APO
#750
April 13, 1919
Dear Ones All:
Here goes
again for at least a line to you. Still
in Evac Hospt. #13. But we are all
coming fine now. Will be out in a week
or two more. My hand only has one bad
spot on the back of it. One side of my
face almost clean of scabs but the left side is like a relief map with them
yet.
Yesterday I
got 8 letters. The third mail I got in
this hospital. Say, the world looks
different since then, even if the weather is rotten now. Rained yesterday & today. But can read now in the day time so get along
fine, but the nights are the longest I’ve ever seen. Now everything is O.K. and we are so near out
of the woods I have enough pep to tell you a little about this fire I guess.
It was in
the gasoline dump, and when it got out of control one of the Major’s punctured
the gas drums they were unable to get out with a rifle to prevent
explosions. But he must have missed one
for as we were waiting to help in case the adjoining stores and shops caught
fire, one of the 50 gal drums exploded sending a wall of flame up the street
into the square at least four hundred feet.
As I was within 70 feet of it along with the front of the crowd, I got
in on a box seat at the show as it were so was sent down here with the 24 worst
cases, I was – or am – not worst or best of the 24. In all about 100 soldiers and 50 civilians
were burned. But no one lost eyesight and
there will be few bad scars so we are all lucky and thankful.
My hat was
blown off, so my hair and forehead had not the protection some had, but my left
hand was in my pocket and wasn’t burned so except for those with gloves I had
the best of it there.
I needed a haircut
bad so my head isn’t really burned much tho there are a couple of mean scabs in
my hair.
But being so long my hair can
be cut fairly presentable as soon as I get out in spite of the inch or so
burned off in patches.
It sure ruined my
poor pompadour temporarily tho, ha! ha!
Like all
tragedies there are the touches of comedy when one looks at all sides of
it. I thot my face had took some long
stretches without water in the A. E. F but here is a record of 18 days to date. I got over to the shower a couple of days ago
so all but my face got refreshed again, but I couldn’t wash that! Well, enough of the fire till I’m home, then I’ll tell you want you want to
know. My face and hand have made it so
hard to write and concentrate I did not dare undertake a long letter before and
I knew Susan would go crazy if I said gasoline and didn’t explain. You see but little gasoline spattered on us
as it was so hot when it exploded it vaporized and the dry puff of flame is
what peeled us. Our wool suits saved the
rest of our bodies, tho the clothes were badly burned and scorched in
places. But again, thank God it wasn’t
cotton. And again, laugh and don’t
worry. As I promised I will let you know all as soon as
possible. The worst is over and I’ll
soon be home to see and talk to all of my Dear Ones – God willing.
We have a
wonderful day nurse, so sympathetic and patient, working all the time, yet
ready to laugh at a joke. And the ward
man at night is a fine fellow. There, I
said I would ring off on hospitals, on fires, didn’t I? I just read the wedding anniversary letter
over again tonight. Those letters are so
fine. You sure have done plenty of
butchering this winter. Have you saved
some fatted calf or will it be chicken.
Did I ever
tell you I was a full-fledged corporal again.
Maybe I’m busted by now but was fixed up to draw the pay as well as rank
from March 1st so will get 1 months pay anyway, I hope. My pep is set back enough so I have decided
to wait to see you all before I try to see much farther ahead along life’s
trail. I’m sometimes afraid you will see
greater changes – not all for the best in me – then I realize but thru it all I
remain
Your
loving, loving Son & Brother
Corp.
Geo Sherwood
Hq.
Co., 108th Eng.
American E. F.
***************************************
1919-0410 -- Ella
Jane Sherwood, Susan, and Herman Weber to George Sherwood
Kendall Wis
April 10 1919
Dear Brother I
will try and write a few lines so you get it before morning. Well when you start morning suppose it will be
towards home I hope so so you can help me milk the goats we are
milking three of them now and five more to come in yet so you see that is a job
for you they are quite small for me to milk.
Well now you want to know about the hay and ensilage I think we will
have enough hay for the cows if we don’t have another winter it rained all this
week and the grass looks nice and green if we git warm weather the grass will
grow but I think we will have to buy some hay for the horses and the ensilage
will last about this month we are only
feeding once a day I think we started in
February some time to feed once a day.
Yes we got all the wood out and got it all sawed but I hant got half of
it split yet I think I will have to work harder or you will have to split wood
when you come home then you cant sit in the rocking chair and hold your sister
and talk but I don’t think you will hold her so very long she hant so little as
she was the last time you seen her that time she weight 109 and now she weights
146 well she is quite an old lady that
is what I call her well I think I will say good night for this time when you
get home I can tell you more so good night with love and best wishes to you
from your brother Herman
The Old Home Farm
April 10, 1919
Dear, dear
Brother,
Your letter of March twenty-first
with its special part to each one of the family, came today and also a roll of
the “Trey Buns” which we were also glad to receive though perhaps we have
forgotten to tell you so when you have sent them with your letters as we were
always speaking of the letters themselves.
I have not had time to read all of them though my ironing waited until
after dinner while we read your letter and the greater share of the “Trey
Buns”. Please explain, Corp. Sherwood,
the meaning of the “Freckles” spoken of by your office associates.
