Camp Devens, Mass.
Wednesday Night

Dear Win:-

Say! I've waited until tonight expecting to hear from you, but I fear you must be sick. I am so deathly scared that you have or will have smallpox, that I am constantly thinking of you. If you have not written me this week yet, and are pretty busy, just drop me a card, won't you, so I can be assured you are not sick.

Ever since last Friday I have been over on the rifle range, except Sunday, Gee! Win, I am simply crazy over shooting now. It is so much fun. Last Friday I shot ten rounds at a target with a distance of a hundred yards and got a score of thirty-three out of a possible fifty. I think that pretty good for me considering that I never had a gun in my hands to shoot before. I got two bull's eyes. Then last Saturday morning I got a score of thirty-eight on the two hundreds yard target. Monday I was over on the range the entire day watching. I did not get a chance to shoot. Tuesday afternoon I shot on the three hundred yard target, getting a score of forty-nine. It seems the further away I get the better shot I am. This afternoon we shot at silouhettes at one hundred, two hundred and three hundred yards. The silouhettes were supposed to represent the head and shoulders of the German up over the parapet, and when we shot we either made a hit or it was a miss. I made my best score in this on the hundred yard range, hitting the silouhette four times out of five chances. So you see the Germans better be on the watchout for me. I am getting so I want to shoot as often as I can. Tomorrow we go over again. I expect it will next be rapid fire.

While we are shooting on the range, right side of us are ten or fifteen machine guns firing, the Browning guns, which shoot six hundred shots per minute. Talk about speed.

Say, I saw my first live deer today. The deer evidently became frightened by so much gun fire and he ran across the range just like an arrow, but oh! so wonderfully graceful, with his antlers high and haughty in the air. I was mighty glad to have seen him.

No one was up to see me Sunday last, but I rather expect Doris up this coming Sunday. She is so mighty loyal to me, and gets up to see me as often as she can.

I am enclosing an article that I found in one of last Sunday's papers. It is a great record, that I thought you might like to have it for your scrapbook.

Shooting lately has taken up most of my time, so we have not done an awfully lot on gas for over a week. However I attended a gas lecture tonight.

We expect to go to Worcester April 6th to parade in the opening drive there for the Third Liberty Loan Drive. I believe it is on Friday, and I doubt if I can go home from there for the weekend, as we will have to be back here for Saturday inspection, I suppose.

Did I tell you that I have put in an application in Milford to join the Masons. I believe my name is acted on at their monthly meeting tomorrow night. A lot of the fellows are joining the Masons here at Ayer. Ayer Lodge will work degrees for other lodges. It will cost me forty dollars, but I am going to borrow it from my Grafton Bank money. Charles is fixing it up for me. Also I am going to have my Grafton Bank Book changed to read "M.C. Dennett and Annie Dennett", and that means that they will honor a request for money from me, or from mother, regardless of where I am or where mother is. It's a mighty good idea, I think, don't you?

I have not ridden horseback for nearly three weeks now, as I have been busy elsewhere. I guess I will get wore all over again, when I start once more.

I have not seen Carly yet this week. Perhaps he did not get a chance to see me, or didn't get up to camp.

Well, I guess I will have to stop now, and write a few lines to mother and Doris, before going to bed. I am fine and dandy, and now please drop a card and let me know if you are all right. Loads and loads of love to you my dear brother from

Your loving brother
Mort

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