Saturday, Aug 17th 1918. We were inspected by the Lieutenant this morning Had to have our tent spick and span, cots made up in apple pie order, and all our clothes & mess kits laid out on the cots. Our tent was the cleanest on the street. We had a little drill after inspection then were dismissed until Monday. We cant leave the quarantine camp however but have been putting in the time washing our clothes etc. It sure was a new one to see the usually dolled up Ensign Herrick washing his own clothes in a common bucket and actually grinning over the job as though he enjoyed it He’s a lot better fellow than I thought. (4) 4:30 P.M. Just returned from the Post Office. I was the only one to receive anything (In our tent.) and I got what I’ve been looking for:--a letter from my dear mother It wasn’t a long letter; Mother doesn’t write them, but it sure made me feel fine and cheered me up a lot, to hear from home Herrick and Paulsen think their wives must have forgotten them, Norseth and Bramwell wrote to their “lady friends” on the trip out and Sunday after we got there, but my mother beat them all to it when it came to answering. My “friends” waited till Tuesday before I started writing them, but I’ve been writing two or three