Mail is catching up

I still have no idea who this Tom guy is, but apparently he got hurt.

And what is happening to Karolyn? And does she have a brother Edwin?

Watervliet is a town near Troy, NY.

I believe Herb is in Bouvancourt, Marne, France. He'll be here for about two months.

March 25 (1918)
Dear Mother,

I had another letter from you and Dad today making some some [sic] six or seven so far. That isn’t so bad – but they arrive in the most curious sequence. This one today is date [sic] March 3rd but I never received the one before that telling me about Tom’s beng hurt. I suppose that will arrive in a week or so. Now, of course, I don’t know where he is because the last I knew he was in England and I presume he’s there yet. I do hope his injury wont cripple him in any way. I'd like to go see him but I'm afraid it’s hardly possible. There’s no telling how long we may be here at the front – it depends. I suppose on how active things are. If we go back to rest billets I’ll perhaps get a week’s leave but it isn’t permitted a soldier to leave France.

I also had a letter from Karolyn today written from Watervliet about a week before yours so I know about that. I for one am not sorry about it at all. In fact, from what I saw of it when I was in the States, I thought it pretty bad business all around. I’ll wager her mother is glad, since Edwin goes with the next contingent.

Everything here is so-so. Last week there was a lot to do for a couple of days. The Germans got busy with a lot of gas and caught a number of “XXX” napping. Most of the activity seems to be on the British front. From the papers things must be pretty hot there.

Of course we have lots of noise at night. There are several French batteries near as and [sic] they surely do make the night hideous. The Germans keep their end up, too, but they haven’t got a line on anything near us. About every afternoon a few ? planes come over and take a crack at the French observation balloons [sic]. So far I haven’t seen one of them hit in spite of the shells bursting all around them. Id like too [sic] though, dam [sic] them.

Remember me to Mrs. Nial + let me know how Tom gets along.

Love to all,
Herb