an
extry polish. Say why dont you tell me who that Mr. le Cure is? I have
askt you too times now, and say if I was you I woodnt say, come like
the dickens or skin them alive or enny of that kind of talk. It is
al-rite fer boys who are used to ruffin it, but it is not nice fer
girls so if I was you I wood go easy on it, and hot dogs aint machine
guns, they are sausidges that are made from those low-down german dogs
that heve short legs, but say they test buly in a roll. The vilets and
pollywogs have come and I wood send you some but I guess they wood dry
up before you got them. Ennyway you neednt worry much about the
war now that Uncle Sam is in it we will lick the stuffin out of him
together, I mean out of Kaiser Bill.

Your affeckshunate godfather,
James P. Jackson Jr.

P.S. Bug Hadley sez it is lucky fer him Erny and I had that
fite, because he had fergot what come after, and dedicatid to the
proposishun.

June 3, 1917.
18 rue d'Autancourt, Paris.

Dear Godfather:

It is great damage that the pretty egg of Easter I sent you be smasht
up! But I regret yet more that to receive my paquet make you dispute
yourself in dutch, like you say, with the little villain in school.
All the same I am content you landed him one in the eye (I comprehend
not what you want say by that, but I am sure the little boche
comprehend) and you are one valiant patriot.

Dear godfather, why say you the girls must go easy to learn the
American? I effort myself to be instructed with the words in your
letters the dictionary contains not but if they are nothing but for
little boys I pray you to tell me the pretty words for the little
girls. I am sure my dear godfather serves himself not of villain talk.
Jean was put in penitence yesterday because he say one word that is
for Poilus only, and Maman turn him against the wall in the corner
with the hands behind; and do you know what he do when we regard him
not? He lick the paper on the wall and make it to come off. So Maman
give him the spank. Dear godfather, I am happy to make you a little
pleasure in sending you my portrait. I think it is well succeeded and
very resembling, and will you have the obligeance to envoy to me the
one of you?

Dear godfather, I make to you a list of words American I comprehend
not, and I hope you will have the obligeance to explicate them to me.
What is, for example, gee whiz, felers, boy scouts, bum, home defence,
kernel, getysberg adress, mebbe, pooh-po