Somewhere in France
Feb. 9., '17.
My dear Lulu
I have just received the third box of good things which you sent to me. If you enjoyed packing them half as much as I enjoyed receiving and helping to eat them, why then you were happy indeed. Take from me my heartiest thanks for your kindness to me, and for the great treat both to myself and the other men who helped to "polish them off".
But the best of all was the photo, which I had been looking for so long! It is a splendid one of you, and just like you. It is just the size to go into a little pocket book which I carry in my breast pocket. You could not have included anything which would have given me half the pleasure. Now I would like to send you a better one of myself, but photography is unheard of here, and cameras are tabu. If I could get at my trunk now I should be so happy to give you the only one that I have of myself. Maybe by some careful engineering, in about three months time, I may be able to get it to you. I will try.
Then the box of ink tablets, which I did not take as toothaches lozenges, will be useful. The only difficulty is that my pen - a new Waterman - is a self filer! And it will be difficult to use them, for I cannot open it to get the tablet into the reservoir. The candy, dates, and figs (which were just delicious, but too good for rough fellows like we are now) and chocolates were a great treat. We spend most of our 20 cents a day at Y.M.C.A or Canteens, and an order has recently come into force that no candies or chocolates are to be sold (saving sugar, I suppose), and that is a great blow to me who likes chocolates and home made candies so well. I used to eat these instead of smoking as most of the other men do. Happily the French shops are not sold out yet, and so I am not starving. Altogether, my dear Lulu, the whole thing came like on of the German "Star Shells", turning night into day, but with love instead of hate.
If this was not a war I wish you were with me, Lulu, in France here. What a happy time we might have together wandering through this beautiful and quaint country. You could talk to the "natives" and I would enjoy hearing you. I do not get many chances of speaking to the French people, for you see we are "on parade" most of the time, so my French makes practically no progress. The other day I asked in French for a bottle of ink was understood for the first time. "When the war is over", that universally used phrase, wouldn't you come with me to visit these old spots?
You surprise me when you speak so often of not receiving any letter for a whole week; I write at least once a week to you, and frequently manage to get two in. Some must surely go astray. I could send you a "card", i.e. a "trench card", but they are worse than nothing I think. Pray don't stop writing until you get my letter, for surely we understand each other better than that!
I am glad you like your "teaching" for next to the ministry I like that the best of all. I get frequent letters from some of my old pupils even in France here.
My birthday is the 7th of April, when is yours, Lulu?
Give my kindest regards to mama & papa, & with love to yourself.
I remain, yours. Tom.
Thos. W. Johnson, No. 252656
