Letter #40

My dearest belove’d,

It’s bright and early Sunday morning, 8:30 now, and I’m down at the office, the job of being in charge of an empty office having been wished on me for this morning. Simply the idea of having a commissioned officer here in case anything very important comes up. I rather regretted it because I had planned to go to church – I have been away from church as a possibility for the past 4 weeks and wanted to go this A.M. But duty always comes first. However I’ll have a good chance for a nice chat with my best belove’d snooksie & her baby and that is certainly sufficient recompense for having to be here in the office instead of at home or chez moi as the French call it. Yes I have a home now for I have gone into the appartment with Bill Hoffman, Alvin Graham (also of Columbia & K.F.) and a Lieut. Philip Baremeister of N.Y.C., a Columbia boy, friend of Graham’s & a 2 nd L. in the I. M. Corps, & another very nice fellow named O’Neill also in I. M. C. but a 1 st Lieut. Both of those boys have been over more than 6 mos. We have a very comfortable appartment 1 nicely furnished living room or parlor, a dining room, a small kitchenette, a bath room & four bedrooms. (Bill H. & I share the largest bedroom.) It is on the fifth floor of an apartment house 11 Rue Montaigne, about a block & a half off the Champs Elysee’s at Rond Point & only about 5 minutes walk from the office – which is at 45 Ave. Montaigne, on the other side of the Champs E. I mention all these details thinking you might happen across a plan de Paris & be interested in knowing where Bobby is living. It is very nice, all five of us are entirely congenial, and its much more satisfactory than a hotel or single room of a [ ] – its more homelike, & of course cheaper. We have a middle aged woman who comes about 6:45 A.M. to get our breakfast & then cleans up the apartment for a few hours each morning. The other two meals we get where we happen to be, altho there is generally 2 or 3 of us together at the Army & Navy officers’ club. Of course its expensive, all living in Paris is, but I’m trying to get thru all right on my salary, plus the commutation of quarters of $30.00, and minus the $60.00 per mo. that I have allotted to you & sonnybuns. It’s a hardship for anybody under a Captain’s salary to be assigned to Paris for duty – not quite as bad as Washington, but pretty bad for prices.

As for mail address Lt. R.E.M. U.S. Air Service, A.P.O. 702 (seven oh two) American Exped. Force is the quickest way of reaching me now. Don’t put Paris and A.P.O. 702 use one or the other (preferably the A.P.O. 702) but never use both on the same letter. As for via N.Y.C. it does’nt matter a great deal – if Lancaster P.O. recommends it & it helps them – well & good, otherwise I believe it’s superfluous.

Last night I had my first gay night in Paree. Bill H., Bob Beindorff (a Lieut from Omaha whom I met coming over) and myself went to the Folies Bergere. Very much similar to the N.Y. Follies of 1918 only with the extra lobby features on a bigger scale. And everybody seems to be at the Folies Bergere Saturday Evenings. One sees officers & men from every Allied country there. Of course all but the uninitiated purchase Promenoir tickets at 3 francs, which means that you walk all about in the rear of the orchestra seats. The aforesaid uninitiated buy regular seats at around 10 francs. Frequently the audience or a part of it is as funny as the show. A Scotch kiltie & an Australian 1 st Lieut. who had imbibed a trifle too freely were a scream. The Scotchman whistled very well & insisted on accompanying with his very loud whistle most of the musical numbers. The Australian was all for going around & interviewing the various Allied officers present & congratulating them all on their nationality – (Each was also to have a drink with him) – and on the brilliant part his particular country was playing in the cause. “C’Est le permissionaire.”

There was one French commedienne who is one of the best actresses I have ever seen. She has quite a standing. I don’t imagine that I shall go very soon again, altho they change the show frequently. But for one to have been in Paris & not to have seen the Folies Bergere – well it’s quite an integral part of Paris. Needless to say it is frequented by many fast women – it is of course quite some speedy place – but that too is Parisienne.

The other evening I felt rather low so I took a very long walk away out into the Bois de Boulogne wih a friend of mine, plus Bill Hoffman’s beautiful big Alsace Bergere Chiene – Mira – a recent acquisition & she sure is a beautiful dog. Sort of a german police dog, avant la guerre, now called Alsatian Shephard dog. It was Friday evening, the moon absolutely perfect, and I have seldom seen its beautiful reflections in a prettier setting than in the charming little lakes & among the trees of that very, very beautiful park. I just felt as if I could & would like to walk & enjoy it all night. When I returned home I looked at a map of our route – I’m confident I walked 8 or 10 miles. I generally try to get in a nice walk in the evening, and that with the lot of walking I have to do during the day in connection with my job helps to keep me in good shape. It has been very cool here the past few days – whether the summer is all over now or not I do not know.

Darlin lamb I did’nt altogether forget September 6 th and 7 th not to mention our other family anniversary September 2 nd altho I must frankly admit I forgot it on the particular day. Anniversaries seem to come pretty frequently and occasionally one slips up on his remembering them. But I never forget the the 6 th for a very long time – it means so very much to me, my darling wife.

And I especially think of it and of you and of darling little Charles today because Sunday was meant for a family in the home day. And I am so anxious to get some more photos of darling little Charles & his sweetest of Mothers – if only the mail would speed up a bit once it gets on this side of the pond.

Darling I know you are with me in thought and spirit this morning and it helps me a lot. – Would to heaven we could be together & have our boy with us this glorious day. But all that will come in time. And meanwhile – well my prayers for you two love’d ones always. Devotedly,

Bobby

O.K.

Robert E Miller

2 nd Lieut

Air Service