Letter No 21 Thursday November 3rd, 1918
My dear Margaret,
Your letter of October 10th arrived yesterday. Many thanks for the snapshots. How becoming is your costume! Today received the 'American.' Glad Canada is investigating the YWCA. Hope the American branch does the same. Heard from Uncle today. They left October 22nd for Pensacola. He will have a pleasant winter with all the little side trips he has planned. Nice fro all of them and it is not likely Ben will get over to this side.
How good the war news is today, Turkey out of it and the Dardenelles on our side! Austria next and then Germany on their knees. I hope they show the Hohen sollerens no mercy.
Miss Nyquist and another nurse left today for a furlough of a week or ten days on the Mediterranean near Nice.
I sent Otto and Charles cards and as you see they replied 'stout de suite' s did also Ferris and Alphonse. Have forgotten whether or not I have written Jack Tussler. I owe so many letters I hope to get caught up while on nights. Simply had no time days as I was so tired when off duty and felt the need of a nap.
Am having the grandest rides mornings. We were out this morning on the bicycles for three hours. I then sleep like a log for five. Visited our cemetery which was decorated beautifully Friday-All Saints Day'-by the French, a bouquet on each grave, a number of potted chrysanthemums, and several large bed designs such as they have on their own graves.
Have received particulars of Miss Whitesides death-pneumonia after an illness of nine days.
My ward man is taking a few nights furlough and a patient, a nice Bostonian, is taking his place.
Dr. Harris is sending me the Atlantic Monthly, I hear, though as yet it has not reached me. Very kind of him. Joe evidently writes poorer letters than I do. I am sending this to the base censor in a blue envelope with several others. You know you would not enjoy writing letters yourself that you knew were to be read and perhaps quoted to you. The censorship has become rigid though I don't know why as you can get all the information you want from the Saturday Evening Post.
The nurses and officers had a dance tonight for the first time in several weeks so the flu epidemic must be lessening.
Have just been over to midnight lunch-roast veal, rice, good baking powder biscuits, jam and coffee.
What do you mean by 'blue carding?' They ought to do something to such slackers. How about the man on the former Jackson place?
The Jackson boy has been very lucky. I wonder if Miss Worsley's nephew returned from Dardenelles?
I am writing this by the light of an ordinary barn lantern. Lights in the ward are turned off at 9 p.m. and all electricity goes off at ten thirty for the rest of the night unless a train comes in as gasoline runs the engine that makes it so two lanterns give us necessary illumination. All are sleeping particularly well tonight, very little coughing. One is doing considerable talking. I just wakened him. He thought he was in some woods and was asking for the Minnesota base Hospital. He happens to be from Luverne, Minnesota.
Too bad Clear Lake cannot lose its undesirables-but what good would they be in the army.
Eleanor Mitchell is not far from here. I believe we cam e through the town. Marion Dow is still awaiting orders to come across.
Am not making very rapid progress with my sweater, the lighting rather poor for gray yarn.
Glad you enjoy the Stars and Stripes. We seem to have missed out on them again this week. I expect they have gone astray with the weeks supply of Red Cross magazines.
I hope this weather continues, this is the warmest night I have had so far. We have a coal stove up now and a little fire in it tonight but it is at the other end of the ward.
Hope you are getting 'beaucoup' eggs and cream with the process as they are or did the early frost give the hens the flu again?
Love to all, Affectionately, Jane.