The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-10-12
LETTER FROM FRANCE.
Wants to Match His Skill With the
KaiSer'S MiniOnS.

Mr. E. D. Andrews, formerly OF
Oswego, now assistant surgeon at a
Z. S. n. air station in France, has
! written to a friend in Charleston. Mr.
| Andrews is graduate of the Medi-
cal College of South Carolina and has
many friends in this city, who will
be delighted to hear of him:
U. S. N. Station,
France, 9-14-18.
ct still have before me your mucn
appreciated letters Of PILLS. I am
truly ashamed of my not having writ
ten you many times in these past
| months, but I have been very busy
most of the time, OR there have been
circumstances which have kept me
from writing. All of my own folks
think I have forgotten them, or that
I have lost my arms or something and
can't write Nothing whatever has
happened to me, however, and am
lust as well as I was when I saw
You last.
II am not up near the firing line, l
am sorry to say, and I don't go out TO
fight battles in the air. Compared to
the wonderful action up on the west
tern front this life Of mine seems
awfully tame here, but someone has
to stay in the posts back here, sup
pose.
"I met up with number Of friends
had in Charleston since came over
here. It is wonderful to see the action
and movement all around; you just
seem like a little gnat among all tn"
insects Of the globe. 1t is even pos
sible that you yourself will be here
in France fighting the battle for free
dom before another year this time.
Everyone is having to make grea'
sacrifices, but it is better so than Toe
your children and mine to fight 1t Out
when we are classed as feebles and
can only sit in the easy chair in the
chimney corner and chirp excuses as
to why we didn't fight it out, when
German imperialism slapped us IN
the face in these years Of our youth.
It is e. wonderful pleasure to know
how everyone is doing their bit both
here and back in the States. lt is q
good feeling when you know all the
good people in the world are backing
you in fight.
''I have been in this location some
where on the coast Of France, for al
most six months now. I was IN Parls
a long time, and several times the
Bosche came and dropped his pellets
of high explosive, in order to scare
the women and children, but ne mao
lust as we'll let his afrmen sit over
in Germany and warm their toes al
the fire. It is funny how you can gel
accustomed to most anything, ano
how vou can let few bombs drop
right around you and still think moth
ing of it. I suppose that is why We
all like to gamble in some form, be-
cause we like the sport of taking
chance.
"The madamoselles Of this country
are2O. K. They don't take life so
seriously as our American girls. You
don't have to hunt around for some
one to introduce you; the mere fact
that you are an .Amerikain' will per-
NIT you to parle vous. I generally
spend the evenings at the villages
and the city around here, and am
little by little learning to speak q
little French. You don't have any
trouble in getting all you want, and
these girls will love you if you just
let them. Lots of Americans are get
ting their wives over here, and you
never can tell, may bring me back
a French lassie yet. ~
1--WE have good roads all over the
country, and we have Fords and
Cadillaes and trucks. Everything
over here looks like it was built in
Caesars time, and lots Of it was. The
people themselves. the children even,
with their wooden shoes and quaint
dress and rosy cheeks, the mud-orlcK
houses, all point to antiquity Inc
other day 1 was in an old chateau
which was built in the time of Cae-
sar. There were still the dark dun
geons down under the ground. where
water was continually dropping, drop
by drop; there were the thumb
screws and other instruments OF tor
ture OF the Spanish inquisition. When
YOU emerge again into the sunlight
YOU feel as if you have been under q
magic spell and taken back on a
journey into the dark ages, and have
emerged again into the twentieth
century. Time itself must have to
stop and think to remember when IT
all began.
81 have seen enough of this coun-
try and have learned enough OF
them all in the world to know that
we really and truly do live in God's
land, and you will learn this, too, IL
YOU ever leave it. It is alright TO go
out on crusade for right, or for a
little trip of exploration just to see
how other folks live, but as for
place to live in, give me the land OF
liberty or give me DEATH Of course
wouldn't under any circumstances
care to leave here until we have gone
all the way to Berlin, and the nearer
the front 1 can get the better l VIII
like it. In fact, there is not a man
behind the lines but what would wei.
come chance to go right up anc
match his skill and strength with the