Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-12-26

visit in Paris. before returning to his
duties at the British clearing station
for wounded near the front line OF
operations somewhere in France.
has been formally adopted as the Cod
son OF Partisan ieweler and his wife.
In his latest letter Doctor Petit tells
interestingly OF his visit to the great
French capital:
He says:
December 2, 1917.
Dear Father:
II has been sometime since have
written to you; at least il seems
so to me- but many interesting
things have happened since | last
wrote and perhaps ii seems longer
than il really is. II has been al.
most month since ! have heard
from you. but had letter from
mother about ten days past. | have
been to Paris. | asked for five days
leave. II came thru at six in the
evening | changed my clothes,
packed my grip, got out an ambu'
lance and caught a train seven
miles away at seven. Believe me.
! hurried some. but in view of the
fact that there was only one train
day there was some inducement
10 hurry.
On the train | met man who
was on the train when ! first came
mp from the base and when ! got
of at the station in Paris after
fourteen hours journey an officer
in English uniform spoke to me
II was Il fellow had known in Bos
ton three years ago and who has
been over here in the British hos
pltnl two years It's truly a small
world
We went 10 a hotel together thru
the busy streets carriage wiiii
shouting "Cochers," hurry pedcs.
TRANS, taxs footing their horns,
and street cars changing their bells.
II seemed good to be getting hack
to civilization and big city.
This is not the Paris that you
knew. The gay, carefree, pleasure.
loving center Of fashion but ser.
minded. energetic place of bust
ness-much the same atmosphere
as Chicago. don't mean to say
that the .ne0ple "a around with lang
faces and have forgotten how u
laugh but what | do mean il that
Paris Is up against a still proposi'
ton and is meeting 1t in a business
like way, has dropped lot OF The
frills and gotten down to busines,
without making any fuss about It.
don't see how any of them can
laugh at all when you consider that
there Is hardly a home in Franc
that hasn't been hit hard; the nNn.-
her of women doing mems work
and the number of women on The
streets wearing mourning can't
help but attracts ones attention,
And the number of Americans
here-the streets are full OF Amerl
can officers and men and Paris has
welcomed them with open arms
the saviors of the country, so they
think and am sure that when the
time comes, we VIII give them q
good account of ourselves as ar
army and not disappoint them
Just to show you how much these
people think Of the Americans LEI
me tell you my own experience
When | was at the base this sum
mer | met some people from Paris
who were down at the seashore FOL
the summer. They have a jewe'r'
store near the Place derOpera aat
stopped in TO see them. The'
were delighted to see me and noth
ing would do but that must coliu
out to their house for dinner ahC
stay all night as they live in a sub
urb out near Versailles, a beau, "
place. much like Highland Park
They then asked me II ! would b.
their "flleul" or aodson (Which
was very glad to do), and 1t mean
that | had to send to the hotel yc
my things and stay with them ~
the time was there. and am :
make their house my home wIef
ever ! come to Paris. This ir1'
people who have two sons altead
In the army. one killed and 'ourI
seventeen years old--lcavc "a
the artillery school at Fnl'lI
bleu in two months. And THIS
not uncommon.
Coming IN on the train Il nan
the railway train who used to liz
in Wisconsin and has been the rel
resentative of an American conIcr
in Paris for twenty years, wanl'
me to put him in touch with som
boy in the American army in OH.
that he might do the same thin
Could you put me In touch wit
somebody from home that is ov'
here?
In the shop windows are Amer
can flags American flags are to
seen on the tops of many OF Il
public buildings and in the the
ters "Dixieland" or some 9th
American song sung by girl in ;
Uncle Sam costume always brin
down the house.