Cheer up, Sis, there’s a big, big day coming.

As I wrote previously on this blog, Marion Willard Everett (1891-1978) was Grant's only sister, and they wrote each other frequently throughout the First World War. She was engaged to William R. Everett (1891-1943) of Waseca, Minnesota. Bill was called up into the U.S. Army in 1917 and shipped over to France early the following year. Even though he and Grant corresponded during the great conflict, there's little in the diary and letters to indicated that they actually ever met up "over there."

If you want to read more about my remarkable Great Aunt Marion, author Amy Dolnick did a fine job of edited her letters and writing about her life in Future in a Handbasket (2002).

In this letter Grant writes about the sinking of the SS Tuscania. She was a luxury liner torpedoed in February 1918 by the German U-boat UB-77 while carrying American troops to Europe and sank with a loss of 210 lives.

Convois Autos.,

S.S.U. 647,

Par B.C.M.,

France.

Sunday – March 17, 1918

Dear Sis:-

Your letter dated Feb. 9 and mailed on Feb. 12 reached me day before yesterday. You have been awfully good to me, Sis, with your letters and all coming through regularly with not even so much as a letter from me in return. I wish I could write as you can. I have tried to write regularly to the family in hopes that they might act as sort of a middle bureau for all the rest of you to whom I should like to write regularly. This isn’t very satisfactory because when I do write regularly they don’t arrive in the same sequence and sometimes it is impossible to write. Then the letters from home during all this mess of changing services have been very irregular indeed, sometimes coming in intervals of a month and a half. It’s awfully hard to carry on a one sided correspondence when censorship regulations prohibit our saying no more than that we are well and happy. With this address, however, I think things are going to be much improved.

With your letter came one from Mother dated Feb. 17 in which she stated that a box containing gauntlets, tooth paste etc. had been sent or rather would be sent as soon as you could find a suitable box. The next day – yesterday – the box came. I was certainly surprised. A letter from [Emma] Mullen over a week ago says that she was sending two boxes from you people out to me. They haven’t showed up yet so you see!!! None of your letters have been censored. Two letters of recent date from the Hutchinsons have been censored. They must have their eye on Cousin Elsie. These two letters together with one from Dot long ago are the only ones which have been opened since I have been over here.

The family pictures which Mother sent arrived sometime ago. I forgot to mention them as they came during a rush period and were tucked away and temporarily forgotten. I got them out the other day and they are now on my person all the time. They certainly are dandies. Who took them? You all look about the same as when I last saw you. Why wasn’t Tib with you? Has he got a small Kodak of himself that I may have?

The news that Fred Allen went down on the Tuscania was a blow. Please keep me posted on this disaster because we hear nothing of it here.

Sis, I’m more sorry than I can tell you that you and Bill are going to be separated. I was hoping that you two would be married before he was called to this side. He is quite right in not wanting you to come to New York to see him off. I see his point of view precisely. Cheer up, Sis, there’s a big, big day coming and you know as well as I do that you would never have felt quite right if Bill hadn’t gotten to this side before this mess is settled. You may kid me about the way I rose up and flew over here when I made up my mind but I’ll bet you that Bill, down in his heart, is crazy to come as I ever was.

Remember me to all the gang and use your influence to get Mother and Tib off for California.

Much love,

Bub.