France
Jan 11/17

Dear Mary and children

This is the very best letter I ever had given me and was very glad to get it, yours and the little cards are fine was hoping you would have had the PO orders by now but you may write again soon regestered ones take longer to go than others I wrote Geo and Alice yesterday will put it in tomorrow glad your money has come well for Xmas hope you keep lots of fires for thoes large rooms you should have some person a few days a week to help it would be nice for you to have New Years out have a change of cooking Nellie’s should have stayed and helpt cook Xmas I suppose they went to her peoples that day we were throughing bombs at the training camp to day they go some we will be here untill the sixteenth hope Freds have another box on the way he and Agnes are great that way I have been getting enough socks and undercloths so far I mailed you a letter and some old cards the other day between you and Mother I get letters a little better but send more if you can possably do it or manage it I have not had the one Don wrote but have had two from Stan and Marguerite write write this is not plesant place to write in you know and lots of things I could write would not look good on paper but you might laugh if you saw me drinking and eating and sleeping, this letter of yours has a good amount of news, small everday things which one likes, Bruce gets put out sometimes I see Jack and he are a great pair hope they keep well sorry Jack was sick it will go easier, him being so young, thoes little suits must look fine on them Mother is very fine to make suits like that, I want to be there and see you all be it long or short time or if I do things that the public do not like the public does things we do not like, I have helpt keep fritz back besides the hardships and loss of buisness, no mater what the public thinks I hope you will be same in after days Annie Smith thought her man was doing better than H Davis but I wish I had done the same as he did and might do worse, look at the money going to fellows away back of here if I can get a job here for the remainder and have a chance I would feel different but the big shark who brought us over has not cared he is not likely to come has been turned down, your cards make one know it is Xmas season we have not heard any thing here to make one think of Xmas did not even see a Xmas tree around just English plum pudding hope the children had a good time again without the aching void, I felt things would be something like this when I talked so loud thoes times but you were so patrotic over this it does pay to knock the public or what they think the world is big I suppose you think I might have been in town there yet but that fellow would not have it that way if I had got the bad sickness might have got fixed OK but public oppinion again, fellows around their will laugh at us for our short sitedness you did not help keep me out, I did not like peddling, I liked Grimsby store but did not know what the rent was going to be you know that was the thing that spoilt the job if we were the boys are in a store like that with a reasonable rent could have been with the boys and girls untill they grew up, why we did not think alike is terrable you could have been a mile away from the store I go ruff at things but their are worse actions and feelings at the present times I have tried again to make things better but I have an iron fence around here nothing sure around this is not the kind of letter I like, will not send another like it the public have got so they do not care for a fellow who does not fight Wilson is geting along a person has enough to fight inside without fighting with arms of any kind may the time soon come when their will be no more I am affraid Don and you will never feel the same towards me after this if I do get back I have been backward in my ways and management, have wondered if Don does talk about his feelings towards these actions of mine [remainder of page torn off]

I know one thing will apreciate an everday buisness and kiddies to look after the publicts opinion about a family of seven dos’nt matter store keeping does not have the awful suspence if you know your expences this ache is unberrable it is [one?] rise for the common man they get along all over the world this fighting bug does the people no good will make a person more patient careful and less expensive habits glad you are close to town and school the future may not please the public but we are going to have a future together no one is going to boss over my kin I have read your letter over again Stan had the sickness I see What were you strung up about I got this on the 11^th came good your card is dandy dear girl, you are always in my mind

WR Gullen