Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-08-29
CLARENCE c. BAILEY
WRITES ANOTHER
LETTER TO FOLKS
is WELL PLEASED WITH THE
SCENERY AND ARMY LIFE IN
FRANCE-GETS MAIL NOW
August 5, 1917.
Somewhere in France"

somewhere III France.
Dear ones at home:
Today is Sunday and it is 8:A5 a. m.
You are about having your best sleep
at home while / am writing this letter
as there is that much difference in
time. believe that we must have
turned the weather around with the
week and is quite chilly. We are
getting state papers now and they
seem to put the question that Ger
many is loosing ground, but you can't
believe all you read and very little
that you\ hear. / would ten times
rather be here in France than in Tex
as and | guess there are a lot of the
boys that will say the same thing.
Where are the Bedding boys located
now? / see by the papers that China
is in the game against Germany. At
ter while there will be great old
mixture over here in France. / won
der if the boys at home, that were
once our chums, ever think of us over
here if they are sorry that they did
not come along with the rest of US.
/ am glad that was among the first
men to land here, because the next
bunch may have lot more sea than
we did. We had enough to suit me.
What are they doing with the draft
army? To look at this country as
far as we have gone person would
not believe that France was at war
for / guess the places that we have
been in are as far along as they ever
were. We have q club house for the
enlisted men which is a pretty good
place to spend little of the spare
time. ] think everything agrees with
me here for / tell you don't believe
/ have lost pound since joined the
army. 1t is simply great. / have
some post cards and things / would
like to send home but cannot, but will
put them away and sometime maybe
you can see them. / would send you
my picture, but l can't We see plenty
of flying machines and plenty of 9TH
er strange things also. Say the army
is just like the Banner office, some
thing doing all the time, one thing
right after another. On Sunday we
clean up ourselves and clean the
quarters. have not seen many chick
ems here, but there are plenty of cat
tie and they sure do raise some nice
horses. get my mail now and have
heard from some of my old friends
and believe me the letters looked pref
ty good to me. can shut my eyes
and picture Judge Lapham and his
faithful dog going out of the office
door. have been on guard today
and | am some tired. We are going
on our second month of French life
and all the French i have learned is
| (we), which means "yes," and when
ever we say anything to one OF the
the boys, they will say 1--WE" A fell
| al
so many of US here. You may think
the same that did when / heard we
were coming here, that there were
some people over here that could talk
English, but | was badly fooled for
! they all talk French and do not know
any more about our language than we
| do of theirs. / don't care to talk the
/ lingo. / am having one of the finest
summer vacations that a person could
want, seeing the sights that every
person can't see. If you will come
over I'll send a flying machine and
/ bring you across and you can see
what | can't write about. / think
have travelled about seven thousand
miles since leaving Bedding and they
/ say that is nothing to what we will
| travel before we get through. II
was a pretty slick move when they
sent us here and | guess we all will
remember it as long as we live.
never saw time go so fast in my life
as it has in the last three and half
months. We had a pay day and
drew hundred and eighty-one francs
There are five francs to a dollar) Sc
you see we are well paid for what we
do. Give my regards to my friends
and if any of them want to write
sure will be glad to hear from them
/ will have to close as it is time for
retreat $500 call to go.
Ever your
Clarence.
| Co. III. 18th Infantry, American Elk