From: Emmental, Bessarabia
10 January 1912

At first I want to wish the editor much luck for the New Year and thousands of new readers. (*Editor: For that many thanks. – A big part, the biggest part of this correspondence we had to cross out because the correspondence was brimming with personal offenses. It is not possible to print something like that in our paper. As much as we like correspondence, we must refuse to print personal offenses and are hopeful that the esteemed correspondent will in the future only report about events of common interest, of which certainly there is no shortage around Emmental and the neighborhood.)

The weather here is, praise God, quite beautiful! The coldest days were in Reaumur, 0 to 12 degrees and we have lots of snow, so we have much use of the sleds. Some days ago, my godfather, Joh. [Johannes] Volk went to Bender, our district’s chief town, to fetch 200 rubles from the bank. With well-filled pockets he went to the restaurant for dinner. Apparently he drank one glass of wine too many, because when he went out to the yard he couldn’t find the entrance door again and had to spend the night in the yard; it was minus 3 degrees. Of course, he didn’t feel so good the next morning and stayed in bed for eight days. Never mind, Godfather, next time look more carefully at the door when you go out, so you will be able to find the right door again.

Greetings to the editor and the readers.

M. Gross