The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-12-12

Paris.-To read the gay notes OF
some Of the officers who live" in the
trenches one would find 1t hard to
believe that 1t is a stern war in which
they are engaged.
A French sub-lieutenant, writes:
I'VE dig comfortable classmates and
line them with straw, and remain
there for three, four or five days,
firing at the German lines now and
then, and the rest Of the time sleep
ing, eating, playing cards, watching
the enemy's shells falling or the flight
Of the aeroplanes Each battery soon
becomes a little village. Ours-l speak
only of the firing party, not the sup
ply column-counts so inhabitants,
living in Is huts. 1t is sort OF per-
petual July 14-rockets by day and
fireworks by night. At last we don't
hear the explosions, except by DELHI
erately listening.
Such is the battle of Flanders as
we artillerymen see it; in the day, a
village of cave jewellers behind a bank
of willows, with intervals Of firing;
at night, a sleep broken by occasional
alarms.
During the last two or three weeks
our men have considerably enriched
their larder by adding to it hares,
rabbits and pheasants. The poor
birds, which are very plentiful here,
maddened by the sound of battle, are
chased and easily beaten down. Some
days our battery has had in stock 100
hares, so rabbits and score of pleas
ants"
Another French soldier shows that
his countrymen have learned the les
son of trench warfare and can now
teach their teachers something. He
writes:
All the Comforts.
I'm really up-to-date intrenchments
you may find kitchens, dining rooms,
bedrooms and even stables. One regi.
ment has first-class COW sheds. One
day a whimsical piou-piou, finding a
COW wandering about in the danger
zone, had the bright idea of finding
shelter for it in the trenches. The ex.
ample was quickly followed. and at
this moment the - infantry possess
an underground farm, in which fat
kline, well cared for, give such quaint
ties of milk that regular distributions
of butter are being made-and very
good butter, tool"
Another young officer tells how the
enemy is quite near, just over a hill
but between fights there occur Ger
tain odd but characteristic conven
tons"
"A hare runs out between the
trenches" he says. 1T is greeted
with rival volleys. 1t falls. A French
man jumps up to get it. The Prus
SLAMS wave a white handkerchief ant
cry 'Tabac. Tabac!' which means tha
II we give them some tobacco the,
will let us have the hare. So our mer
club together, and one of them goe.
and gets the hare, leaving in place o.
II big packet of tobacco. Scarcely
has he got back to the trench ere
'Bosche' quietly goes for the ransom
Then silence falls on the scene, ant
five minutes afterward, If a head 1!
shown, there is blaze of firing"
But the merry French soldier mus
have his little joke. When everybod,
is feeling bored to death. waiting, wait
ing for something to happen, he pick!
up an officers cap which has beer
left in a corner of the trench ant
raises it on a stock just above thu
level of the ground. Immediately 4
is the signal for the German marks
men, each firing in turn, not by vol
ley. A ball strikes the cap. At ono,
spade is waved above the trench
like flash at rifle butts, signifyin,
hit, and everybody laughs joyfully
Games Of "Money Boxes"
There are more useful games thar
this, especially the game money
boxes"
This is the name the French infan