Mexico weekly ledger., 1918-10-31

know the feeling,-deliciously languid.
On each side Of the road aare hay
fields, where old men, young boys,
and good looking, husky girls are
loading the hay in big, heavy wagons.
Sometimes the hay is raked by hand,
with big wooden rakes, but American
machinery is finding its place here,
and speeding things up. They Jmile
and wave to us as we pass, for we are
"soldats American and therefore the
recipients Of their best good viii.
Meanwhile we are chatting in sim
pie French with our temporary hast.
He tells Us that he had four brothers
IN the army, one Of whom the Boche
beheaded; and the look on his face
when he tells us about it is not good
to e 4. Oh, how these people hate the
Germans, how they loathe and de-
spise them Jas we over here are com
ing TO do nor and more, the better
we get acquainted with them. Some
day III write you a Boche letter, tell
in gyou just what the French opin-
ions Of them is, as near as | can, aand
what the American opinion is coming
to be. But not today. I'm in a sun
shiny mood today, and even TO think
about the Germans gets me all peeved
up.
Presently W. arrive in the out
skirts Of the town, and you realize
first what an old place you nave
struck, and second, how beautiful
part of it is, and how quaint and in
teresting. The outskirts are quite
heavily wooded, and you can lose your
self here without much difficulty.
But there is always one never-failing
landmark-the big-majestic hill, mont
-, that stands guard over the
city and the whole OF our beautiful
valley. But let US hasten to the town
proper. When you were considerably
smaller than the young gentleman
who now earns 2.70 per day as a real
laboring man, | remember the time
when you sat with your knees curled
up under your desk at school, reading
in a sort Of vague, dim way in your
Ancient History about walled towns,
with meats and draw-bridges and all
that sort of stuff. Perhaps you Sleep
lily looked at a picture or so, too, Of
some place that you had never heard
OF before, and never expected to hear
of again. But you'll open your eyes
J today and wonder If you're not dream
ing, for, as VIC pass through the last
little suburb, and hit the town proper.
there stands your old stone wall-agcs
old-with the dry ditch in front. il
gives up a queer sort Of feeling, Teddy
lad, as We pass oven the old draw.
bridge, swung down by its massive
iron chains, and enter the gate-a
huge affair with three separate por.
tails. We are tempted TO stop there a
moment and muse upon the days when
that bridge rang with the impact Of
the great feet Of the Norma war
horses, proudly bearing their plumcd
riders TO the tournament; or the tim.
when the gateway was choked with tho
rabble crying the downfall of the
Bastile and the destruction Of autoc.
racy. We have read about it, bui
here it happened-actually happened
The big trucks that thunder along III
way seems almost out Of place.
But our pass only calls for 5 hours
leave; so we must hurry on. Passing
through, and under the gate-tnc
Porte de -" for il is rooted oyer)
we find ourselves at once inside III,
city. The suburbs we're more mod.
ern in type here, everything is an
! eicnt-little narrow, rocked street
funny store buildings, low houses. In
America we are proud Of our wide
sidewalks, usually at leas;
eight feet wide, nd often much
wider. Not 50 here in our sister re.
public.
The sidewalks arc rarely ever four
feet wide, and every once in a while a
building juts out and the sidewalk
sort OF dies a natural death. This zig.
gag way in which the building erected
Is most puzzling 10 Americans,
who are accustomed 10 seeing towns
laid out in straight lines. And ono
OF the things we notice quickest here
Is the fact that buildings do not seem
to be put up with any relation to
each other. They run at all angles,
Tor no apparent reason, and the poor
street, trying TO keep in front Of them,
. forced into all sorts Of impossible
Kinks and guirls. II one tries 10 walk
on the sidewalk, he naturally has TO
get of on the average Of once every
~ feet, 80 most people take the mid
die Of the street. W. shall follow their
example. We want some tooth paste
and a can Of talcum powder. Where
do We get II? a drug store, Il
course, you say. Heavens, no! Not