Letter from Norman Smith to Howard and Violet Smith, January 19, 1944

Well tonight I'm on guard duty and a tiresome job it is! It's about 9:30 P.M. now and I have to go on again at 1 A.M. so guess I'll get this letter off.

As to my small Insurance policy; yes; I want to keep it up. Take whatever is left of the check I sent you and apply it to payments part that you have paid. Let me know how we stand.

I don't want my Klose's book although I do believe I did ask for it in one of my letters. However I would like to have you send me my other wrist-watch, "The Westclox," my good one has got a cracked hairspring jewel and I don't want to get it repaired right now.

So the Quammers are on the move again. Where in Hell are they headed now? Móver; móver móver no me gusta! Whoops just a slip too many Mexicans around here!

Glad to hear that the Salmon was good. Will be looking forward to some if I get a furlough.

I am going to try to send most of my next two pay checks home. I would like to have you save them till I call for them. You see, the army here tells us that we must save our our furlough money for transportation, I'm having you hang on to it because there are too many theives around about.

Say I heard a pretty good joke the other day and it goes something like this.

There was traveling salesman passing through a small town at night. It was rather late so he decided to bunk at the one and only hotel of the town. This hotel had very lousy accomodations and the toilet was way out back.

About 2: o'clock the salesman had to defecate (crap to you) so he started on a search for the toilet. About 15 minutes of search found him no better off then when he started so he returned to his room. While in his room he spotted a geranium plant so he dumped out the plant and dirt from the pot and defecated. Then he placed the dirt back over

it and went to sleep. About two weeks later while in another town he received a wire from the hotel keeper saying "We give up. Where is it?"

Guess this letter smells enough so, so long.

P.S.

Will end you some pictures soon. Have heard from John & Irma. Grandma Smith hasn't written me yet.