Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1918-07-18
WHAT Is HAPPENING IN
CAMP AND FIELD.


Walter De Haven. who was
with pneumonia and did not sa
with Co. II, has arrived safely ovel
seas.
A letter from Lieut. Ralph Lucie
states that companies e, f, d, and I
have been in hte front line trenches
On their first day there a downpou
of rain made il uncomfortable 70
them. The boys decided it was rea
baptism.
m ~ m
A letter from Clyde Kaufman
tells of the things that have happen
ed since the Abilene boys went over
seas: France, June 13.-We have
been mighty busy the last eight days
We have gone entirely across
France, hiking il part of the way and
going on train part of the time. We
we're on the go for six nights, sleep
ing in the open part of the time. We
missed Paris by IL miles but pass
ed thru many other large cities.
The rural districts were really the
most interesting of all The country
is beautiful and every inch of avail
able ground is under cultivation.
Each garden here is a small park,
walled with stones.
j have seen no signs of food short
age in any part of France. A binder
over here is displayed with pride. the
majority of the farmers using the old
time sickle and flail. Their farming
is so limited that it is cheaper for
them to stay with the old method
rather than buy new machinery.
Much of the field work is done by
the women. France should be prais-
ed for her roads as we haven't been
off of macadam since we are here.
We are now in a moderately large
city which is located on a river that
is clear and cool
Our long trip looks us to the
American sector. Our billets and liv-
ing conditions are good so in all we
are happy and contented. We saw
an enemy plane fired upon last even
ng, the first l had seen. We are all
ready and anxious for the excitement
Next Christmas, however, We'll all
cat our dinner together and be more
happy than we have ever been in our
ives.
A letter from Arch Davis says:
in France, June 10,
1918, Clyde Kaufman and | just
,ame back from an all days picnic. =
Ne drew our days rations and went
10 in the mountains under the pine
rees, cooked our dinner and had
inc time. This is pretty place
lere. We are camping on the river
seine which is as clear as crystal
Yearly all the residents here wear
wooden shoes and drive pair of OK
IN.
] am doing a great deal of paint
ng now. / have 30 helmets to paint
his week / went to town to buy
ONE paint and brush and with the
title French ] know, had hard
ime making the clerks understand
THAT | wanted. / saw Bill Ethering-
on while was in town. We had
ute a talk l like the work in the
rmy and / think most of the boys
o.
About the only excitement in this
amp is furnished by the Germans
Tho keep bombing us all the time.
hey use airplanes but have poor
lck hitting us as they can't fly
Ugh enough to escape our guns. A
lock of the machines came over us
ltely and ! could hear the roar of
heir machines but they were so high
could not see them. The air was
Don filled with shrapnel from our
uns and the. roar of the airplanes
one.
/ talked with Robert Walters last
light He had just returned from
wo weeks trip to the front line. /
yer here we pay no more attention ,
, the chatter of the guns than you
o to the noise of a Ford. have
-ossed over the trenches that the
ermans held in 1914 but they are
II from them now. The war may be >
YER by the time this letter reaches
)u as the way the Allied armies are
owing the Huns down is a fright.
While | was on the road to town
passed along line of German pris-
lers. ] though they would never "
op looking at me as "Yank" sure =
makes then take notice. When a
vision of ten or twenty thousand
mericans pass a German prison