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August 9
No. 9

My dear Emma and Children:

This is the beginning of a very beautiful 6 P.M. I am at the desk selling tickets for coffee and chocolate to the passing soldiers. But it is very quiet the last two days. It seems as though all the soldiers have left this district. And our road is fast losing its popularity for the movement of troops and munitions. This is the cause of the great drive that has been going on. It has left us in the rear, and everything that belongs to the war has moved with it. Being connected with the foyer, we must move last in a retreat as well as in an advance. 
M. Blanc went down to the line yesterday to look over the ground where he used to have his foyer. It has been burned to the ground. Not a thing left. The Germans had destroyed the village. There were still may bodies lying around and the battle still going on. 
We will undoubtedly soon follow the army and be in it again. I love to hear the noise of the big guns, the rattle of the rapid fire guns and the buzz of the airplanes. Last night there was quite a lot of big cannons going off last night, but we could just hear them.
It is noon now and hardly a soldier in town. The town is quite dead. No excitement. This morning I went to the hospital as usual. The lieutenant (American) that is there is much better. There are two American boys there now, severely wounded in the leg, but they are getting along nicely and will soon be moved back towards Paris. There was just a French general that came in to visit us. He snooped around in the rooms and the gardens and course said everything looked good and the chocolate tasted fine. 
Jim went to Paris to have his teeth (*C.O.) fixed three days ago. He has not returned. I hope when he comes back he will bring something to eat that looks like candy. 
There were some M.P. (Military Police) send to this town last night to help us keep order. It is impossible to eat in the restaurants in the morning so I tell the A.S. to go to the baking shop and buy some bread, the butcher shop for ham, and the cheese shop for some cheese and butter and then come in the garden of the foyer and eat it. And as the M.P. will be here for some time now, I have arranged that for them. 
M. Blanc tells me that we have served more than 50,000 cups of coffee and chocolate since the first of July. That is going some. These have been served to the passing troops. They hardly stay more than a few hours so we have no chance to get organized with them. We have not been meeting with the people of the town. There has been goo much to do all the time. Although when Jim and I take a walk, the people know how we are and what we are doing. 
There are two very fine captains (French) in the hospital. They were very seriously wounded. They are always glad to see Jim and me. We bring writing paper to the ? (* C.O.) They are