Madrid for a day or two. To do either, however, without 
going in for action with your detachment, you need two 
things that are difficult to get---a pass and a car. And even 
when you have the car often you can't get gas. However, 
I'll do my best.

You probably have noticed that since I left Paris I have 
lost some of the rank-and-filest tendencies that I had there 
and before leaving the States. However, the situation does 
not permit having them and it's a question of jumping in 
wherever you can do the most good, no matter what your 
personal inclination might be.

This town was a strange sight this evening. Up to 8 
o'clock the streets were so jammed you could hardly walk 
through them---at 8:30 the lights went out and you couldn't 
buy a drink in town any place except at the club. It's late 
and the boys in the room where I am typing are leaving 
for the front at 4 A.M. so I can't keep them awake any 
longer. I think of you constantly, my sweet. I haul out your 
pictures everywhere on the slightest pretext to show you off. 
Goodnight. All my love.

JOE 

12. 

May 12 

Dearest,

Since last writing I have been out of town a couple of 
days helping to organize an Anglo-American artillery bat-
tery---our first, by the way. There are a swell bunch of guys 
in it and we expect a lot from them. Work of organizing 
the school takes up quite a bit of time; tomorrow we are 
making our last selection of students and by the end of the

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