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meal for one of them, and the other brought in a live poule, which I
killed and cleaned. Now my duties for the day in the culinary art are
supposed to be over. Harry Frantz took the call that came in from
the front so that I could continue this letter to you. I think that
the opportunity to which I referred had something to do with your
effusions on the unconventional life, and I was going to say some–
thing in the way of delicate bantering –– but that mood has passed.
Only let me say that I appreciate the longings that you had at the
time you wrote, and sympathise with them most thoroly. However, do
you remember Bobby Burns's poem about "Oh, leave novels, Ye Mauchlin
Belles!"? I, however, have reread part of "The Beloved Vagabond"
and have found it as inspiring to be "different" as on the first reading.

The word brought in by Chittenden just now is that we are to leave here
on the 20th of this month, and that we are to be limited as to the
amount of baggage that we can take. Many of the fellows are selling
their belongings to French and Albanians now in our home town in order
to cut down to the minimum. They have it on us, who are to stay out
at the posts till a couple of days before we leave. The packages that
we have been expecting have been held for us in Paris, and I am not
expecting to get any more mail until that time, which may be the lat–
ter part of November. It will be that long if we take as much time
in going back as we took in coming. I am going to try to get to go
to Athens, if possible, on the way back, and to get a stop–over in
Rome and Naples. It is difficult to think of anything else than
the impending change, now that it is really apon us.

For the snaps –– je vous remercie bien –– They were almost like a
petite visite to the other world –– the other world of you, which I
alternately think of as that of realities and dreams. But I am per–
fently sane, my Dear, and know that all the world is but very very
little, and that it is all real –– or all dream, depending on how we
look at it. The study in Fingers and Toes was delicious. I imagine
that it was taken in the morning just after the little chirper woke
up after dreams ununderstandable by us –– dreams of the world from
which she has so recently come –– dreams of the world which may still
be for her the world of real realities! And the pictures taken by
Bruce at the beach –– of them I liked ''The Lady of Mystery" best.
But why "Mystery"? There was nothing to me mysterious about it. It
was just the picture of a young lady from Town at the Beach for a
day with her beau! And those who past by at the time the picture was
taken knew mighty well that that was what it was. The Mystery may
have been, that the pensive look in her eyes was because she was think–
ing of her lover, who was far, far away. And her lover, who is far,
far away, as he lets his eyes caress the counterfeit, is conceited
enough to think that that was really what she was thinking of! How
appropriate was the Coca Cola, or something similar, sign that serves
as a background for the one of you sitting on the sands among the sun–
shades Cracker Jack boxes! And as I look now out on the beautiful,
purple and brown and green lake, with its perfect "Bathing Beach", I
think of the impending civilisation of the country in which we are now,
and of the inevitable building of a Casino, with special accommodations
for automobilists, music and dancing. It would not be to Ochrida the
Resort, to which I would bring you, my petite Summer Girl! I was
wishing that you had sent me a snap of Bruce, too. I should like to
see one if you have it.

You may be assured that I do approve of your lessons in music, and I
am hoping that the pleasure you are getting out of them may continue.
I should be just a bit ashamed if I were to tell you truly how very
much I am anticipating spending an evening once in a while with you