Letter to Mother from Somewhere in France

6-20-17[sic]
Somewhere in France
6 P.M. Wed.

Dear Mother:–

My lucky day wednesday. Well first I got a part of my mail yesterday just a paper and two small parcels, today I received 17 letters and a card, my pay of 20 frank and good chuck our supper was bully beef, bread, jam, sweet pickles, tea, bulk dates, so we done fine and all ways do but this was a little more of a variety than we generaly have on our bill of fare,

I am more than glad that you got down to Reas for you will remember as long as you live the talks and the places you remember years before and a thousands things I would mention that I havent time to mention here

it is rain tonight. it rained the A.M. for about 3 hrs but the day was clear and fine we spent it all but an hour and a half under the shade of the big trees we had an hour and a half of phy. drill and bayonet fighting, most of the phy. drill is sport games of compotion half of the class against the other half.

Mother I never remembered that father ever wrote me a letter in my life I am glad that you sent me those two letters there is such toutch of love and sincerity in the few lines that I cherish. I wasent the good boy he asked me to be, but I am sorry now when it is many years to late I can’t see why it was that I couldent see sooner when I could have done different,

The only big and grand thing I see about life now is that I can give my life to my country and for my fellow man in the service of God. After all is said and done a man can only live a pure christian life and pass on a witnessing word for christ at every opportunity

It is surely pretty and and edial camp I wonder how many of the boys appreciate it as they go along. Well enfront of the Grand stand is hundreds of the boys from very nearly as many homes over the world some where all hoping to get home again and there freinds are all praying for there safety, but if they were praying for the boys souls and there own turning to the word of God more they would wake up to the value of the soul in Gods eyes more than the value of a worldly life to God. I just hope I am tough enough to stay up the line a good long time if it lasts long. I don’t want to come back right away, and if I cash in why that will be. Well I can just feel my self going off to sleep content in the arms of Jesus. I don’t think tho that I may be called yet any way it is only Gods will that I will strive to full always, Mother the life of these boys I am with seems so empty to me, a lot of them come asking me for my issue of tobacco and cigaretts some of the fellows think that if I wont use it my self and draw it that I would not give it to some of the boys from Hazenmore, I have refused to except at all so when the issue comes to the tent for 14 men I tell the corporal to never mention mine to me that I don’t want it nor to know any thing about. I have got such hatred for that kind of dope that I don’t want to ever see any more of it when I get home. Won’t I enjoy some good plesant pure days away from swearing and dirty stories and etc. Well it has got old to me here now. I don’t here the boys I can read the word of God among any thing and not here them. but there is less of that kind of stuff in (over)[margin] france than there ever was among the boys any other place

well bye bye Mother dear as ever your loving son Laurie