wife, Mable. You never know how to take a fello like that.

If I hadnt knowed they needed me Id have given him two weaks notise on
the spot. Duty before pleasure though. Thats me all over.

We took the guns out to drill the other day. The Captin was talkin about
indirect firin. Thats the way he is. Nothin straight forward about him.
I asked the sargent about it. He said indirect firin was where you shot
at one thing an aimed at another. I hate to butt in Mable but it didnt
seem right. I says I seen the Indien girl in the circus shoot the spots
out of a card over her shoulder but wouldnt it be more censible to cut
out the trick stuff till we was more used to the thing. You cant argue
with sargents, though.

Day after tomorrows inspecshun. They do it every Saturday. Thats another
thing Im thankful for. Theres only one Saturday a weak. We pull
everything out an pile it on our cots. Then the Captin an the Sargent
comes in. Every time its the same. He says "Thats very dirty Smith
wheres your other shirt." An I say "I aint got none, sir." An he says
"Sargent make a note of that." An then the Sargent rites somethin in a
little book. Next time just the same. The Captin says wheres my shirt an
the sargent makes a note. I guess theres somethin in the drill
regulations what makes him say that cause I aint got no other
shirt yet.

Well Mable Im gettin hungry again now. Guess Ill have to stop an buy a
couple of pies. We dont get nothin to eat for an hour yet.

yours till the ice cracks in the pale,
_Bill_.