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Date: May 25th 1916
To
Edna
From
Dick
Letter

France
10 A.M. May 25

Dear Edna:

I did not get this posted yesterday so am adding a line this morning. We just arrived back at 4 a.m. from our working party and we had the liveliest time I have seen yet. We were pushing small cars along a miniature railway behind reserve trenches when all at once Fritz spotted us and began sending over iron rations.

Steve, Hawthorne and I were pushing the same car when a shell burst about 15 yds. away and spattered us with mud from head to foot. Steve dropped off the railroad into a ditch full of water and got soaked. Then another shell blew the track just ahead of us to smithereens and another behind us dropped fairly in the middle of the rails and tore up about 30 feet of trench mats that were set between the rails. We were not able to get our loads up to the trenches then so we had to go back and wait for the busses to come for us so all the work we accomplished did not amount to much.

Altogether, Fritz dropped about 30 shells within a radius of 300 yards of us, so he had the range pretty well. However, there were no casualties.

It is raining again today so it will be very pleasant moving camp. I would like to have a good soft bed to crash into today and I have an idea I could sleep for about 24 hours. I just got about 3 hours sleep this morning.

Well, be good, and I shall look for a letter soon.
As ever,
Dick