Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-09-24
OTTAWA BOY WITH
YANKS IN ITALY
LIKES ARMY LIFE
CONTINUED from page ID

city. but II was just as wonderful
| farther inland.
This letter is being written in in
| s,allments, so it may sound that wayD
Our train moved up the slope on
tne stone roads, zigzagged, till we
reached the top hundreds of feet
above the sea- from where We could
look down upon the quaint, tile-roofed
settlements and the uncovered
slopes. Monasteries and forts crowned
most OF the important peaks. The
ride down the other side was not
quite so picturesque. but considerably
: more thrilling, as there were numer
GUS "hairpin' turns and turns of other
: shapes on the edges OF cliffs which
were guarded by only stone posts set
at regular intervals. The truck
which | was riding was driven by an
| inexperienced fellow, which did not
add to my comfort, and the sergeant
was finally Obliged to take it out of
his hands We came TO stop for
a lunch at the end of a long valley,
which looked something like some of
q the valleys at home, except for the
fact chat at end of the valley was an
= immense, snow-covered peak, the first
a | had ever seen, Its base was sur
4 rounded by fog, so that only the
\ Top showed. At first we thought it
was cloud but with the aid of
o glasses we could make ont the slopes
/. 1t was about sixty miles away when
we first saw it
!. We set out through this valley and
4 soon discovered ourselves on a very
fiat plateau The roads for fifty miles
or so were as level as table and al
most without turns. We passed
= through village after village. and
guess our train made quite an i'm
preston as it roared through he mar
j row streets, for the natives all came
i to their doors and windows and
shouted a. us. some of them wavint
3 American flags The 'paest' or Coun
g try land looks quite like our own in
& that il grows thick with grains anC
4 the roads are lined With high trees
D. but otherwise |. is much different
IS There are no large flowing fields o
wheat or other grains, but small plot'
few acres in area divided from tn,
surrounding plots by hedges Of trees
They are all well kept, and where iht
plots are soWn to grass or planted il
= trees they appear more like larg'
} lawns was surprised to see quite
few plots Of Indian corn The peas
ants all live in the villages, so 70
=, miles we would see no habitation, bu
=" would often NEE. them going bacl
y and forth from their villages ethe
walking or riding in their two,whaele
y donkey carts
=, The camp at this pace is muc
- smaller lhan where we were befor,
~ and in some waye~ae, SuNnken w.
~ but being much nearer tht scene {
u action in other ways it is more int
esting The natives of the village
very much Interested in us, a ever,
where We go they look a us and SO
American Every evening the
flock out 70 the camp and talk to tn
IA men or listen to our phonograph
p" We have been around to call on on
- family several times. and they sect
TO be fine people We try to lear
some italian words from them an
!. they try to learn English. 1t is
great spectacle to see us lemonstra
~ when We don't know the Italian wor
81 The other night | was translatin
~ some simple piece from an Englis
10 grammar about a dog. and when
OF came 10 the dog "wagCing his tail
IA 'prckin up his ears and growing
st ! had to go through the pertormanC
ny the best | could by demonstration.
be my acquaintance with Italian was tC
e. meager to give them the Italia
ar equivalent, The result must ha,
as been somewha. amusing, for they ha
Sc an awful laugh ont OF it. OF cours
he the place is interesting from tn
,le standpoint of war activities. too. b,
re we can't say much about that ! que.
viii get by If say that | heard tn
ov big guns on the line for the first tin
-, the other night It was not vel
- distinct, but the natives say they ca
-. De heard almost every night
=" The mail has been in once since
- have been here, but that once brougl
~ me thirteen pieces Of mail, 50 can
es' complain.
~ received the pictures Of the kid,
in Bertha's and Aunt Mabels lette
m and was tickied to get them, You ca
RI send pictures along as YOU please ar
en- they are eighty welcome. | hope W
ny received the snap put in one Of n
TT letters. and | will try to send son
3b- more from time to time am inclc
rs ing one that think should get |
err the cenSors. 1t was taken when ,
hike up high mountain near OF
llrst station, | am also inclosine
program of concert given In a ve
ke gorgeous theater in our first station.
nd Aunt Mabel says she went fro
ne Austria into Italy on her trip throu,
ed Europe We all here hope to rever