Sunday, Dec. 9, 1917

Dear Marie,

I sure am awfully sorry to hear that your cold is getting worse, and
hope that you will be feeling like yourself again by this time. I know
you must feel miserable, especially when you are in school. I wish I
could learn to be more careful but did not think for a minute that you
were getting cold until you spoke. You are doing well in school and I am
mighty glad to hear it. Keep it up and you will not regret it when you
go to High School. You cannot appreciate the value of a little hard work
at school, now, but believe in me when I say that you will realize later
the advantages of all the school you can get. Whatever you do, don’t
give up the idea of going to H.S. You simply must go if you possibly
can. These four years are worth a great deal even though one has to
study some things that seem to be non-essential. High school gives one
only a fundamental idea of a lot of important things; those graduates
who don’t think they “know it all” realize how much there is to learn.
One feels an “urge”, or incentive, to think and get a better
understanding of things in every day life and also of things that we
might otherwise overlook. So remember, little girl, no matter what we
will or will not be to each other, if you would take the advice of a
good friend, go to High School.

I should be glad to have you make something for me for Christmas. While
I told all the folks not to send anything, yet I do want something from
just you alone. Would you like to make a box of fudge for my birthday –
the 21^(st)? This will be the last box, for I simply must cut out that
stuff.

Your picture is in my watch now. I have nearly all the pictures that we
took this summer and often take them out and think of the happy times we
have had together this summer. Here’s hoping that those we took
Thanksgiving will be good. Those three days with You were the happiest I
have ever known and I will never forget.

We are having it pretty cold now. Saturday morning it was 7 below, and
one sure does feel it here. It snowed all day Friday – the 4^(th),
3^(rd), 2^(nd) and 1^(st) sections had mounted drill in the storm, and
so I was thankful I’m in the fifth. We have seventy brand new saddles of
the very best type so the whole company will ride together soon. Some of
the saddles we have now are the little flat ones with steel stirrups –
used by English gentlemen for riding in the parks but useless for our
work. It sure is no joke to stick to one of the “pancake” saddles and
lead an argumentative mule at the same time. Lieut. Butler said that the
fellows were letting too many mules get away, and that the next fellow
that let go of the rope before falling from the saddle was going to hear
from him. My reputation for hanging on to my mule or lead-horse is
without a spot so far, but yours truly is going to kiss that mule
goodbye before he will do any Charlie Chaplin flop on the cold, hard
ground.

Saturday I was on kitchen police duty and we didn’t have any fire in the
dining room at breakfast time. It was 7 below outside and I’ll bet it
was 20 below in the kitchen. The water would freeze on the dishes while
they drained. We couldn’t mop the floor because the water would freeze
before the floor was clean and dry. Even the vinegar froze solid. When I
got through fussing with the wet dish towel I thawed out my fingers with
cold water. We feed 86 men now. Each private gets “K.P.” about three or
four times a month, for one day. Well the Y.M.C.A. wants to lock up so
goodnight.

Yours,

Forrest.