But to get back to the letter
itself, you will notice that you have at last gotten your Big Brother to write
you tonight while I washed up the supper dishes but I hope what he has written
about my size and weight won’t scare you into not inviting me to share the
rocking chair with you “as of yore”. I also smiled over the bringing to
mind of Mr. Klang and the “Kiddo” episode, even as you say you did. How afraid I was at the time that he would
think you were not speaking in a properly “respectful” attitude of your little
sister and therefore might not have as good an opinion of my little brother as
I hoped him to have for of course he could not know that it was sort of “pet
word that meant a lot to us in spite of its slangy origin. And how often as I
go about my work or lie awake for a little while during some part of the night
do I “have little talk” and “conversations” with my brother boy as so often
used to do. Sometimes I too have started
letters expecting to say some of those thoughts but have often given it up and
decided to wait until we could really talk together, for somehow I couldn’t get
the right words for putting “my feelings” on paper. You don’t know what a warm glow it gave me to
think of you as lying “talking” with me for I had rather supposed that my
“conversations” were a sort of personal idiosyncrasy, and how I shall look
foreward to the day when we can sit in the rocking chair and have a real talk.
Morning April 11,1919
Dear Heart,
Had to stop right there and this
being bread baking day I have not had time to write until now with the fear of
the mail carrier ever upon me, but always you know how much I wish I could get
time to talk and just think how much there will be to tell each other when get
home in ----May? Perhaps! You just
raised every hope on tiptoe till my heart sings “perhaps the last of May
and surely some June day?”
I am so glad you aren’t worrying
about me and now that I feel pretty sure of your being home before the “Great
event” you can’t know how glad and contented and happy I feel.
Oh
so much love dear heart and prayers and love and prayers again. God be with you on the homeward way. Mispah
Your loving little
sister Susan
Spring Brook Farm,
Near Kendall
and Little Old Glendale,
Wisconsin,
U.S.A.
Dear
Son,
Dad is having a spell with his
stomach this morning and I can’t think of anything that would make it seem more
natural and homelike or regular than that must close, with Love from Home Dad.
Dear
Daddy! You will find the months you have
been away have told on his strength and vitality and he will not look just the
same as the teeth he has had to lose do make considerable difference in facial
contour. Even now after my so
long use of “store Teeth” I do not look natural to my self at all
especially when I smile, I don’t like my own looks any more.
You
will be saying “what a ridiculous Mother”!
I’ll stop “Self reviews” and talk about neighbors or the weather
or________________. And then fly at the
house cleaning. So you may have a “Sweet
Homecoming”, Oh Boy how those words do set our hearts all “ajoy”, and make our
hearts all aquiver like the wild bird in your hand.
Yesterday
I packed 23 quarts of beet and cabbage relish such as grandma and Mrs Hill used
to make into a barrel for the Christian Home Kiddies, and just to think that
will make only enough for one meal for them. Today I will get ten qts of another kind and
some other things then the Glendale
will be ready to finish filling the barrel and that will be out
of the house.
Every
stitch of clothing that hung in the woodshed attic is out of it, and will be
sent away next week. We started a large
bundle to the “Over seas folks” last week as we doubtless told you if
you get those letters, and I suppose that depends on how fast your Div. moves
now
The
enclosed $1.00 for “that Telegram”
Dearest
Son,
Your
dear ”four ply” letter came to us yesterday as I suppose, Herman and Susan have
already told you in the letter they wrote for you last evening. Dear Heart be extra careful on your way home
and let no accident You can prevent by your own carefulness
deprive us of the joy of again seeing Our Boy Home among us day by day. Or of Mother being able again to rub the
pained spots or Sister brood over the ankle if it needs her loving hands.
Only
yesterdays paper told of a message coming to Madison parents that a sons life
was lost by the “accidental discharge of
a gun he was handling” after escaping the “dangers of battles” to be lost to
them by carelessness seems so much worse than as if he had gone by “expected
ways”, Hence my seeming foolish useless cautions to you now. Forgive if your waiting Mother seems over
anxious now the time seems to be drawing near “to welcome our Laddie
Home”. These are April days and nights
So neither Sun or moon bring visible messages but behind the clouds we know
they shine in silver lining and reads in their rifts the brightness only
separated from us by “a veil of mist”.
Here is Daddy and I will put pen and paper at his disposal now and
finish what space he leaves if that carrier is not to soon for me. He does come so early now – about ten or
before, but now too early when we are hoping for letters from our absent loved
ones. I think he starts early these days
so as to go home to help on the farm.
You will remember Elsa his brother died of flu this winter. This one – Richard or “Dick” was very ill and
even now has not his old time strength. This winter of “Flu” has left many in that
condition. How we wonder which one of
the many “Camps” you will be detained in before your final discharge
comes. We did hope at Sparta as that is nearest home but the
statement that all soldiers will be away from their after April15th and
that place left in civilian hands kills that hope.
Did
I tell you yesterday that Cecil Keller is in New York “doing writing work”
as Mrs. Brainard tells it? I will send his address if I can get it.
Lovingly, Hopefully, Prayerfully,
Mother
