Dere Mable: Love Letters of a RookieStreeter, Edward
General
Dere Mable: Love Letters of a Rookie
Streeter, Edward
World War, 1914-1918 -- Humor, caricatures, etc.
Im glad there tellin us this before we go over. It would have been awful
embarassing to have tried to observe the action of the 75s in my B.V.Ds.
I asked him if they had any trouble with the B.P.O.Es. When he left he
said "Cheero." Without winkin a hair I says "Beevo." Same old Bill,
eh Mable?
They said the other day that my name was on a list to go to school an
learn all about liason. I said there wasnt much use in there doin that
cause I was pretty well up on that stuff. At home, I says, I had a
reputashun for a devil with the wimen. Nobody knows better than you, eh
Mable? I guess thats a little over your head though, Mable. I try to be
as simple as I can. If Im not just tell me.
Im ritin this letter with my shoes off. I hope youll excuse my bein so
informal but Im havin the old trouble with my feet. They never been
right since that winter I taught you to dance. I went to the doctor with
them an he said to keep offen them as much as I could. So they put me to
work scrubbin the mess shack on my hans and nees. I bet if a fello had
both legs shot off theyd prop you up against the wall an put you
peelin onions.
[Illustration: "I HAD A REPUTASHUN FOR A DEVIL WITH THE WIMEN"]
I got to quit now. They got a thing called retreat they have every
night. I always like to be there just to show the Captin Im behind him
regardless.
Im sendin you my pictur in a uniform pointin to an American flag. Its
kind of simbolical the man said, if you know what that is. I thought
youd like to put it on the mantle in a conspikuous place sos to have
somethin to be proud of when your girl friend comes in to talk. Id ask
you for your pictur only I havnt got much room for that kind of thing
down here.
yours exclusively
_Bill._
_Dere Mable:_
Everyone round here is goin to school now so they can be speshulists.
Not the kind your mother goes to, Mable. A speshulist only does one
thing. I been doin everything round here ever since I came. I was gettin
sick of it. I went to the top sargent an says I guessed Id be a
speshulist to. He said all right hed make me a food speshulist. Said Id
have to go into it pretty deep. I been into it up to my elbows in the
kitchen ever since. Never trust sargents. Least of all top sargents. If
it keeps on like this there wont be nobody to do the actual fightin but
me, Mable. Its too much responsibilety for one man. Suppose I was to get
sick or somethin.
An then a bunch of fellos went away to lern to be officers. That kind of
struck my fancy it bein about the only thing I hadnt done round here. I
went to the Captin an told him I thought Id go to. He said I could go
to, and then he added somethin.
[Illustration: "IT SEEMED TO DEPRES THEM AWFUL"]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account