Letters from a Soldier

Section 2

August 2, 1918
My Dearest Mary,
I have had two letters from you since I wrote last. Two letters in two days is not at all bad, is it? I only hope that they keep coming in so well. These letters were dated June 18 and June 27 and both were dandy good ones, too. If you can enjoy some of my poor attempts at letters half as much as I enjoy yours, I can feel sure I have accomplished something toward letting you know that you are the one little girl for me. The more I think of what you really mean to me, the more do I want to come back to you and make you the happiest girl ever. But if something happens that I cannot come back, I know that I will be happy just to know that I have your love so, dearest, we will just live in hopes and wait to see what the next year or years will bring for us.
I took that little excursion to the ruins of an old castle that I told you of and, I say, it was worthwhile although it was indeed just ruins that I saw. The castle is on the top of a hill that, through some freak of nature, stands alone in the valley. There is only one side of the hill that is at all able to be climbed. There is a path up this side and, although it gets pretty steep in places, it is not at all hard to get to the top that way. Just as it looks as though the path had come to an end against a cliff and a pile of rocks, a flight of stone steps attracts your attention and, as there is no other way to go on, of course that is the way to go. These steps are just wide enough for one man at a time and take you to a level space about fifteen feet higher than the path. This stairway leads you directly into a tunnel cut from solid rock and it must be a hundred and fifty feet long. About halfway down, or rather up, as the tunnel is upgrade its whole length, there is a large opening on the left side large enough for a man on horseback to enter and from this opening to the other end, the ceiling is higher, too. So I presume that is where the knights of old used to ride into the courtyard.
On coming out of the tunnel, there is nothing especially to be noticed but, on going to the right or left to the edge of the cliff, you will find there is no natural cliff but a wall built on the cliff's edge. Some of the old turrets or the bases of them are standing just enough so you can tell what they might have been at one time. Further on there are ruins of walls, undoubtedly the castle proper as there are pieces of tile roofing sheets on the ground.
The whole hill is now covered with a thick growth of trees and underbrush and it is difficult to get over the ground but, from the edge of the wall, the view of the valley is magnificent and the owner of this place must have had a real stronghold. It must be eight hundred feet down to the valley below and how the place was ever built with the means they had in those days is indeed wonderful. The whole hilltop must have an area of almost two acres but I don't suppose it was all covered by building as indeed the ruins do not show that it was. We used to study all those old places but to see one yourself and to realize what took place there in the days when Europe was alive with knights gives one an entirely different feeling and realization of history. One of these days I hope to see an old castle in a little better state of repair than that one is. I am afraid the old boy that used to live there would scarcely be able to recognize his old home now.
The band is playing down in the churchyard and it rather reminds me of some of the concerts we have heard together and I believe it also makes the other boys think of home for Shoey reminded me of the time that they used to hold the concerts on the courthouse lawn. Don't you know those days were so different from these that I often wonder if they really did take place or was it all sort of a fairyland. Peace will be so welcome to these boys here and the world that, when we get this job of war done right, I think that the greatest protests against the possibility of anything like this happening again will come from the boys who were there and realize what war is.
I have seen very little yet as to what has taken place, but I have seen enough to make me rather firm in my convictions regarding such an unnatural state of affairs as a war.
Well, little girl, it is getting a little dark for writing so I will close for this time. Remember that you will always be the only little girl for me, for you are the dearest girl in the world.
With sincerest love, Your own Lloyd