Sitting in my car sipping coffee from my big French bowl, unshaven and smeared with grease...

It's always interesting to compare what Grant kept to himself in his diary and what he shared in his letters. Naturally, due to military censorship, he couldn't divulge battle details, etc., but he also shielded his family from the really painful details of his work.On the same day that he wrote the account of Tod Gillett's brutal death in his diary, he sat down and wrote this chatty letter to his mother, Louise, never mentioning the loss that his outfit had suffered.

He does mention, however, the startling appearance at the front of an old friend from back home--Marguerite Marsh (1890-1925). A few years older than Grant, Marsh left her job at the Mankato Public Library to volunteer with the Red Cross in France. She was the inspiration behind Maud Hart Lovelace's novel Emily of Deep Valley. 

Convois Autos.,

S.S.U. 647,

Par B.C.M.,

France.

Monday – July 15, 1918

Dearest Mother:-

Wednesday last brought me the biggest surprise I have had since coming to France. I was sitting in my car sipping coffee from my big French bowl, unshaven and smeared with grease (having put in the day at cleaning and repairing my car after 48 hours on post) when a Dodge car drove up and out of the back seat hopped Marguerite Marsh. The surprise was so complete that I didn’t recognize her at first and when I finally did I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t say two consecutive sentences. She didn’t recognize Hap at all and I had to casually mention his name before she could remember him. We didn’t have a chance to visit for she had to leave right away but I did find out where she is located and hope to see her again before long. She is just about 50 kilometers from here. Maybe I can get down that way on my permission.

It all came about this way: Johnnie Taylor and two other boys had gone into a pretty good sized town not far from here to spend the day at shopping. They were in a department store looking over some post cards when in walked Marguerite. She also wanted cards. They fell into a casual discussion in which Marguerite chanced to mention Minnesota. “Do you happen to know anyone from Mankato or St. Cloud?” asked Johnnie. “Mankato!” screamed Marguerite, “That’s my home.” “Do you know ‘Jess’ Willard or ‘Hap’ Ahlers?” was Johnnie’s next question.Marguerite allowed as how she did and grabbing Johnnie she thrust him into the car and ordered him to show them the way to “Hap” Ahlers and “Jess” Willard. And Johnnie filled the bill. I only wish she could have stayed longer with us. I guess she was about as glad to see us as we were here for we have since heard that when she tore madly forth from the Department Store she had in her hand a pile of post cards unpaid for. Honest Marguerite! The two boys who were left behind in the mad rush had quite a time with the girl behind the counter in figuring out how many cards the “questionable young mademoiselle” had “gotten away with.” Marguerite looks well. We didn’t have a chance to discuss her work and how she likes it. She looks very stunning in her uniform.

Yesterday was “la grande fête” day all over France. You remember last year at this time I wrote to you from the Vosges telling you about our celebration down there--how we were taken for American officers at a hospital down there and treated as such? Well there is no chance of their ever making that mistake again. Our uniforms give us away. But we celebrated just the same--that is, those of us who were fortunate enough to be back in camp yesterday did. We played the Frenchmen a tough game of soccer and managed to win by a score of 2-1. It was a hard game and many are the stiff joints in camp today but we had much fun out of it.

At 7:30 in the evening we listened to a very good concert at the Y.M.C.A. violin, voice and piano. It’s the first thing of its kind since Elsie Janis visited this sector some weeks ago and made such a decided “hit.” Our truck transported the piano for the occasion from a nearby town and on its return trip it stopped over night at our camp. We have a very good pianist in our outfit so you can imagine the rest. Dancing, Virginia-reel, square-dance and singing until long after dark. The result is that our Lieutenant is going to try to rent a piano for the section during the time that we are located here. A dance has also been proposed with real girls for partners. So you see war is not all hell. In addition to all of this we have our permissions still to look forward to. They ought to be starting soon with everything so quiet up here.

I am glad my name did not appear on any casualty list which met your eye so as to cause you undue worry until you knew the facts. The gas has left no noticeable effects on any of us.Am well and as happy as can be expected – hoping harder than ever for the termination of this mess so that we can get home.

Much love to all,

Grant.

P.S. – I don’t believe that Miss Mullen was a confirmed member of any particular religious denomination. Of course, while in France, being so highly in sympathy with French character and customs, she attended the Catholic church when any at all.

As to her being a socialist or not I can’t say. Perhaps if you can define what you mean by socialism I can answer your question. She was no pupil of Scheiderman or Leibknecht, I can assure you of that much. Neither was she an ardent advocate of Bolshevism. Of this I am just as sure. She was thoroughly in sympathy with everything for which the allies are fighting today though a bit inclined to criticize the U.S. for her tardiness in joining in the big fight. This she attributed to the evils in our present form of government overlooking the fact that the same evils exit wherever politics play as prominent a part in the government as in our own country. We have had many interesting talks on this subject and if this doesn’t answer your question I can go more into detail and quote from a few of the letters I have received from her. Even though she were a sort of socialist let us remember this about her: She was absolutely true from core out to the allied cause and threw every ounce of her energy into helping it along. Her numerous letters and interesting talks were an inspiration to the higher and better life to many a youth on this side. This part of her I shall never forget.

GRW