Monty explains he has over looked some things that we don’t become privy to. A thorough search for missing last pages may tell us something. I’ll keep you up to date.

Transcription of the letter:

Monday, October 11, 1917.

Somewhere in France.

Dear Mother—

Since writing you just after my arrival here two days ago I find I may not have put all the proper marks on my letter and so thought I better drop you another line.

Have been here three days and I am still to see the sun. In fact ever since getting to this side of the water it has rained most of the time. However, I’ve continued in excellent health thus far.

The censorship regulations are such that I can tell you very little about myself which I regret as the country & people have been most interesting.

I am anxious to hear something about yourself and the rest of the family as I have now been out of touch for over a month. Guess we ought to be getting some mail soon as am now at a permanent address for a while for the first time since leaving New York.

In case you don’t get my other letter will repeat a request I made in it – namely that you will send me or get Frank to send me several box boxes of cigars. He knows the kind I like – those he usually smokes – and they will be more than appreciated as it is impossible to get decent cigars over here. Hope to get some money to him to meet the interest on my notes and cover the cost of these cigars before long. As yet haven’t been able to get my September salary but I am expecting it any day. Will be getting about $155 a month over here and I ought not spend much more than 100 dollars of it myself—if that much. I thought I’d be able to have about $25 a month deducted from my salary at Washington and sent direct to him but find that can’t be done. However expect to find some method of accomplishing this and before long. while speaking of the cigars, wish you would send me

[letter ends here after two sides of the first page of longer letter.]