(03) Letter: Jack Bentley to Cornelia Bentley, August 1, 1918

III No. of letters Somewhere in France Dearest Mother, I am now in a different town and in the prettiest valley I have ever seen I think one can see for 10 or 15 mi in any direction We march up this valley 10mi every day and we are now getting up at 5 A.M. it is pretty tough going indeed but as allways I am satisfied and well allso happy. I'll try and paint a picture of what I saw coming in last night. An old man coming down one of these beautiful white roads, with trees every twenty feet from town to town, leading a beautiful flock of sheep with here and there a large goat looking over the heads of the sheep

running around the flock of sheep steadily was a pair of sheep dogs a muddly colar - all the time I saw them the process continued just one continual round of pleasure for those two dogs. As we arrived at our billets I saw the old man lift his horn a blow imediately, some six or eight sheep darted into a house and so on until he had pretty well divided the "sheep from the goats". That was pretty. It is today the first of August and also today for thee is perhaps Aug. 20 or 15 but just the same whether we are 3,00 miles or more apart we have each others love and that counts for so much. This morning at 5 AM as I was coming back from revelli I saw a plane going over it was pretty so early in the morning. They are common here tho.

It will be wonderful when some letters begin to come - Ok! but when the old war is over "them will be the happy days" & me for a hunt some where some time." Please tell me in thy letters as many of the little details about the stock ask the men about this or that how my dogs are also the [stear]. How ever thee is more than thoughtful about that and way. There have been three wild horses killed here since our arrival and many are running wild about here injuring the peasants crops we see men hunting them amoung the wheat which is still standing - Tell Rob they sure know how to use the cradle here.

I have never seen such old people in my life as you see here. there are many and they all work - I see an old woman watching a steer every day I go out she must be 90 years old It is hot today here as hot as I ever felt. we work Saturdays as well as Wednesdays here and by the end of this week we will have completed 90 miles of marching. My feet are tired. My platoon is beginning to show signs of affections for me which helps lots. They sing "Heaven, Hell, or Broadway" by Christmas Meaning they will get killed win the war and go back home some go to heaven etc. They are a fine bunch of men 58 and I instruct them all day long

My experience yesterday was funny and typifies the custume of the people I went to a house here and hired a bath. I saw a sign on the out side baths 1. F. or, 17 1/2 So on going in I was taken into a little room & given towel and soap After she left I started to undress & had gotten pretty well lathered all over when the door opened and in walked my hostess busying her self with work and telling me to use her soap instead of my own - it seems that these people are not very particular in that regard. The latrines here are right out on the street and