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Sunday, October 13, 1918

My dear Emma and Children:

 This day happens to be a day off with me. I received an order to report to another army corps. Yesterday at two o'clock which I did. Today time is taken up by waiting for supplies. So we can move with this new army corps. I was stationed at ? about 6 kilometers from Raines just at the time when the Busch were being driven away from this sector. (It was great) Of course this is old news to you by this time, and the Fritzes are still on the run. I told you somewhat of my story in the last letter, which I carries in my pocket four days because I could get no way of posting it. This morning when I returned to St. Mimax after my few things, I found the ? and wife. She was in the foyer only for a few minutes. They were kind enough to take my letter to Cherry and post it.
 A week ago last Wednesday, when ordered here, we found that the demolished villages had been suddenly evacuated by the soldiers.
 So there were none for us to care for. I made a trip over beyond Raines to the left and asked permission from the officers to open up a Foyer in their section. That was the day (Thursday) I saw the Fritzes on the run and the French firing their big guns over our heads to blast the Germans. Leaving the officers, I walked on down through Raims [[Raines]] to this great beautiful church on beyond where many soldiers were assembled to take up the grand ?. A colonel gave me some bread and the wine of this section, and it was glorious. The city is practically a complete ruin. The church on one side, I will make lots of drawings of it.
 By this time it was getting late so I hit the track for the Foyer, about nine miles to walk. About ten o'clock P. Marine had a long talk with my companion on the subject of going to Raines and giving chocolate to the soldiers who were now swarming into this deserted city. There are no civilians at all - cats and crows only. The crows fly low in the deserted yards looking for something to eat. You can imagine going for miles on the ?? out West when you must carry your water and food with you and come across a deserted ruined house. Well we got our donkies and carts loaded on Sunday. I took one soldier with me and we gave chocolate and coffee and writing paper away on the plaza in front of the Thyulidriel. I was very glad that the Foyer du soldat was the first to do this after the Fritzes were chased away. Going back in the night, I was a find