Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-10

the moonlight, down through the woods of
pine, | iuvoIuntarily made cgrnperisons
of this Fourth With others. and found that,
after all, today was the kind of day more
fitting 10 apply to our national holiday
than the ones we had been used to spe nd
ing Mt home And something on tho order
Of nm official commiinigue kept running
through my head, like one would find m
the papers after the American and French
troops had made an attack: "Dur men,
supported by the Americana, made sub
stantiaI gains on the front from -~- ~
. The liaison work was perfect"
Az | Jumped into my bunk, IL struck me
that the Kaiser was destined ~ read q
great many reports like that before long,
and that he had better hide himself good
and safe before we get chance 10 cele-
brate next Fourth Of July.
Ralston A. Green, another soldier 10
France, writes 10 the homo folks as fol-
lows:
Poor France No men between ~ and -
except those IN uniform home from the
front Women in black are 20 common,
you notice any other color. All farm work
is done by women, girls, boys and old men.
Most all pheasants wear wooden or ciOth
shoes. America does not know yet what
real war is France surely ls grateful 70
u. IS. All the French kids think all Of ls
are millionaires. Leaving the ship the kids
would grasp our hands and ask for pen
MES Other lunches Of kids would sing
Hail, Hail the Gangs All Here" ~
broken English. They evidently think
that is our national anthem I guess
most Of the troops leaving the ships would
Eipu that gGUn
Butter is 81, sugar ls of the market
| sent into town for a film today, sl.l0.
! have eight IN my trunk WOud have
gone without at such n prize Forty rents
IN America We wear Scotch hats and
Sam Brown belts here. II IS not dark here
until 10 10. Tho boys play baseball! until
. 80 every night C0lored John Davis IL
here with some cOl0red troops They are
good troops and have "A wonderful band
Play rag all the time. The nights get very
cool The Engineers are here This rest
camp has quite n history. H. was built
centuries ago and is surrounded Try a
3O-foot stone. wall The barracks are of
stone, with a slate roof. Napoleon quart
cred bis troops here. The prison wall
shows where they shoot those guilty. Two
have been shot here during this var We
cant get very far from camp. J have
been ~ two small towns near. Every other
door IS , WINE shop. Champagne 81 10
quart Other wines "a to 40 cents pr
quart e S soldiers buy here TIE
boys had a 20 Of the Jersey cOast Or
ships camc through q X The boys wcrc
on the JOB with the guns. some excite
ment, bat very orderly.
Soon as q periscnpe would show o'r
boys at the guns would let 70. They evil
-kt
they did not try to come up but few
times Then the destroyers would race
to the spot where our boys fired and
dropped depth bombs The subs don
like those things This morning We had
a very pleasing sight dozen or more real
American destroyers coming over the
horizon to take as 10 port. They are
camoudaged in all styles
Thursday, 9 a. m. The air is full Of
French scaplanes flying over the troop
ships A light house u IN sight. I'll land
in one hour The sea Is very calm this
morning The boys gave yell when the
seaplanes came in sight about an half
hour ago Three ships left us last night to
90 to another French port.
Mr. and Mrs William 3. Stauffer Of
$40 North Jackson street, have received
word through Red Cross of safe ARRIVAL
overseas of their son, Edwin - Stauffer Of
Go. A, 45th Engineers.
Thomas j. Leonard Of l. Buena Vista
street, who recently went to France, has
been appointed to a military clerkship
and Is stationed in a French cIty
Writing from somewhere in France,
Clayton B. Griscom gives an interesting
account of the Fourth Of July observance
there He says.
After having been deluged with work Of
late, the unexpected pleasure Of a whole
day Of liberty was enough tonic TO enable
me 10 start enjoying the day from its
very inception. Rising up at O'Clock.
had breakfast and made up bunk, and was
shaving and otherwise cleaning up when
| was informed by vibrations Of the ear
drum, Of q commotIon toward the front
OF the barracks, and face tull of lather and
brush IN hand, dashed out to the scene Of
the supposed conflict. saw masses Of blue
marching rythmieally past, being nothing
other than some French infantry regl-
ments who are barracked near Us. Had
often thrown various members cigarettes
as our train 10 town passed their dOmlcile,
but never saw them in formation or heavy
marching order, and, my, how fine they
looked Such q iaunty and strong and
resolute step, singing and joking all the
while. | managed 10 5 lp a couple Of bags
of tobacco to them, amid they went along
up the road, TO camp for the day IN the
woods surrounding the scene of the fes-
ftsyIfIaS qf the iay