I was looking for your letter the whole of yesterday, but it did
not come till this morning at 8.35 a.m., and I am sorry to say it
is not near as nice as I expected. Some parts is niceish, but
others is rotten. What for do you ask me if I have spotted many
pretty girls here, when you know I would not be for taking the
troubble of spoting any girl in the world but you, and besides they
are all terrible ugly here. Yesterday I seen 2 that made me feel
sick. Willie said they was on for being picked up, and he give a
wink at one of them, and she put out her tongue at him, but no more
happened. They was quite young girls, though hiddeous, but Willie
did not seem to mind their faces ['mugs' scored out].
Willie is greatly changed since the last few weeks. You would
scarcely know him, he is that fond of exercises. He is near as
strong as me. They are telling him he will be a corporal before
his aunt, and he gets huffy. He spoke too much about his aunt at
the beginning, cursing and swearing like, and now he can't get away
from it, poor sole. It is a pity she does not send him some small
presents now and then. He is awful jealous of the chaps that get
things from home; you can tell it by his face and the bad language
he uses about the billet and the Zeppelins for 2 hours after. So
just for fun, when I was writing to Uncle Purdie, I said please
send the next parcel addressed to Pte. Wm. Thomson. Willie got it
last night. He never let on he was pleased, but he was. He was
freer nor I expected him to be with the groceries, but he eat a tin
of salmon all by his lone, and in the middle of the night, at 3.15
a.m., he was took horrid bad, and 7 of the chaps made him take
their private meddicines, and he could not turn out for physical
exercise in the morning, but is now much better, and has made a
good tea, and is eating 1 lb. cokernut lozenges at this very
minute.
I have no more news. But, dear Christina, I am not well pleased
with your letter at all. I am quite disconsoled about it. It
makes me feel like wet cold feet that has no hopes of ever getting
dry and cosy again. When I seen yourself last Friday night I was
not feared for anything, for you was that kind and soft-hearted,
and you laughed that gentle and pretty, and your words did sound
sweet even when they was chaffing-like. But now I am fearing
something has gone wrong. Are you offended? I did not mean to do
so. Have you got tired of me? I would think _yes_ at once, if you
was the common sort of girl, but you are the honest sort that would
tell me straight, and not with hints in a letter. So if you are
not offended, I think you must have catched a cold in your head, or
got something wrong with your inside. Colds in the head is very
permanent [? prevalent] in the billet for the present, and the
chaps with them are ready to bite your nose off if you say a word
to them.
Dear, dear Christina, please tell me what is the matter. I will
not sleep well till I hear from you. The stew for dinner to-day
was better than the stew yesterday, but I could not take my usual.
I am fed up with anxiousness. Kindly write by return. Why do you
never put any X X X in your letters? Do you want me to stop
putting them in mine?
Your aff. intended,
M. ROBINSON.
P.S.--It is not to be the Dardanelles, but we are likely going to
Flanders next week. Excuse writing and spelling as usual. X X X
Please write at once.
_Christina to Macgregor_