Sunday, September 23, 1917:
Got a dandy letter from Dot this P.M. I hadn’t heard since Sept. 10 and was beginning to wonder where the hold up was. She said that many of her college friends were being caught in these hurried marriages and that she had tried to look superior, but was inwardly jealous and wanted me more than ever. Poo
r girl! God knows that she can’t want me any worse than I want her, but what am I to do? What can I do? If it is wise for these young people to get married the way they are how in the world do they make ends meet financially? The best salary I could possibly pull would not exceed $100 and I couldn’t ask a girl brought up as she has been to live on that without something very much better to look forward to when war is over. God help me decide this question for the best interests of the sweetest girl in the world. I sat right down and wrote an answer to the effect that I am up a tree as to the future. To stay here without her until the end of the war is quite impossible. To return, knowing as little as I do of conditions in U.S., and run a chance of being drafted as a private in infantry, which has proved the biggest suicidal organization in the army over here even as high as 1st Lieut, would be absurd in my estimation. To sign up with some satisfactory department over here with a furlough of a couple of weeks in the States is possible, but highly improbable. There seems to be no other horn of this dilemma. I have put it up to Dot and told her I would stay over here until I received her answer.
r girl! God knows that she can’t want me any worse than I want her, but what am I to do? What can I do? If it is wise for these young people to get married the way they are how in the world do they make ends meet financially? The best salary I could possibly pull would not exceed $100 and I couldn’t ask a girl brought up as she has been to live on that without something very much better to look forward to when war is over. God help me decide this question for the best interests of the sweetest girl in the world. I sat right down and wrote an answer to the effect that I am up a tree as to the future. To stay here without her until the end of the war is quite impossible. To return, knowing as little as I do of conditions in U.S., and run a chance of being drafted as a private in infantry, which has proved the biggest suicidal organization in the army over here even as high as 1st Lieut, would be absurd in my estimation. To sign up with some satisfactory department over here with a furlough of a couple of weeks in the States is possible, but highly improbable. There seems to be no other horn of this dilemma. I have put it up to Dot and told her I would stay over here until I received her answer.
Monday, September 24:
The occasion wo
rthy of note today was the appearance of Colonel Riggs and Major Stell who talked to us for an hour in the back yard about the new organizations as run by the American Government. In substance their information was about as follows: the recruiting officer is now in this army zone and is expected here in a couple of days. They want to find out how many men are going to stay in the new organization so that they may complete the sections by inter-changes and a new supply of men from Allentown. The request for this militarization was made by the French Government to Washington. They say that the chances are that we will remain approximately as we are under the French Government, etc. No guarantee is given, however, and no definite promises made. They say they are going to keep the Norton-Harjes men together as much as possible. They require that you sign up for the remainder of the war. The general sentiment throughout the sections seems to be opposed to signing on for any such term with all the uncertainty. Most everyone now plans on returning to America. I had personally much rather stay right over on this side where I know something of conditions than to return now. I would like to master the French language and see some more of this country and people. C'est la guerre!
rthy of note today was the appearance of Colonel Riggs and Major Stell who talked to us for an hour in the back yard about the new organizations as run by the American Government. In substance their information was about as follows: the recruiting officer is now in this army zone and is expected here in a couple of days. They want to find out how many men are going to stay in the new organization so that they may complete the sections by inter-changes and a new supply of men from Allentown. The request for this militarization was made by the French Government to Washington. They say that the chances are that we will remain approximately as we are under the French Government, etc. No guarantee is given, however, and no definite promises made. They say they are going to keep the Norton-Harjes men together as much as possible. They require that you sign up for the remainder of the war. The general sentiment throughout the sections seems to be opposed to signing on for any such term with all the uncertainty. Most everyone now plans on returning to America. I had personally much rather stay right over on this side where I know something of conditions than to return now. I would like to master the French language and see some more of this country and people. C'est la guerre!
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