Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-12-20
Y. NJ. c. a. GIRL WITH AMERI
CAN ARMY.

Y. NJ. Z. 4. GIRL WITH AMERI-
i CAN ARMY.
The following interesting letter tc
! Mrs. II. w. Pobst was recently receiv.
ed from her sister, Miss Elizabeth
Quinn, who is attached to tho Y. M
, G. a. forces with the American ar
my:
IL rue d'Aguesseau, Paris, Nov. IL.
Dear folks mt home:
Having Paris ut the top of the lot
ter doesn't mean that Pm thereon
ly that Paris is and always will be
my address ms long as | am in the
| "Y" service over here. Just Mt the
present, ] am stationed many, many
miles from Paris in n quaint and
adorable French village, which the
u. S. army hns converted into II
camp. We left Paris Zone other "Y"
girl and myself, about II week ago
and went TO LeMans and from La
! Mans we have como to this centuries
old place, where the houses are all
one-stury abode hutB and the natives
thump around in wooden sabots. We
arc billcted rs two officers in one of
the queer old houses, with tiny
flower garden in front and largo
pool which would mike IL charming
place for water lilies and gold fish,
but is used. by these practical if
proBnic souls for washing their
clothes. This morning ii was filed
with dirty water and soap suds--and
germs, of course. Germs are every
where. We have found that these
French peasants either die in infnn-
cy or else become so stepped in dirt
that they are inoculnted ngainst it
and live. to good old age. We visited
one of their cemeteries yesterday. 1t
was the qunintest thing / have over
scen-the graves literally delugcd
| with flowers made of beads. There
! would be an enormous rOse-bush, all
, made Of beads. md crowded beside i,
n dainty lily, also of beads. Bead
/ wreaths and bead CROSSES. They M:
economical, to say the least, for thc.
| bead flowers Inst forever, and the
/ graves are continually smiling with
blossoms if the spirits Of the dead
should rise to view them.
During our ten days in Paris we
were well initiated into n few sur
Orising French customs, 80 now We
are not astonished at anything, but
I we two American girls are source
OF constant curiosity to the French.
! They can't understand us "furrim-
crs," and especially they caun't I'M
derstand how two lone females could
be part of the American army. We
I are the first American women they
have ever seen in this part of the
country.
| Miss Fay and I are not yet set
tied down definitely, ns the camp tu
which we have been assigned rs can
teen workers or secretaries" ds they
are now calling every one, is not yet
ready, 60 we are visiting around the
different camps, spending four or five
days Mt each. And the U. S. boys are
SO glad to see us! 1t has been months
since most Of them have talked TO an
, "honest-to- God" American woman, so
they welcome us with open arms. At
first they were little shy about talk.
ing with us as il we were some
greatly reverenced thing TO be kept
; on high pedestal and worshippeo,
but we soon overcame that and now
they go out OF their way TO get n
chance to say good morning or have
little chat in the good old U. S.
tongue. / overheard one fellow say
to his "buddie," "Gosh, nearly fell
over and tainted when / saw real
American woman" And that is tho
way they all feel, 50 Miss Fay and /
are quite contented With our lot,
knowing that wo are doing great
work if it is nothing more than to
cheer the far-from-home American
boys. They are lovely fellows, every
one-so chivalrous and 80 consider
ate. We love each individual one of
the several thousand.
am writing this in the Y. NJ. c..
a. hut and / had to stop at that point
to play game of checkers with n
! lonely chap who couldn't find a part
ner. That is what our work consists
OF mostly, while we are in these tenn
porary assignments, amusing or com.
fortlng the boys in anyway we can.
Vixen there is a rush at the counter
we get behind and sell cigarettes and
cigars and candy, when such n thing
is to be had. How the boys yearn for
chocolate or my kind of candy! When
we get in our own canteen we will do
all we arc doing here and in add.
ton we will serve hot chocolate and
cookies and coffee TO those who wan,
it. We hope to be able to get holS Of
a French woman OF two to hi .p U.
about the kitchen, wash disbTs, etc
II not we will have to do iLs5nrselves
One afternoon in lie Mas ] helpe
to serve four hundred Gaps of choC
olatc, so YOU may 'kRSw what tina
means as tt ,sii-washing.
Mioc IA n,,.s -, ~, y. oil Govt