Stationery: “On Active Service”
Camp Coëtquidan, 8/24/1918
My dearest Olive:
You are still sleeping and I have been up and about for several hours.—but you will be working while I am ‘appeasing somnus’ this evening. Tomorrow is my birthday and I will celebrate by remaining in Camp. They allowed passes to Rennes last Sunday but now they aloow us only four hours out of camp, and that will permit us to go only a short distance. So for the most part the boys will remain at home. We may have a chance to go later. I should have gone last Sunday—but I am not particularly anxious about it anyway.
The regiment is still in training on the range. I want to go out there some time and watch them fire. I saw them fire while at Camp Sherman, and it was real interesting for a time. I imagine that we can make it very interesting for the Huns to a little later on.
They have brot some wounded soldiers to this hospital recently. I was up and talked to some of them yesterday evening. It seems to be very interesting to them. They hardly think that the war will be over for some time. The more one learns about it, the longer one thinks it may last.—but it must end sometime and maybe sooner than we think.
It is very cloudy this morning and I hope it will rain. The dust is 2 in. thick in some places.
Olive I think that I am going to pack quite a bit of my personal stuff soon send it home, since I will not be permitted to take very much stuff along with me to the front. I have some stuff that I do not wish to lose. The government, so far has been very good in issuing us all the clothes that we want. I hope that it did not make you feel bad because I told you not to send me anything. I know that you enjoy doing such things for me.—but I will appreciate anything of the sort when I return. I have at least eight or nine prs. of socks now. I can’t take more than two or three prs. with me.
Well, we are looking strong for some mail this morning. Our mail is delayed somewhere.—missing or something.
Read a good article in Mumsey’s on “Our New Washington,” you should read that to get an idea of Washingtonian Conditions.
Good luck and success
Yours,
C. M. Cummins