To his Mother

Well, Ma, I am, above all places, at Paris, and having a real good

time, and the reason I am here is that the general had an accident four

or five days ago through his horse stumbling and throwing him, and he

was sent to a hospital, and naturally I had to follow on with the car

to be ready to take him back to the front. Ye gods! it is good to be

amongst civilized people again, and be able to have a decent bath, for

I might tell you I was getting in a filthy state, having to go without

a wash or a shave for sometimes three days on end: you can bet that I

made up for it to-day. This morning I had an ordinary hot bath, and

this afternoon, to make doubly sure that all the uninvited visitors

were dead, I went to the English hospital and had a sulphur bath;

after that a visit to the barber, and I felt a new man: _A Private, of

Bristol_.

The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins · 第 55 / 402 题