C. A. Earle Rinker letter to his mother, Dec. 24, 1907, page 3

Now you ought to feel pretty good that you have sent me as much of a X mas gift as you did. Hope the kids at home all get remembered. Expect it will be a pretty slow Xmas all around. I know you are well stocked with grub though and that ought to be enough for any one Xmas. We will have a pretty good dinner too but we won't have chicken. Our meat will probably be Pork Chop or veal cutlet. Yes you will have to take care of my share of the apples. I can imagine just how those Old Never Fails taste. Am anxious to know how Mrs. Sheets comes out. I thought Jim told the officers that he shot himself. Everything is pretty quiet here & there is nothing to tell you about the soldiers. One thing I can tell you to. I was in one of the big saloons & gambling halls the other night and at every game in the hall Uncle Sam was represented in uniform. Guess most of the boys never had a chance to gamble before & they are taking advantage of it here. Guess every bloody one of them is a booze fighter> It is a fact about the gambling. At every one of their different games there was one or more soldiers playing. Well I don't know much to write this trip so will ring off and write