[The date as written appears to be an error; most likely written on January 17th, 1917]
January 17/16
Dear Mother:
Yesterday was luck for me as a young fellow came to me with fourteen letters and some papers also two parcels a cracker tin of cake etc from you and the box of candy etc from Ethel. This is the first mail I have had for two month now as you no doubt have fount out from letters written before. You are wondering about how the parcels reach me. The cakes and rocks, nut bars and chewing gum socks etc are all in first class condition. The cake was exceptionally good for a change but once it got here it didn’t keep long as I had a little party and gave my friends some. I want [to thank?] the friends and relatives that
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Aunt Jennie has another youngster you say. Well that makes four doesnt it. They will have a good family in another ten years.
No doubt Bill Collings, Alex, Hazel’s husband are just like the rest of them, their kid is the only one that ever happened but you tell Bill Collings he needs two or three or he will spoil the one he has. Well tell all these people I will be home some of these fine days and have a look at the children and then I will know if any of them are as cute or can take the abuse a child can in this country. I have seen them here jet black all the ages from a week to gray headed old men and women, and I might say some of the young kids [?] get a pretty hard
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