so and they can't send us there to soon to suit me.

Your pal, JACK.

* * * * *

_In the Trenchs, May 11._

FRIEND AL: Well Al here we are up in the front line trenchs and we come
in here 2 days ahead of time but that's the way they run everything in the
army except feed you but they don't never do nothing when they say they are
going to and I suppose they want a man to get use to haveing things come
by supprise so as it won't interfere with your plans if you get killed a
couple days before you was looking for it.

Well Al we are looking for it now most any day and this may be the last
letter you will ever get from your old pal and you may think I am kidding
when I say that but 1 of the boys told me a wile ago that he heard Capt.
Seeley telling 1 of the lieuts. that the reason we come in here ahead of
time was on acct. of them expecting the Dutchmans to make their next drive
on this section and the birds that we are takeing their place was a bunch
of yellow stiffs that was hard of hearing except when they was told to
retreat and Gen. Pershing figured that if they was up here when Jerry made
a attack they would turn around and open up a drive on Africa and the bosh
has been going through the rest of the line like it was held by the ladies
aid and Gen. Foch says they have got to be stopped so we are elected Al and
you know what that means and it means we can't retreat under no conditions
but stay here till we get killed. So you see I wasn't kidding Al and it
looks like it was only a question of a few days or maybe not that long but
at that I guess most of the boys would just as leave stop a Dutch bayonet