The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-05-18

no chance OF changing, even y IN"
clothes were al hand. Indeed, II
often takes whole day OF rest FOR
a rnsn to take his clothes Of. and he
must ask his comrades TO beat him
ai,h sticks or pour warm WAGER
aoout his neck 10 soften the plaster
garment that cements itself 10 the
tkin.
But why not LEI the men get out
OF the trenches every Few hours and
70 behind the lines Because this
business Of going back is dangerous.
Il can be done only az night. The
ofscers who inspect US mus, crawl
&C. US at night on their very stom-
rcbs, TO escape the enemy sharp
shooters. One OF the reasons. per
hans. that we hate the Germans Ia
because they started this trench
fighting after their great retreat OF
the Marne last year.
when the night does some. now
ever. when We are 10 creap back
end leave fresh soldiers IN our
RACES. those Of us remaining are so
vet and miserable We are glad TO
take the chance 10 crawl back Gen
orally. behind the lines We sleep
in tents, on straw-coVeTed oarn
aoors-a bed would be paradise
Yet nv company section did have
cir days of such paradise At Vile
neuve. ST. German, near Scissors
Our trenches were on the Aisne TO
the east OF scissors so, instead OF
| sending US lack behind the heights
| some ten miles, we were ordered 10
lest up az this valley village. Curl
| olsly enough. while the fighting be
tween the heavy artillery had been
guing on for a whole month across
this valley, not once had a shell
| struck the village in the valley. Yet
We termed IL the Valley or Death,
! because o. the awful damage that
hie been doae there cartier Giant
tees had been cut down by shell,
handsome steel railway bridge was
J torn apart. and bioated horses float
a nv the hundreds in the river
I causht against the trailing pieces
CT he steel bridge. Useful fac
I .orics were blown up. And always
on ,re horizon. on the hills ABOVE
,veIc tho smoking ruins OF homes
= IL always doomed the cannon
tcross he valley.
We lodged ourselves in the
chateau OF the Countess de Ia
Rouchefoucsult. ruined by the Ger
mans in their retreat. What sight
The beautiful house. pillage-l. the
Roof broken in by shells, the rooms
Uttered with plaster. the costly fur
niture topsy-turvy. paintings smear
ed cr cut out OF their frames, brok
en- porce!aia and croekery every
/ where. rare lace curtain torn and
full OF bullet holes.
We ate tui lrst meal II tie I'm
raonse dinnins room with It's oaker
chimney decorations spreadini
across the whole Of the wall; wt
planted our achins mud-soaked fee
under a Louis Quinze table, thu
dishes rafting on the table az We
ate for the cannon always, always
doomed.
/ Then we scattered 10 sleep.
found a luxurious feather bed. al
curtained In after the old-tim'
fashion, and slept the day out.
awoke 70 the sound OF falling win
dow glass. The cannon were still
booming, huge shells were fearini
Through the air. passing each othe
few yards over my head.
Ny company section spent severa
delicious days in the chateau Il
|, this fashion, we setting things .
right here and there. as Frenchmel
cannot help doing. though We kne'
, some day or other q she'll woul
light In the place and tear Il I
pieces.
Finally came the night OF d.
I parture. when we must return Z
our holes IN the ground. When Ia
oil was called. one man was miss
ing. We searched the house for hir
md found him dead in his bed. "
had shot himself and left a scraN
OF a letter TO Justify his act:
Forgive me. comrades, but
couldn't bear 10 go back hav
not one &c live for. so VIII sure
longer?"
We reported him killed in battle