PRIVATE COTTLE MAY BE ON HIS WAY BACK
The following letter has been received by Mrs. James Knight of the Townsite from Private J.J. Cottle:
Dear friends- Just a few lines to you, for I guess the last time from across this side of the pond. I am down home spending a few days holiday before coming away. I go back to report next Saturday. I may have to hang around there for a few days, or I may have to hang on for a couple of weeks. But it really looks as though I am coming home this time, because I have been before the Q.M.G. and have handed in my pay book towards it so it really looks like business this time. Maybe by the time this reaches you I will be on my way across, if one of Fritz's big fish doesn't get me, but I am not losing any sleep over worrying over that part of it, then I will see dear old Vancouver Island once more.
How is the weather out there? Today here has been quite wintry. There was three or four inches of snow on the ground this morning, but it is pretty near all gone now, it has made it awful walking underfoot. I was out and done some shopping for mother this afternoon, but it is getting pretty hard to get anything now. I passed five butcher shops and they were all closed up because they had nothing to sell. Mother and I were talking about you this morning she was telling me about the railway men came with the deer head in that big case, she wondered what in the world was coming. She still had the case, she keeps the spuds in it. I guess you have lots of spuds this spring from your spud patch at Nanoose, because you wrote and told me about planting a big patch out there last summer. I don't think there will be any shortage of spuds over here this year like there was last year. I hope to thank you personally very soon for sending me the parcels while I was in France. I wrote the folks yesterday telling them about my coming home. I know they would tell you, but if you get this you can tell them in case my letter to them goes astray.
Hoping to see you soon.
I remain yours truly,
J.J. COTTLE.
