The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-11-27

women past middle age and toil-worn.
Black is about all you see here and
it is the same all over the country;
it seems that some one out Of nearly
every family has been killed and 1t
will be years before France even
starts to be what she was.
I'll have to hurry and finish before
this candle dies out 80 will close hop
ing these few lines will find you all
well. Love from your SON,
Corp. Geo. Trimble,
Co. B, 340th Inf, A. E. F, France.
Oct. 81, 1918.
Dear Father and Mother:
Received your welcome letter ON
the goth and will do my best to answer
| it.
Everything is old fashioned over
here; the French people do believe in
advancing, guess.
The buildings are built of lime stone
and plaster with slate or tile roofs, all
braces and joists are hewed, about the
only place they used any nails was
on the slate roof, wooden pegs were
used freely, the floors are made OF
tile, the upper floors are also tile
and a building has to have some good
timber in them to hold the weight.
The buildings have been built for
some time as the roofs are wavey
caused by the immense weight Of the
tile. ] still have my first wooden
building to SEQ in France.
Limestone is plentiful here; how
the farmers make q living is Sec
ret guess as stone is all you can see,
yet they raise their hay and grain,
scattering the seed by hand; they only
pillow four inch furrow as it would
be impossible to go deeper.
|. It can be plainly seen why the peo-
pie Of this country can 60 to America
and get rich of small piece Of land
as an American farmer can raise as
much on one acre as a Frenchman can
on two acres here, therefore, conse-
quently, hence.
The people here are also old fash
toned, wooden shoes are WORN by
nearly all and they sound like a PAGER
on a pavement when walking down
the road. Sidewalks are entirely
out Of the question. They are SO
used to walking in the road they
wouldn't know what walk was for
anyway; when they meet a muddy
place they go right through like a
mud scow and never notice it.
When the fellows get back home
they will scorn walk or pavement |
and will use the alleys where the mud
is the deepest just from force of habit. |
When they have market day here,
there will be four or five wagons
draw UP and spread canvass covers
and then pile all their goods on tables
and the big show is on; it lasts as
long as there are buyers and then
pack up and move to the next town;
it is real exciting; you wouldn't |
know they were here if you didn't
happen to look around the corner and
see them in the road.
About the only thing fellow can |
buy in these small towns is wine and |
rum and about every other door is
wine shop; their white wine is like |
vinegar and the red wine Fuckers
fellow up it is SO bitter yet some of |
the fellows drink it and call it good /
but don't think will form any bad
habits from the use of it, the only
time fellow can drink it and call it |
good is when he is drunk and then he /
iss't responsible.
They can all say they like France
and want to stay here that want to
but the little old u. s. A. looks pretty |
good to your truly and / wont lose
any time in getting there once / am
turned loose.
Well, / will have to quit for this
time; will write again soon.
Write often and don't always wait
for an answer.
Lovingly, your son,
Corp. George Trimble,
Co. B, 340th Inf, A. E. f., France.
Mrs. George w. Kinesbury recent
~ received the following letter from
her son, Elmer, who 10 with the u. 8. H
army in Russia. This il the first
letter from any Of our local boys In II
Russia and il very interesting a he
tells Of conditions up there.
Dear Mother and all--Just . few
lines to let you know where I am at II
am in Archangel, Russia, some
country, believe me. It's been raining II
every day with . little snow. mixed II
IN 90 that It 10 pretty cold and awful II
muddy. Just got off Of guard. II
I don't suppose that you viii get II
this much before Christmas and Il
may b the last letter you win get in
3 long time for Il win b froeeing mp II
% that w can't ~ ony mail out, II
bat don't worry - ! an feeling fine II
md hope you are - sane. II
: ~ 1ee reeoivod any AL since II
I In yfaneo, Bot oxpoct - Ct e