Dear Ma and Pa:
Am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Army beats
working for Old Man Minch a mile. Tell them to join up quick before maybe all
the places are filled. I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed
till nearly 6 a.m. (but am getting so I like to sleep late). Tell Walt and
Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine some things --
no hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay.
Practically nothing. You got to shave, but it is not bad in warm water.
Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc.,
but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, beef, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and
regular food. But tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit between two city boys
that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you till noon, when you get
fed. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much. We go on "route marches"
which the Sgt. says, are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it is not
my place to tell him different. A "route march" is about as far as to our
mailbox at home. Then the city guys all get sore feet and we ride back in
trucks. The country is nice, but awful flat.
The Sgt. is like a schoolteacher. He nags some. The Cap. is like the school
board. Cols. and Gens. just ride around and frown. They don't bother you
none. This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals
for shooting. I don't know why. The bull's-eye is near big as a chipmonk and
don't move. And it ain't shooting at you, like the Higsett boys at home. All
you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load
your own cartridges. They come in boxes.
Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellows get onto
this setup and come stampeding in.
Your loving son, Zeb
P.S. Speaking of shooting, enclosed is $200 for barn roof and ma's teeth. The
city boys shoot craps, but not very good.
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