How are you? I am very well and I have ganed 5 Ibs. in one weak which
makes me 85 Ibs. which is thot very good in America. Have you had much
snow? We have had it considerable hear which has spoylt the skating on
Frost Lake which is beehind old Sam Bursars house who is our naybor.
I am glad you have a short name, I had ruther be cald André than
Nickulus, Cristuff or Jean-Marie, but I wood ruther you were cald Bill
or Pete or Sniper, but you cant help being what they call you so never
mind. I suported you this weak by selling 70 copies of the Greenville
Mirror by hand. It is a good paper and shood be patronized. I wakt
into Jim Parkers offis he is the editur and sed, Mister Parker, if you
have a loose job and no man fer it I am the man you want, and he sed
how old are you? and I sed 11. and he sed what you want a job fer? and
I sed, O fer a kid I have in France and he sed since I was suportin
you if I cood sell 70 copies of the Mirror he wood give me 35 cts.
and Mother had give me 15 fer mindin the chikens when she went to
Peeks-kill, so I new it would be al-rite, so I sed very well your on.
So I took the mirrors and stood on the corner of School street, and
bimeby the men begin to come home from the city, and some of them
stopt to buy a Mirror and some did not, so I thot I wood make an
appeel so I hollered, Buy a Mirror fer a kid in France, and waived it
in there faces, and you shood have seen them buy! Enneway I guess the
Mirror is a good ole paper, when all the men had come home I thot I
wood take the papers to the folks that wernt on the street, like the
schoolmaams and the sisters. Well most of them hot fine exept miss
Leigh the Sunday school teacher, and she sed the Mirror was a low down
politishuns sheet and I sed buy it fer Lily Blanche her help, and she
sed what are you so ankshus to sell papers fer? And I sed how do you
expect me to suport a kid in France if you peeple wont help out? and
she sed the Lord will provide, but I told her I wood ruther do it
myself; and she said I guess He's doin it threw you, so at last she
forkt up, and I went home at 6 o'clock, but I tell you I had a prety
tuf day. Say how is your mussel? Have you enny brothers and sisters? I
have five, they are Amanda aged 16, Cecilia aged 10, Myra-Louise aged
7, Molly aged 6, and Heloise aged 5. I come between the fust too. Dad
wanted to call Heloise Omeega after Alfred and Omeega in the Bibel,
but Mother sed that was foolish and I guess it was, cause there was no
boy to be Alfred excep me, and I was alredy James, so he give it up.
Sid Perkins is suportin a girl in France and hes auful rich, and
dont have to work to keep her goin. Gee, Im glad your a boy, girls is
al-rite in there line but I woodnt adop one fer love or money. Can
you here the shootin from where you are? I have seen the new American
submareen and it is a fine bus, I tell you if ever the Yankees come
runnln over there you wont see Kaiser Bill fer dust. Do you like
prisners base? What grade are you in? Well, hoping you are well and
that some day we will meet somewhere in France, I will close.
Your affecshunate godfather,
James Prendergast Jackson Jr.
P.S. If ever we go to war, and I inlist and go to France I mite take
you back to New York on firlow.
16 Dec. 1916.
Dear Benefactor,
I thank you with the bottom of my heart for your kindness unto me.
Maman and me have been so content to receive your letter and your
donation generous! Your succour will sweeten the times difficult that
we are traversing; and the silver[1] you send will permit me to eat of
the meat and be forceful to aid maman she has so much of labor and of
pain! I will tell you, dear benefactor, that I am not the most robust
But I take the oil of liver of cod-fish all the days for make myself
high and good-carrying.[2] Yes, dear benefactor, I will forget never
what you do, and all the nights I make a prayer for you be happy in
the life.
I cannot to read your letter very well alone, because I know not
sufficient the English. But I have one aunt, she is dead, she know
very well the English, and she teach me of it and my great sister
also; she is a dactylographer,[3] and she know the English very
perfect, and she me aids so I do mistakes not at all. And I serve me
of the dictionary also. Maman say your letters will make complete my
education. But some words I comprehend not. What is, for example, the
kid? I search and I see only it is the offspring of a goat. I am sure
in the book is the mistake, for my dear godfather will not make the
pain to me and my Maman in calling me the offspring of a goat.
