The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1918-09-20

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| Keepers is q cousin of Mrs. N. K.
Ollie and will be remembered by
the younger set as having been a
visitor at "GreystOne" in years
gone by.
1t occurs to me that | have told
you very little about my affairs for
the last three weeks, only little
snatches here and there. Indeed,
about all | have is a series Of pictures
or impressions, for things have hap
pened so swiftly that little more than
that remains. Just a series extend
ing from Broadway to the Marine, and
these / shall try to give you as best
can while / have the opportunity, for
it may be a long time before it will
come again, and just now | have the
leisure.
There is a first Saturday night in
New York, rainy, with lights making
phosphorescent streaks on the pave
ments, Rectors, brightly lighted-a
crowd of people, young, old, innocent,
sophisticated, dance or two-endless
bottles of Vichy, nothing else. Then
rush to catch train which ran only
on week days, and fearsome ride in
tin taxi which threatened at any
moment to emulate the one boss
shay. Next a mad rush with no time
to think, or to sleep and scarcely to
eat, and finally short ride on train
ferry and the ascent of gang
plank which was our last connection
with the u. S. A.
Then big crowded ship, one of the
largest and fastest of the transformed
German liners-a delightful voyage
through CLASSY sea, with our ship
blowing and blowing ever eastward,
one near storm which took away the
joy from many for time, at times a
sail, a school of leaping porpoises, a
spouting blackfish, or a flying fish
sporting in the waves, at night absol-
ute blackness when one could not even
smoke, sub lying close abeam on
night so dark that we nearly ran her
down, collision in the dark, and then
beautiful France.
Next the rattle of the chain as the
anchor was dropped in splendid har
Dor surrounded by the greenest of
green hills, quaint city, all of stone,
rising tier on tier up the hillside and
poklng It's chimney pots through the
green of the trees, wait while little
launches bearing French officials in
blue tunics and red breeches and
Americans in olive drab came dancing
out to tell US "Howdy"
Then the lighters, putting, snortiny
and smoking, fussing about like little
fox terriers prancing about New
foundland, coming out with empty
decks and returning brown with men.
a landing on an old stone pier, a
march through narrow streets centu-
ries old where Caesar and Napoleon
have marched their soldiers, streets
lined with girls with flowers, and lit
tie children singing in quaint broken
English, "Hail, hail, the gangs all
here" Then up a long hill that
made our breath come hard and a few
kilometers along hedge bordered roads
rough from heavy wheels, to the
place where Napoleon trained his
armies and where America now has a
part of hers. Then a low lying field
! surrounded by walls of earth, a field
fortified with the filth of centuries of
rain, with CLEAN of hazy sun at
times, mist and fog day after day,
mud everywhere, mud to sleep in,
mud on our clothing, mud, mud, mud,
nothing to do but sit in our muddy
tents and wish for sunshine. except
for an occasional walk down the road
where nearly every quaint stone
house bore the words "Commerse du
Viu" and where ones uniform did not
deny the privileges enjoyed by other
men for one could buy for -four
francs the bottle, wine which in bet
ter days sold for one and for eighteen
a bottle of that of which dreams are
made and which bubbles in the cup
So you see that when one is in the
land where Vichy grows, one does not
drink Vichy, and a soldier, like a
prophet, is not without honor save in
his own country.
Then one welcome afternoon the
order came to move and in the morn
ing we arose before the sun and
folded our tents, rolled our packs and
marched back to the city and to the
railroad, where a train of toy freight
cars, each with four large wheels and
each labeled "Chevaux Homues 40
awaited us. Obediently, we loaded
forty men in each of the cars and
waited for a time while the locomo-
tive fused around and the guards and
engineer talked it over with much