France Jan 14/17
Dear Fred & Agnes
Your card was the best we have seen this Xmas. I had a nice letter from Mary a day or so before with a dandy card in from each one so glad she is getting along well, when a fellow writes he can site in a warm room have writen Mother we are staying here five days over time more the better perhaps, the people are great to work here make straw brooms brush brooms straw seats & wooden shoes, they grow tall cabbages for cow feed they can grow lots of green feed for cows & pigs, the farm buildings are in a ring around the farm yard, the barns are next to the street the house in the back everything goes through the front door of the yard they drive horses with one line a few have two lines horses well trained, they make plaster with clay & straw to make barns use split brush for lath look very good white washed they bake bread in large brick ovens looks like whole wheat bread the loaves are very large flat thin & round cost twenty six cents I bought a can of peaches cost fifty four cents tomato can size butter is seventy cents a Ib eggs are about fifty pence a dozen, hens are good size, something over a dollar each they beat the heads of the sheaves to get grain for chickens, they use tread power mostly here Mary said our folks went out to Wilsonville for Xmas would like to see them all soon though would be on the way before this but this job goes on yet will be good to say goodday to you all again soon. I got a picture of Geo his two kiddies & Mrs Fountain the other day, these letters coming from you people are something great very enjoyable will answer them as well as I can Geo does not write quite enough hope you had a good Xmas
Your loving brother
Roy