Norwich bulletin., 1918-12-07
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
Relgians Enjoy Home Life Aaain.

Reigians Enjoy Home Life Again.
 Truman H. Woodward. of the 1ssrd Trena< Mortar Battery. son of Rev. w D. Woodward. formerly pastor Of the Firsts M. E. church at Norwich Town, has written the following let ter from the front in Belgium:
 November 4, 1918.
 Dear Folks: It is in most comfort able quarters that I write you this let ter tonight. A candle burns in the center of the large kitchen table. At my back < a cheery fire in the stove at which the good Belgian lady is preparing coffee for my two comrades and me On the furthe. side of the table a little Belgian boy and girl are looking at picture postal cards, am other smalil.d is asleep with his head on the table at my left. And "Sm1thy" and "Scotty' are writing letters at my right.
 This is how it all came about. Said I."Smithy, and "Scotty" to Woody" Let's go for g walk" We went. Said 'sWocdy' to 'FSmfthy' snd "Scotty,' There's 8 stove and g. tea kettle and a woman l can see in that house. Let's go in and ask for some coffee" We went in. Surely the good lady would be glad to make us some coffee. Or so she said, and before long we drank two cups apiece. But the coffee was really chicory. and the sugar had come from the American Relief As sociation X little more ''parlez- -vous- ing" and we arranged to return this | evening, bring our own coffee, our own sugar, and. as turned out later. our own milk.
 We who have followed fast on the 1 heels of the retreating tSerrnans have 1 seen much of Belgium. Almost every l thing which the natives owned was taen to the Vaterland That is, if 1 the kaiser's hoFdes could use it. The BelgianS can hardly understand us | Americans who insist on paying even for the cooking Of our own coffee. The | Huns just helped themselves. Even 1 now it seems Qdd to see the little chill 1ren and old women salute US as we pass by. They do this because they 1 are used to E~-Sipg obeisance to. sol l diers, having been made to fear the Teutons.
 She who is cooking our coffee hid her two small boys in an attic closet when the Germans evacuated the town
 and titus they were not taken from her. She states that there was g
 
 lian was caught with as much as z
 half pound os meat in his possession
 Even to possess milk incurred thous.
 and mark fine ard liability Of impris
 onment. When the Huns finally with
 drew, they took all the tablecioths. bu | reau covers, and all the clothes of tht people, young and old, except thos they wore. The Germans had raiset poor wheat. Americ 4n Relief socie
 ties haGSsent the Belgians good wheat This the Gerbans for the most part ! kept, giving the Belgians their owl : peer wheat.
 , Yet we Americans have fared wei in Belgium. For two days we wer
 billeted cosy as could be with a Bel [. gia1 peasant woman who had thre
 cows still which the Germans in thei , haste ad overlooked. Then we feast I ed on milk, butter, and cheese as " i, had not for many a day. .T:elgiun is . beautiful country with it's red tile root and it's wide, green fields. How gla ; We were to leave "No Man; Land' be |, hind. All is level, fertile iand no, t where turnips grow more abundant
 than n almost any other land. n think the Beigians have lived on DC n tatoes and turnips for the last fou f years, they have so many. But or V coffee is ady now-anI enough fe d Madame and her family, too. So a will close arg learn little nor q Feneh and German from one who ca d speak both. yet prefers aieither.. D,
 rather her own good Flemish tongu el Avec plus qu'un peu d'arinour. : TRUMAN