from Foss J.F. Ellard 1413 Third Ave Laurel, Miss OFFICIAL BUSINESS Mrs Pauline Ellard Smith P. O. Box 3 Pittsboro, Miss. Sunday Afternoon Dear Pauline, Wrote you a few days ago when your letter came and never did get it mailed so will try again. It is such a pretty day today, and I am on duty at the camp this week end, just have to sit here. I hope that Sam is going to be benefitted by his trap to Brookhaven and I am not going to discourage you, but so often these guys are about like Horace Nix that we hear of. I wish if he does not feel benefitted there he would try Paul and Hugh Gamble in Greenville. I think they are the best we have down this way. Dont let Sam go back to work until he is better, if it takes six months and they want to fire him. What he has to eat onthe road is as much wrong with him as anything else or perhaps more, and if he never works any more be will be alright anyway. Know you did hate to lose Mrs Hardin from your school, and you won't ever be able to replace her. How is prof Dobbs getting along ? Hope he has not been behing the Doby Walls lately. We thought ten days ago that pe rhaps we would be living in Meredian by this time, as orders came down the line for our Supt to go there and take over at the camp to be at the Air Base; he went and in a day or two the Mendenhall company got notice to pack up and move to Meredian, and we thought we are the Brookhaven company would move that week also, but another order was issued for our Supt to come back here and that for the Vicksburg company to go to Meredian Air base and also the McComb Company to go to Meredian. Vicksburg and McComb Companies are both Veteran camps. According to the grape Vine we will be transferred to the Jackson Air Base alng with the Brookhaven company, but "I don't know how it will be". I preferred to go to Meredian for the reason that the cost of living would be less there, of to Vicksburg. The Supt from Meredian was down yesterday and told me that he needed a lerk mighty bad; but that he had a man that he thought would be alright when he learned; his name was Shannon. I presume it is Dock. I told him I knew him and thought he would to, when he had had an oppor tunity to learn some. I could not help but think tho, what Ralph Sheffield said the Veterans Bureau was told about Dock when he was taking a course in watch making, but mabe he w ll do better this time and the work wi ll not be as bad on his Melt as Vick would say, and he will draw more money too. It certainly wis dirty the way the Board treated Dock's wife, but I am gald that Etyole has been wised up to the Suprs tricks. The War Dept offered me a job again at Columbus for three weeks and then to be transferred to Ozark Alabama but I decided to stay on here for a while at least. They are making some changes in the Company commander s at some of the Companys, and I have been recommended by the Company commander of this company for one of the places. Those jobs pay twenty six hundred to start with and really was what I wanted when I applied for this job, but at that time one had to be a reserve officer to be eligible for appointement. I also have application pending with the Adjutant Generals office at Washington for a commission in the army, don't even "Know how that will be" but, "Yet and Still" I am convinced that they are overlooking a chance to have and the services of an awful good officer, just because they have not offered to take me in. The kids are doing fine work in school here, Teeny and Alfred each advanced a grade the beginning of this quarter, and Baby Sister always makes the honor roll, I have been asked to serve as a deacon in the Church and all of that, but again I say "Yet and still" I want to make some contribution to the Big fight, and if I can't get in any other way I am going to try to go in as a Chaplain. You know with a negro preacher the best asset is a large porsonal body. I at least, have that qualification. I have a roomer. Pays fifteen a month. Is a nice young fellow from Texas, and is crazy for a girl. We are going to call Chris up this week and tell her to come over, that is if he is going to be in town over the week end. Dont tell Chris but he is about a half preacher, or at least he pretends to me that he is. It may be that he is doing that for the reason that he sees that I am pretty devout, but the girls dont like a guy that is too religious and I have told him that Chris was coming real soon. I think he is looking forward to seeing her. He dated a girl last night down at the District SCS office, but she is real old and one of those kind that goes out into the bull Rushes every sunday and teaches BTU and so on to the under priveldeged, and I dont think he was so favorably impressed. We would have had Chris this week but Deloris was in bed sick with flu all last week, and too I was going to be on duty here. Sorry Murff fell off the wagon. Guess he thought they were going to get hehind with the consumption of it and for that reason he had better try to put some of it out of the channels of trade. I had a very pleasant visit from Cush a few days ago. Sams boss (Old Baily) drove him up to the house late one afternoon and he spent the night with me. Tell Sam if his force does not buy old Baily some clothes he is going to be taken up as a vagrant. He is positively disreputable looking, with his elbows sticking thru his coat sleeves. It is really pitiful as sonny Goar would say. I am sure hoping that they get the boys in the army that you mentioned. as important as each of them are, I feel that they can surely boost the morale of the army if nothing more. I called Allen up this morning. He does not appear to be getting al ong so well and I wi ll be glad when the Law Makers leave. I know he is nervious and upset all the time and with the worry about Allen Jr I guess it is most too much for him. it is not going to be long now before McArthus forces are taken prisoners are all killed. I don't know whaich would be preferable. The war looks so discouraging and we are in it for a long time to come. Of course we will finally win, but Oh what a price we are going to have to pay. I am sometimes afraid to loo k at the casualty list for fear I will see John Allens name anong them. Charleyne has not been home for some time, but we kinda look for her this next week. Deloris wants her and Chris to come the same time. She got a ten dollar raise last month and that hope her. Tell Murff to let me hear from him. I don't know what is the matter with him that I can't get a line off him once in a while. Did his girl ever get back on? Be sure to let me know for one of those Peckerwoods promised me faithfully that wh he would and I want to write and cuss him out if he has not. What about coming down when Sam is feeling a little better and we will go to Mobile to see the Azalias. Write us agzin real soon. Love to all of you. Foss