mail had been sent up the line that day, and as yet it has failed to return. I kno?/ for a fact that there ^is^a couple of letters for me, and I sincerely hope that they won't go astray, for letters are about all we have to look forward to these days.
Had quite a long siege up the line the last trip, three weeks of trenches and dug outs being an elegant sufficiency, thank you. About four inches of snow fell a week ago, and since then, while no.more snow has fallen, it has been freezing every day. As a consequence the trench mats were too slippery for comfort, and am afraid that the poor devils we had to carry out had less of a joy ride than ever. Taking it all together, X wasn't'sorry when we were relieved, end present indications seem to point to our having a rest, with prospects of another move in sight. If it does oome off am fairly certain of the fact that we won't be a thousand miles from the sea.
At present we are located in the grounds of an old chateau in a little village, some ten kilos from our last headquarters. Hot quite so-comfortable as our last billet, but haven't any kick at all, at least our section hasn’t. We have a hut to sleep in, but the other two. sections are billeted in the stables. Of course the officers and sergts. are housed in a wing of the Chateau, in which the countess and her daughters still live. 'Tis said that the count was killed in this war.
The chateau itself has been quite a mansion in its day. In fact it still is, in spite of its 150 years of life. I should judge that it contains fifty to sixty rooms, the oeilings of the few I've been in on the ground floor being about 25 feet high.
The inevitable musty smell assails your olfactory nerves as soon as you enter the door. The furniture is either of the Jaoobean or Louis the umpteenth period, I forget which.
Of course it is an impossibility to more than conjecture what the grounds look like in the summer, but am convinced that they must be beautiful. About two acres are inclosed by a twelve foot wall, being used from a.ll appearances as an orchard and flower garden. All along the base of the walls, at six feet intervals, fruit trees are planted, growing right to the top of the wall.
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