Charles E. H. Bates Family Correspondence, 1899-1930 - 3

727 Paru Street September 16th 1918

My own dear boy.

No news from you yet since your cable from France -- I don't know what [underlined] we should have done had we not had that! The war news is wonderful [underlined]. Pershing's advance on St. Mihiel having been so successful Germans asking for peace again of course no one listens to them now -- Not [underlined] even I [underlined] though I wish the war might end tomorrow so that you could come home

but even I [underlined] feel that a peace now would be a terrible mistake --- they must be more thoroughly beaten first --- much [underlined] more --- the tide has only began [underlined] to turn against them and they can out a truce for peace - which means that they intend to hold Russia!! as is [underlined] but no we all hope that the Allies will stand firm & not listen & from all the papers say it seems undoubtedly their intention to do so. The paper said Saturday that General March had spoken

of the arrival in France after 40th division but that some were still in England --Will Panton my cousin from Montana (not Kenneth the Surgeon) but a private I think in infantry wrote his mother that he had been in the thick of the fighting - : I think in artillary [artillery] -- but am not sure but don't know where of course but he thought the Germans had not got his number as he got off without a scratch so far. If only the wretches could be beated before winter how wonderful it

would be for us all -- but the war correspondents warn us that that is almost too sanguine a view to hold -- they say the successes so far have been, since Aug 8th, far greater than any sane person hoped for before that time -- but still there is [underlined] a possibility [underlined] -- apparently of beating them back to their own frontiers perhaps even before winter ---

I wonder where you are dearest. I wish we could know --- there has been no news from Nor since I wrote you last --- there was [underlined] a letter from Dick but we

can't make out wher [where] he is. His letters are much longer in coming now about ten days so we suppose he is somewhere near the East Coast out at sea. He was glad to get all the Kodac [Kodak] views I sent him but thinks yours not much like you which is true - Not one is very [underlined] good we think so I hope dearest that you will try again over there if you get a chance at all at any decent photographs because none that we have are very good -- I have had them