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My dear Emma and Children:
Day before yesterday a soldier gave me a letter form you in the cave where I was. It was dark as pitch so with a very small piece of a candle which I prize as a treasure it gave me the greatest pleasure in reading your letter. One from each one of you and the three photographs. You all look fine which made me very happy and Monk and Mike in the corn field. I am so glad you are sending me a little oatmeal. Sometime we get the finest meal served, sometimes nothing at all. It is a great life if you don't weaken. it gives me great comfort to know that Paget is often with you. He is very kind and good to help you. And the Enqinen is going alright now. That is fine. All the little details about you and the place and the neighbors interested me very much. My French companion is a great talker and has been to America and met Paul when he was in Washington two years ago. He was with the department corp for seven months at that time. 
We are having a terrible time to get our supplies now. We are so far away from everything. It seems as though we have crossed a great desert and were past no man's land. And of course the work and our supplies are wanted a thousand times more. Wounded that can walk from the front are forever coming to our door. It gives us pleasure as well as sadness to be able to help them. The other day two young soldiers that I got to know quite well passed by the door several times in the morning to and from the lines in the evening only one came back very badly gassed with two others. One helping the other on the dark road. His chum was lost. Since I knew them I have had the blues for awhile. I cannot go into any detail about my work now and the special happenings around here. And if you should miss a letter it would be from the delay of the soldiers getting it to the post which is far away. 
Yesterday we gave out almost 5,000 cups of chocolate to wounded and tired soldiers. There are only three of us here and at Montmireil where we were, we gave out 2,500 cups. We thought we were doing a great day's work. We never ?? eat when we can. I feel fine, probably thinner but still on the top notch. 
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