The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-03-02
DINING ON THE BATTLEFIELD
James H. Hare in Leslie's)

motor car and passed through Cler-
ment soon afterward. stopping for
few minutes to see the destruction
that the Germans perpetrated there.
in the early days of the war. burning
the houses of the inhabitants. I'm
like towns destroyed by shell fire,
where nothing but masses of bricks
and mortar lay in confused heaps,
here the burned walls stood as mute
monuments to the frightfulness of the
enemy.
We arrived at the headquarters of
a general commanding a division, and
after paying a call were about to
gan bombarding. The general sug
gested that we had better stay to
lunch but thanking him, we remarked
that we had taken the precaution to
bring some lunch with us. However.
he exercised his authority and we ac-
cepted his invitation. with a feeling
that he was solicitous for our safety.
We certainly were safer inside the
dugout. The room itself was made
up fsections of iron or steel. made
/ in the United States, corrugated to
/ give strength to it, IL comes in shape
of an arc of a circle and can be bolt
4 ed together on the plan of asection-
al bookcase These steel huts can be
4 placed in the open and filed in on
the outside with earth making them
I practically bombproof and warm.
Water cannot seep through, and. as
they can be painted inside they are
made very comfortable and slightly.
There were communicating rooms
, for the members of the generals
staff. for the official work private
apartments for the general. and a
dining rom with table accommoda-
ton for a dozen people or more. The
dining room measured three yards
across the wall were painted white,
a good-sized clock and a mirrow were
among the decorations. Electric
lights were suspended from the cell
ing, aud ilowers from Nice were in
a vase on the table. dinner of
several courses was served
wondered. as partook of the
sumntuous repast, whether it was the
generals regular mess. or whether he
had not spread" himself on our ac-
count But 1t would b chad taste to
ask your friend at home when he is
entertaining you whether that were
his usual mode of living. and | could
not see that ! would be justified i'm
doing so on this occasion.
But never for moment was the
business of fighting allowed to be in
terrupted, and reports were con.
stantly brought to the chief of staff
who had to hurry to the telephone.
usually advising the general of the
the table
II looks as though they were GO
ing to attack again." he remarked.
rather to my amusement. as had
not noticed that they had ceased at
all. Once a captain suggested that
he thought he would order less firing
! for a time and so conserve their
shells but this did not meet with
! the approval of the general. who re-
marked, "Oh. no. keep ON at the same
rate" which showed me very plainly
that he was keeping in close touch
with all the movements
After paying our adieux to our
host, we soon found ourselves on
splendid road. thirty feet wide which
has been built right through the for
est of Argonne. This in reace times.
would 'have been quite a formidable
undertaking but being constructed
during the war il is little short of
marvellous
We stopped a few moments al a
new cemetery that has been laid out
right in the midst of the lovely for.
est Gods Acre" it is reverently
called in England, but unfortunately
it comprises many acres here. and is
thcing filed gp anG oa
What tragedies and heartacnes are
hidden there, Some expensive
wreaths are to be seen. bearing such
dedications as ITO my husband" ITO
papa. ITO my sweetheart" One had
only few flowers with the words.
To an unknown French soldier"