The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1917-09-27
COULD NOT MISS
WAR ADVENTURE.

William A. White and Henry Allen
are in France in charge of the Amer
lean Red Cross and the following
communication appeared in the
Wichita Beacon, Mr.. Aliens paper
by Mr.. White:
I Paris, France, August 24.-(By
Mail. Yesterday we sailed forth
to conquer Paris and l acted as
Henry's guide and every Individual
minute of the time was reminded of
other days. The first thing did af-
ter locating the Red Cross and get
ting ourselves located for police pur-
poses, was to hurry around to the Cite
du Ritero to see Hotel ct Pension
Tete! 1t is still there, and l located
the room we had eight years ago.
After that we had wild day. We
went thru the Garden of the Tuile-
ries, over to Napoleon's Tomb, back
to the Champs Elysee, around to the
Madellen, over to the American Ex-
press, down the Avenue de L'Opera
for half mile. / found the place
where you got your waist, but alas,
the store of the rooster dishest est
ferme; closed, busted and moved
away. presume the war has put
the dish business in bad. Then we
came to our rooms at the Ritz.
took nap and we went out for din
ner at the sidewalk cafe right up
from the Madellen as you turn in to
Opera Place to the American Ex-
press. We had no lunch; so we got
a splendid dinner for $3.50 each;
soup, fillet of sole delicious, roast
beef, spinach, cauliflower au gratin,
potatoes, bread and water-which
was the hardest thing to get on the
bill.
| Wednesday coming here from Bor-
deaux was the most beautiful ride
ever took. Italy is nothing compared
with it. 1t is thru the chateau coun-
try and exceedingly, picturesque, but
above everything, prosperous, effect
i've, thrifty, well-kept. At Bordeaux
we got an open-faced, Neopolitan
hack and drove over the town for an
hour, and l remembered Dickens
opening of either "Bleak House" or
"Little Dorrit," describing Bordeaux
where they were forever alloning and
marchoning; the quay is as he de-
scribes it. One hundred years have
not changed it. And the town also
seems to have slept for a century. l.
saw pawnshop from the hack that
would have tempted St. Anthony, but
| Henry didn't seem to care for pawn
shops, so we hurried on. If we go
back l shall hit it.
When we got to the Ritz, the
cheapest room was SIS day for the
two of us-two bedrooms and par
lor with all the splendor of a Louis
XVI drawing room. Henry took it,
but we are to move today into an
other part of the house-two rooms
and bath for SIS day each, and
that is not so bad, as things go here.
Food is plentiful, though high-New
York hotel prices pervail, but doubt
less in the poor restaurants food is
cheap, for it is displayed everywhere,
just as it always was. The women
on the street of the Faubourg st.
Honore still have their great push
wagons of carrots and vegetables and
fruit, and these things are fairly
cheap.
/ have not seen a soft collar since
| left the ship. Everyone wears
starched collars and shirts, except
the Americana
They say if we went to the front
we'd have'to get new Red Cross uni
forms and that the New York rigs
we purchased at $14 would not do.
So they took us to an English tailor
who stung us for 500 and we go
Monday for a fitting. Fancy-$100
for riding pants and coat and cap!
It makes me sick. But Henry is
keen for the transformation. We are
the only two Americans here without
uniforms and we are conspicuous.
But like to be conspicuous! / hate
to wear a uniform.
John Van Schaick, who taught in
the college twenty years ago, is here
in some high command in the Red
Cross. We are to dine with Major !
Murphy tonight, head of the Red
Cross, and John and wife tomorrow |
night. Mrs. j. P. Morgan's nephew
whom we met at dinner at her house
the last time we were in New York,
is in high command.
When we get our uniforms we'll /
go out to the front. Brand Whitlock,
to whom / sent word, is expecting us,
and we are looking forward to most !
interesting time. l go to the Ameri-
can embassy with White House let
ter now, so l must close.-W. A. w.