France
Oct.4,1917

Dear Folks:

Its raining tonight so there isn't any hope of a ball game so I'll get a line off home. The Can mail is over due but I've had a couple of letters from Mpls - one from Flora & one from Marg. and also the tin of maple sugar from Flora also inclosed a few good snaps of the trip to Duluth. The sugar had got heated a little & was little sticky but that didn't hurt it a bit. We certainly enjoyed it -- meaning Chief & I.

B'n sports came off Sunday and Wed afternoon and I think our Coy took the cup altho the results haven't come out yet and we aren't sure how the points are counted. Tom Riley also copped off the medal I'm pretty sure for the biggest individual aggregate: He got firsts in the hundred yds dash - 220 yds relay & mile run and 2nd in the 220 dash - the high jump & broad jump. No body else got a place in any more than two or three events. In the competitions out Coy done fine. Our platoon grenade section represented the Coy and walked away with it. We shot at a 120 yd range and made 21 points. The other Coy's only made 17,13 and 5. The bayonet section of 11 Platoon also represented the Coy and took first place in Bayonet Fighting. I wanted to ring in on that but I couldn't because I'm a Grenadier. Our bombing section lost out altho it was from 11 too. Our Coy ran away with the relay race and took first and second in the boat race. This is a crazy affair but lots of fun. Eight men get straddle a pole and the ninth man is the coxswain and on the end facing his team. The teams line up & have to go backwards about 50 yds around a pole & back again. The coxswain faces the way they're going and does the stearing. Its all kinds of fun.Then there was a bunch of other crazy races like the blind squad race - the alarm race where they have equipment boots, puttees, tunic cap & resperiter in a pile & lay down about 50 yds away. Then the guy who gets back first with full equipment on including gas masks on.. Then there were a bunch more like that. We couldn't finish Sunday so finished up Wednesday afternoon.

Whoa!Stop!Wait a minute!

The orderly Serg't just came in with a register with a ten spot from Jay - Aug 28. I guess that'll hold me awhile. Many thanks. It sure comes in handy.

This is all today. I'll write again soon.

Love to everybody Bill

P.S. We moved camp since I wrote this and in the meantime I got box No. 42 so am enclosing the card. The magazine hasn't showed up yet but theres lots of time yet. The money made good time and put a new color on things. We even buy eggs for breakfast now at four fracs a doz.

Its been raining last night & today so we haven't done anything. Its the kind of weather when I'm thankful I'm not in the trenches. Its getting cold too so I'm looking for the sweater Flora's sending me.

Saw quite a bunch of fellows from Stan Raitts B'n but haven't located him yet. Also heard that Chuck is not far from here so will look him up.

So long for now

Bill

N.B. Be sure & tell me everything you send & I can find out what's lost. It mades me sore that my states mail gets lost. WJM