Dear Steve:

France, November 3, 1917

Today was one of those gray days in a way (Saturday at that) and I mudded over to a nearby village right after dinner and tried to get a feed of eggs and chips. I got them but the chips were abominable and I bought chocolate and candy to restore equilibrium. I also visited a soldier’s Recreation Hut and got hold of some reading matter, which is very scarce here. And by the time I get my friends sending me some reading matter I will be most probably under an atmosphere in which I have little or no time for reading. At any rate I sent Isaac an SOS for some magazines last night. However when I got back I found some new faces that I hadn’t seen for quite a while but we had a half hour or so of fraternizing and the mail came in bringing your letter and one from Mother of Oct. 7th and one from Minerva, besides some home papers Rae send me occasionally and which are like mental manna over here. I have read them with interest.

So you have a new school ma’am to torture, I hope you use her humanely. I speak particularly of you and Isaac. I’m smoking some of that old chum you sent me. It is appreciated, you may be sure. I might suggest that you send it by half pound lots instead of pound lots as it is heavy to lug around. You can send cigarettes instead of the extra half pound if you like. I don’t smoke a pipe a very great deal except when I’m broke.

Mother mentioned enjoying one of my letters. I thought is sent some good ones but of late I have not been in shape for letter writing but I’m improving physically and mentally now. I have a mental picture of Ike being lost in the stocking. You must have had the old Massey Harris in pretty good shape this year. You seem to be behind with the corn but the weather must be great or rather must have been great. Let me know how the threshing panned out.

I’m not sorry I came over here when I did. I might have clung to my job in England for some time but I had the opportunity of coming at my own request and I took it. Speaking of conscription, I do not expect to see either you or Isaac over here as conscripts. You both would have been here before this if you could have got away and it would not become either of you to be scared into it with all that land to look after. If you two can’t get exemptions, I don’t see why you can’t ----- just for the asking. There may be V.C.’s, D.C.M.’s & M.M.’s to be won over here but think of the futility of it all - especially when the family is well represented in the Army now. I have a couple of little pictures in my mind that one can only see from this side of it and they make a difference in one’s view point of this war.

I met a C.A.V.C. Sergt. who promised to carry my respect to George Clark who was not far from him. That was several weeks ago. I noticed all summer how the R.F.C. was getting recruits especially of the willy type who wouldn’t think of enlisting in any common branch of the service like the infantry. Well they are in where a lot of good can be done, and it doesn’t take such a long time to train airmen.

The page numbering of this letter has been confused, and I’m getting tired of writing. My head aches.

More anon- Yours in F. L. & T Cannon