"_Dear Miss Antoinette_: I suppose you will be supprised to hear from
me and I hope you won't think I am some fresh bird writeing you this letter
for a joke or something but I am just 1 of Uncle Sam's soldiers from the
U. S. A. and am now in the trenchs fighting for your country. Well Miss
Antoinette we expect to be here about 2 wks. more and then we will have a
leave off for a few days and some of the boys thinks we may spend it in
your city and I thought maybe you might be good enough to show me around
when we get there. I was a baseball pitcher back in the U. S. A. tall and
athletic build and I don't suppose you know what baseball is but thought
maybe you would wonder what I look like. Well if you aren't busy when we
get there I will hope to see you and if you are agreeable drop me a line
here and I will sure look you up when I get there."

* * * * *

So then I give her my name and where to reach me and of course they won't
nothing come out of it Al only a man has got to amuse yourself some way in
a dump like this or they would go crazy. But it would sure be a horse on
me if she was to answer the letter and say she would be glad to see me and
then of course I would half to write and tell her I was a married man or
else not write to her at all but of course they won't nothing come out of
it and its a good bet we won't never see Cologne as that was just a guess
on Brady's part.

Well Al things is going along about like usual with nothing doing only
inspections and etc. and telling us how to behave when we get up there in
the front row and not to stick our head over the top in the day time and
you would think we was the home guards or something and at that I guess the
home guards is seeing as much of the war as we are in this old ditch but
they say it will be different when we get up in front and believe me I hope