Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-11-29

suppose you have read of the
drive the French made on the
Aisne front, Tuesday of this week.
Nothing could stop them-took
$500 prisoners and coolies of
loot, some of it being about %
big guns. You cannot imagine
the effect the sight of the Amer
lean soldiers has upon the French
soldiers. I've been out walking
land met soldiers nearly exhausted
from march under full equip
mcnt (and believe me, the French
pack weighs over 100 lbs.) and
after going through several thou
sand gestures apiece, would make
them understand that Uncle Sam
would have several hundred
thousand men in France by
spring, their step would be light
er and their faces brighter. God!
but they are sick of it. You who
have never seen it say war is
hell and don't know what you
mean at ALL One could read all
the papers and books printed and
then forget it, because you would
never be able to realize what it
was about, but these brave-heart
ed people will never be able to
forget and our soldiers over here
won't either.
The papers often mention
composers, artists, singers, etc,
who enlist, and people say, ooh,
we'll, those fellows never get near
any danger Let me tell you they
DO. In Camp Borden. England,
one OF the gas instructors (only
Il corporal, by the way was the
principal tenor i'm ST. Paul's ca
lhcdral i'm London. Another case,
Just sixty feet from me i'm the
barracks, used by the y. Nj. G.. A..
Il frcnchman is playing tho vio-
| lin. and il a man could ever play
one he can. lie has an old. rich,
full toned instrument. and I'm al
most ready to believe i'm rencar-
nation, for it surely has IA soul.
His pianist is exceptionally clever
also. They play nothing but
classical music. | hope they stay
as long as we do.
think | wrote you about our
visit from Gouvenor Morris. the
thor, Representative McCor-
mick, and reporter and short
story write, whose mother owns
lac Chicago Herald. think.
| The y. Nj. C.. A. got i'm some
American cigarettes the other day
but moi enough to last any time.
They We're nearly all gone this p.
IN. j. +. -Gorman, president of
he Rock Island, gave Irene $40
| TO buy cigarettes to send Fred and
Mill Giorman. She wrote Fred to
see that ! got my share, and be-
lirYc me. do. Fred is getting so
he likes HE French tobacco bet
Ter than American, but Will and
, don't, so we manage to keep the
supply below par most of the
time.
was in Vrrdun while it was
being shrlled; we have been
bombed, too.
ri YOU send amy parcels it
wouldn't hurt to insure them, as
that is more conducive to safe
transportation.
II commenced raining the Bird
/ of his month and has rained on
an average 25 hours out OF every
~. No one thinks anything of
stepping into mud over their
shoe tops. fear my pllltces
/ never will take shine again.
They are hitting the German
line pretty hard now. When two
i of those big guns go off at the
same time il jars us. 1t seems
odd to listen to that and music at
The same time.
darcsay you have read that we
) are operating railroad. The
i men are doing fine, too, taking
into consideration the fact that
= he equipment and conditions are
p more or less Strange to them.
r I'm not making any Roadway in
i learning TO talk French as I'm not
q around them enough. You see
q most OF them left after we took
The road over.
y a German plane was brought
down by l'renchman last week
n and the fellows who went over
n where he fell goi some dandy
/. souvenirs. The driver was shot
o through the head and no doubt
was killed instantly, but the gun
= ncr was still living, though un-
ii conscious, when the plane struck
II he ground. He died before reach
/. ing the hospital.
r I'm getting more sleep now
a than | ever got, or ever expect tc
~ get again: usually hit the hay al
"a 80 at the latest and sleep unit
600 Don't get to work until s
a and have to quit early as ii grows
( dark so quickly. Am still at the
old 2amc-quarterm depart
a ment: was transferred to head