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- 234
I fully realize that I am shout four days late on this letter, end hereby tender my apology for being so. Every morning this week I've got out of bed firmly resolved to get this letter off my chest, all to no avail. Something always seemed to crop up to prevent me doint so. However, I'm on the job now, and fully intend to carry on to the bitter end.
Life is just one damned thing after another these days.
Have made another shift since I last wrote you, Pot a long one, though, only some three kilometers. The shift itself didn’t involve any labor to speak of on my part, for I along; with Pinn and Jack Keech, formed the advance party to take over the new billets, and thus escaped the hot dusty march. There was a. time, back in '16 and •17 i/hen I used to hate ttese shifts, mainly'for fear of not not hitting as good a home as the one we were leaving, but they have ceased to worry me any more. Any old place where I hang my hat,and equipment- is home, sweet home to me. It is really marvelous how a fellow can adapt himself to circumstances when he has to.
Had quite an exciting experience at our last stop. I had just managed to get nicely to sleep, after Pritz's nightly visit to the aerodrome nearby, when I was roused by one of the fellows yelling "Hey! get up you fellows! The place is on fire! " I sat un in bed with a jerk, rubbed my eyes, then grabbing my clothes and personal kit, beat it for the barn door toute suite. Made my haste exit to find that it wasn't our barn that was on fire but the one belonging to the next door from house, only some ten or twenty ya^ds from ours. And it sure was on fire. Hot only it, but also all the outhouses across the courtyard from the farmhouse. The flames were licking up the dry timbers and straw in great style, and the sparks were menacing the whole village. Slipping on my clothes, I horned in on a bucket line, and by heroic efforts we managed to confine the flames to the one farm, but it was a close shave. Just how the fire started hadn't been ascertained when we left. Seemingly one of thee parties was responsible for it, - refugees, who were sleeping in the outhouses,- A. S. C. troops, who were quartered in one end of the barn, er"pork and beans" (Portuguese)viio occupied the other part of the barn. Heedless to remark that the farmer was endeavoring to fasten the blame onto the army.
We were treated to one of our favorite pastimes a, few dsys ago by an inspection to find out who was entitled to wear the Dumb bells for the next year. Last year our section was the goat, the awarding of the "decoration" being made all the more ludicrious, by the fact that two of the four men who were "dumbbelled" weren't even present at the inspection. This year, however, the inspecting was done by outside officers, no less than five of the exalted giving us the once over and the up- and down. That we derived a great deal
Pran ce ,
June 5th, 1918.
Peer Mother and pad, -
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