Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-12-11
OUR BOYS
- Write from
OVER THERE.
Nov. LIST. In France. 19l1.

MIS-. - Ills Is All AoaAANA
day in France and SO they gave US
day to rest. l have been writing all
day long. How are all the folks IN
Windsor, same as usual? Are they
, having any Grange now. About all
can do is ask questions. as they censor
all the mail that goes out.
We arrived here safely and are all
feeling we'll, although it's a little cold
and wet. This is the first pleasant day
we have had for a week, it has ralned
the rest Of the time and one night IT
showed. l am lying on my blanket
writing; don't know as you can read 1t.
l got eight letters last night, the first
mail l have received since l came
across, over a month. We left West
field the Goth of Sept. and this is the
LIST Of November, and believe me l was
glad to hear from the folks at home.
We are learning lots more about the
war over here than we would ever
learn in United States and | will have
lad a great experience "ha1 it is al!
over. ! do not regret joining the
United States Army one little bit.
Although it may seem hard to fell
low at times it isn't 50 bad when it's
over and he is glad he had to 90
through it. 1t doesn't hurt YOU and
it's a great experience-but say, |
would like to have a piece of Mas APP
pie pie; that's between you and me.
Maybe you would like to hear some
thing Of the place where | am stay
ing. | will tell you all | can and keep
within bounds. AS near as | can find
ont of fha history pf this pl1Pe was
here 100 b. c. and Caesar used this
road for his army when he attacked
the tribes in Germany. So Il. {. There
are high walls around a lot of the
houses that were used to keep out the
wild beasts years ago. Is is about the
size of Weeks Mills-perhaps a little
larger. The houses are made of stone.
and the people wear wooden shoes and
old clothes week days. You would
think they didn't know what good
clothes were, but Sundays YOU ought
to see them blossom forth in all Their
glory-shoes like our young ladies
wear and fully as we'll dressed if not
better. Glass | tell you, And they all
go to church, in fact that's the only
place they can go. The streets are
muddy and dirty, but the houses are
as clean and floors as white as wax.
Before going into the house they take
off their wooden shoes and just wear a
kind of felt slipper they use inside of
the shoe.
All Saints day over here is like our
Memorial day at home. They deco
rate the graves of the soldiers who
have been killed in the war or wars.
They keep their grave yards looking
very nice. Some one is working in them
all the time Week days we see the wo-
men working in the field harvesting
the crops and the other day ! saw four
women threshing grain with a thrash
ing machine, one woman fed down the
oats. another put it in the bcater and
another shocked the straw or tied it in
bundles and slowed it way They
used two horses in a tread mill for
! power. 1t made me ashamed Of my
self to stand there watching them do a
mans work, SO ! kept on to dinner.
| The people so years old or so are as
smart as some Of our people at 50. and
seem hearty and well.
| We have Y. NJ. {. A. hut here with
a piano and reading and a place to
write, and we get along as well as
could be expected under the circun-
stances.
The food stuffs here are very high, a
small can of tomatoes about the size
OF a half pint dipper costs 40 cents.
loaf of bread % cents, and bar of
chocolate 80 cents or one franc, and
IS centums i'll French. one franc
equals 20 of our cents, and ii takes five
centums to make a cent,
| My address:
| Harry w Binkhan