The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1918-02-21
RELATES SOME INTERESTING
EXPERIENCES "OVER THERE"

which we promptly cohnscdIeu
and made a brazier of it. Any
time we saw any loose wood or a
piece of coal along the track on
any of the many stops, we picked
it up and burned it IN our stove"
and persuaded ourselves it helped
to warm the car. The usual re-
suit, however, was to fill the car
with smoke and about choke us to
death, and then we would have to
open the doors to let it out and so
lose any heat that we might have
had. There was no room to lie
down to sleep, so we had to sleep
sitting up and huddled up close to
each other to help keep warm.
We couldn't get any warm
meals, but at some stations along
the route the French had hot cof-
fee for us, which was greatly ap-
preciated-when we got it. Our
car was one Of the last on the train
and usually. before the coffee
reached us, it was cold, and once
in a while failed to reach us at all,
the supply being exhausted before
it came to us. However, there is
an end to everything and, about
eleven o'clock on Christmas Eve,
we heard the call, Everybody
Ioutside - The train had stopped
apparently out in the country, but,
after stumbling along the track to
the head of the train, we discover
ed small station and back of it
a little village. Two of our COM
lpanies remained there, but our
company had the pleasure of a.
bout 2 IL miles hiking" over a
Isnow-covered road to another vii
llage.
By this time it was Christmas
morning, about 100 a. M, and we
had to wait for the French captain
who met us to show us our billets.
We were quartered in some houses
in the village. With several of
the other sergeants, | drew a room
III what the officer called the Cas-
tile. 1t was a large house used as
a country residence by a family
living III one of the large towns.
After being shown our bilIets, we
were then marched to a large barn
and each man was given a bundle
of straw, with which he returned
to his billet and made up his bed
and, believe me, it was not long
before we We're all stretched out
and peacefully snoring.
Next morning, on getting up, we
found place where we could get
a pan of hot water and the use of
soap and towel for Is centimes Ia
bout 3 cents) and we certainly a.
vailed ourselves of the opportuni-
ty. This place was one of the
many little wine shops that are
common IN all French villages. In
| IL you could buy almost any kind
OF drink from "Cognac" brandy
to. coffee. One of the first orders
issued was to the effect that no
whlskey or brandy might be sold
to soldiers, but we were allowed
10 buy the beer and light wines.
Have you read cover the Top'
by Sgt. Empey? He has a good
description of the French light
wines. The red wine, he saws, is
made of vinegar with a dash of
red ink added, while the white
wine has had the red ink omitted
Not much of an exaggeration at
that, to judge from the taste. The
beer is very fair and the coffee
very good. | got very fair meal
at a little restaurant consisting of
a piece of steak, fried potatoes.
bread, cheese and coffee for 8
francs (about so cents) and, af-
ter our diet of hard tack and corn
beef, it tasted mighty good.
Our next few days were spent
in getting settled down and try
ing to get wood, one of the scare
est articles around here. We did
a little drilling, but, for the most
part, our time was our own. On
New Years Eve, / found a swell
ing on my right jaw; so, next day