The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1915-01-07
MAKE TRENCH LIFE GAY
WITH ALL COMFORTS OF HOME"
Letters From the Front Tell Of Supply OF Milk and Butter From
underground Farm" Of Hot SOwer Baths Of Hadressng
Saloon Concerts and Va devNe = larder Stored
With Hares, Rabbits and Pheasants.

Paris.--To read the gay notes OF
some OF the officers who live" In tho
trenches one would find II hard TO
believe that II is a stern war In which
they are engaged
A French sublleutenant, writes;
I'VE dig comfortable casemates and
line them with straw. and remain
there for three. four or Ave 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 little village. Ours-l speak
only of the firing party. not the sup
ply column-counts 90 Inhabitants,
living In Is huts. II Is a sort OF per
petual July 14--rockets by day and
fireworks by night. At last we don't
hear the explosions. except by delib
erately listening.
Such is the battle OF Flanders az
we artillerymen see It; in the day. n
village of cave dwellers behind bank
OF willows. with intervals OF firing;
at night, sleep broken by occasional
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, 90 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.
"In 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 pior-piou finding a
COW wandering about In the danger
zone. had the bright idea of finding
shelter for II 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 Quanti-
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 hill.
but between fights there occur Ger
tain odd but characteristic conven.
tions."
"a hare runs out between the
trenches" he says. 1T is greeted
with rival volleys II falls A French.
man jumps up to get IT, The Prus.
SLAMS wave white handkerchief and
cry 'Tabac! Tabacl' which means that
II we give them. some tobacco they
win let us have the hare. So our men
club together, and one OF them goes
and gets the hare, leaving In place Of
II big packet OF tobacco Scarcely
has he got back to the trench ere a
'Bosche' quietly goes for the ransom
Then silence falls on the scene, and
five minutes afterward, II a head IL
shown, there is blaze OF firing"
But the merry French soldier must
have his little Joke. When everybody
is feeling bored to death waiting, wait
ing for something to happen, he picks
up an officers cap which has been
left in corner OF the trench and
raises It on a stock Just above the
level of the ground Immediately II
is the signal for the German marks.
men. each firing in turn. not by vol
ley A ball strikes the cap. At once
spade is waved above the trench.
like fash at a rifle butts. signifying
hit. and everybody laughs joyfully
Games Of money Boxes"
There are more useful games than
this, especially the game "ressey
boxes"
This is the name the French infan.