Dear godfather, I am also surprise that you be so much heavy. I have
11 years like you, and I am only 39 kg heavy. But in Amerique, Maman
tell me, all is big, big! It is droll, so big little boys. Sometimes
I ask myself if you are veritably a little boy. Perhaps it is to
make laugh you tell me you are one infant. Perhaps you are the old
gentleman.
Tell me dear godfather, what is it the Sunday-school? In Paris we
go not to school the Sunday. We rise more lately, and we dress more
pretty than the days of week, and for breakfast we eat the cacao in
lieu of soup of potato left of last night. And we go to the grand mass
with Maman. Little brother Jean is one infant of choir at the church.
He do nothing but balance and smoke the incense, and be pretty like
one angel; because his hairs are like the gold, and his eyes like
the heaven when the sun make shine. All at the beginning he was not
content because the smoking make him to sneeze, and he did cry, and
he wanted not to indorse[4] the dress white, with lace; he say he
resemble to a girl; and he believe all the world in the church was
regarding him. But now he is habituated, and he become more sage. It
is very necessary he become sage, because he is so devil. Yesterday,
for example, Mr. le Curé give him a pretty card postal with the image
of angels and tell him he must apply to resemble to them; and Jean
responded, "no I want not to be the angel and have wings like one
hen!" Mr. le Curé say it is Satan that commands the wicked words like
that, and when he go to fall in temptation Jean must say, "Vade retro
Satanas," and that make Satan go behind. And Jean say, "yes but then
Satan go at my back and push hard, so I fall!" It is very sad little
Jean be so much bad.
I will tell you, dear benefactor, that I effort myself to work and be
very sage so little brother take model on me. I go to catechism two
times by week, and I am on the table of honor, and for Christmas Mr.
le Curé give me a pretty shawl for hold my neck and shoulders warm
when I go to school.
For Christmas Jean put his shoes in the chimney for the little Jesus
fill them like all the years. But Maman say to him: "This year the
little Jesus carry nothing, because with all the sous in the world he
want to get our big victory so the dirty boches kill no more our dear
Papas."
But, grace to you, the morning of Noël the shoes were all of same
remplished. There was apples red and some chocolate and stockings with
long legs. We make many of holes in our stockings and all the time
there is no more cloth in places, so Maman cuts them down. So in the
beginning they are long, then 1/2 long, then socks. It was socks all
the winter, dear benefactor, but when your silver come, the legs come
long again.
In the after-dinner Noël we make a promenade in the woods of
Boulognes. Now it is the vacancies[5] of Noël and I aid Maman, she
make me some black aprons new for go to school, and I sit myself down
on the side of her. She loves not that I play in the streets, because
she desire that I be well elevated [6]. And it is much snow in Paris;
it make so cold that I love not to go out.
Dear benefactor, you demand what grade I am. I comprehend not. Only
the officers have grade. Are you an officer? I think yes, because you
talk so much the submareens, etc.
I have nothing more to say at you, but Maman joins herself to me to
pray you to agree, dear benefactor, the expression of our sentiments
the most distinguished and respectuous.
Your godchild,
A. Leblanc.
[1] Silver _(argent)_ money.
[2] Good-carrying (_bien portante_) healthy.
[3] Dactylographer (_typist_).
[4] Indorse _(endosser)_ to put on.
[5] Vacancies _(vacances)_ vacations.
[6] Well elevated _(bien élevée_) well bred.
Greenville Falls. N.Y.
Jan. 2, '17.
Deer Miss Secretary,
There is something off about my godchild, you no the one you give me
to suport, well dad rored when he saw the letter but I think he is a
nut and mother sez he is two elevated fer me, so hoping you will get
me a nuther one I will close hoping you are well.
Yours truly,
James P. Jackson Jr.
P.S. I will rite just the same to this one till you get me a nuther
one.
Greenville Falls. N.Y.
Jan. 2, 1917.