Mail caught up and Herb has some news from home

Harry and his bad fortune. It would be interesting if I could learn more about Harry from another source. I wish I had my great grandmother's letters to Herb.

Bunco - is that a dice game? I have a friend who really enjoys it. Wait, but a Google search suggests that bunco is "a swindle or confidence trick."

I wonder why Karolyn had to leave nursing or X-rays in Bridgeport. Hmmm.

We learned lots about Thomas M. Nial here - thanks to my cousin Chuck.

April 10th (1918)
Dear Mother,

I’m well up on news now because the mail man brought a sack full today. I got eight – three from you and five from Karolyn. However, no packages, but now that we’ve gotten our back letters I have some hope.

I was frightfully sorry to hear about Harry’s bad fortune. He certainly has tough luck, poor kid. I do hope that it won’t discourage him. At any rate, he isn’t to blame. I seem to remember that Bob Enfield of whom you spoke though I haven’t seen him since I was in High School. I’d like to have the scoundrel who works that bunco game by the collar. The postal authorities ought to camp on his trail. Still that doesn’t help matters any for us. However, that much bad luck can’t last forever, and it does seem as if Harry has had enough for a while. I hope so.

Karolyn writes that she is in the Arsenal office though of course you probably know that. I’m glad she has something to do because she took it pretty hard that she had to leave Bridgeport.

Have you ever heard how badly Tom was hurt? I certainly hope that his recovery won’t leave him crippled in any way. Remember me to his mother when you see her, and ask her for his address for me. I’ll write him from here.

I am looking forward to a letter from you with account of Chas’s visit. What ever did persuade him to take a vacation?

I’m glad you sent me some papers. Nothing could be more acceptable. Any sort of English reading material is priceless here.

Things here are just as usual. There has been lots of rain and wind but my hip boots are a good protection. Every week we get a hot shower bath and that’s a great comfort. The food is uniformly good – much better than we used to get in the States. The great battle is still going on somewhere west of us. I hope it will be the last. So far I think the Germans have won nothing to compensate for their great losses of men. It certainly looks as if they were staking everything on one last play. The French are grave but confident. Paris pays little attention to the shells which continue to drop in the city.

There’s no telling when I’ll ever be able to go on leave. At any rate I shan’t be allowed in Paris so I won’t see Mr. Rankin’s friend.

Love to all,
Herbert