October 11, 1918
Dear Mother:-
A boy who went to Country Day is leaving for home today. He knows Uncle Charlie and is bringing this and a small package with some odds and ends in it that you can all divide amongst you. The knife made out a a piece of copper is for Babe. Her birthday in Nov. 6th and I wish you would forward it to her. It was made of the same part of a shell as Betty's bracelet only the shell was bigger.
The things in the box have been collected here and there. The queer colored cloth is from the wing of an Austrian plane. The ring of little squares of steel is from a shell which is like this to make it more deadly. The bandanas are issued to the Italian soldiers and are only two of innumerable patterns. The post cards I have bought in different towns and the little boxes are made by Italian wounded.
Now for the latest news. There are 12 Italians coming out here to take the place of the boys who have gone home. A captain was here for lunch yesterday and said everybody would have to stay until their time finished, which means Dec. 5 for me. However, all except three of us will be gone by November 12, so I don't know whether we will stay or not. I also told him of my desire to get into the Dec. 1st school at Fontain bleu (Fr. Art) and so that me let me out a little earlier.
Newspapers, etc., have been coming through fine. Five copies of "Life" came the other day just after I had written saying how much the first was appreciated. Betty asked me to suggest anything I might want. "Kolynos" tooth paste would be very welcome. Cocoa, tea tablets or some such things would be fine, too.
It is very wet and cold just now, but we hope a spell of sunshine. Hope everything is O.K. at home and that you get the box and the knife all right. Write to me often and figure that letters take three or four days under a month when you are writing later on.
Harvey
P.S. The copper knife isn't really finished, as I could not wait for it. If you want to let somebody put a line around the blade and R.V.G. on the blade, I would like it a lot.