Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-08-15

service That will be the first one;
don't know how many more we will
receive before we come back to the
states
Really you can't know how satisfied
and happy we everything is so
interesting and everybody treats us
so we'll We have lots of time to think
of the dear ones at home, but really
we haven't minute to be lonesome.
Although we are making lots of plans
about the future. everything is so ex-
citing that we haven't time to ponder
or hesitate over the wonderful times
we had back in civilian life.
There is one thing that l regret
though, and that is that l didn't spend
a little more time on my French when
I was in school | have been studying
it lately, but still it is pretty much
mo compre." l had little experience
the other day that put this inspiration
to study French in my head.
received an Introduction to a ma
damoiselle a few days ago, so when
met her down by the corner couple
of days ago, | didn't hesitate to parley
with her After considerable CONVEX
satfon concerning the weather, the
war, and the Americans in France, dur
ing which time l juggled my pigeon
French pretty freely she shot some
thing like this at me: "Voulez-vous
diner arec moi ce soir?"
I said that I'd be glad to, and asked
what time I was to appear for the
feast, only used too many words and
didn't say it just like that.
"Quelle heure?" she spoke over aft
er me. ooh, sept heures ct demire,"
she says, which sounds like "set her
and me" in English, and is the French
for 7:30 o'clock "Merci beaucoup, ma
petite cheri," l said kind of kidding
her along as we do the girls back
home. She gave my hand tight little
squeeze and we parted.
1t put me in mind of the time we
parted at the river--dirt and |. Only
this girl really was a swell kid.
I didn't eat many beans that even
ing. / was saving all the empty places
for that homemade meai-just won
dering what | would do to home
cooked square, if ever got to where
it was.
After mess I told the fellows about
it-they ali wanted me to eat some
thing for them, and if possible bring
something back to them-and sure
thought that was lucky boy-and
started out.
was a little early 50 1 stopped for
a while in a dark corner-it was all
dark for that matter. There was a
dimaed gas lamp on the street corner
but none of it's rays; reached us The
streets over here m@st have been laid
out by some guy wh0 didn't want his
neighbor to see him coming home late
with a jag on. They're SO crooked that
you can't see to the middle OF the
next block. A merchants has to be on
the job every morning or HIS compstit-
Or half block away wills stage fire
sale and he wouldn't know anything
about it.
Anyway, while I was standing there
waiting, l heard someone some .tff4s-
ping up behind me. l looksd' around
and here's Margsaerite-that's her first
name-and before I could stop'her, she
senacks me a couple on the CA9eks:
She led me up the steps INTO the
h0use. She hung right onto me and
marched me up in front of the whole
faEaTEy.
They stood up at attention wien L
entered Monster Dad took OFF his
cap~ which was decorated in front
with S'P. L. Me-" meaning thaBf he
worked for the only railroad in the
wUrld that ran your train on the, side
track while the engineer and firemam
hoistsd couple-and' runs only when
the engineer feels like it.
"MOn ami American" Mademoiselle,
announced, and right away could see
that she blowed me all up>t to, her folks
Madame stepped right oyer and Kissed
me On both cheeks.
Looking around, observed six little
kids; standing in single file facing me-
AS near as I could make out, without
asking a lot of questions, they were:
all lined up, waiting their turn to be
kissed by this very mysterious soldier
Marguerite had just dragged into the
family circle. 1t seemed to be mat
ter OF" custom to them, but it was rath-
err embarrassing to an unsuspecting
Tank. Nevertheless l kissed them all
The last one, about four years Old,
transferred a COB Of jam from his
cheek to mine and I had to dig for
my banG1anna.
! Then the most astonishing event of
the evening was staged. Old Man
Monsieur steps up, pulls my face down
to where he could get at it, and whangs
me couple. This business of having
men folks kiss you was new one on
me. I had a notion to show him what
a stunt like that meant in our country
but I didn't want to break up the