The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1918-12-14

Co. B, 331 Inf, Amer. E. F.
Somewhere in France,
November II.
Dear Edna:
1 will take great pleasure in drop
ping you few lines to let you hear
from me. I am we'll and getting
along fine. Well, guess you all re-
joiced when you heard the good news
that the Huns had finished. l was,
you know. I've been on three differ
ent fronts and have been cover the
top" two times and have not got a
scratch at all. Last Sunday l went
"over the top" and stayed in "No-
Man's-Land" 16 hours straight, and
on Monday we had it over again.
When the good news came to stop
firing at II o'clock you don't know
how glad felt.
Well, the question now is when we
will get to come home, and the latest
news is that this division will be with
the first that sails back across, and
they also say we are due in Wash
ington December 25th for a big pa
rade, but if that is not true l think
we will get home by early spring,
anyway. So won't try to write much
as / will soon have the chance of see
ing you all and then l can tell you
more in five minutes than l could
write in month and am longing for
that day to come. Write soon to your
cousin. Am happy as ever.
With best wishes to all.
Pvt. M. E. Becknell.
w. M: 323 Inf, A. E. F. A. P. o. 791.
My dear Mother:
wrote you letter as quickly as
possible after landing and tried to
write you again before now, but had
no chance. Have ridden many hun
dreds of miles by rail since wrote
you last and have seen many new and
interesting sights-an eye opener, you
may term it. France, like our own
country, has thousands of worthless
acres but it seems it is, as whole,
the richest agricultural country on
earth. l wish you could see the great
truck farming that is carried on here.
In one days ride along you will see
multiplied thousands of acres of col
lards and cabbage, not to mention the
vast turnip fields and countless acres
of foreign vegetables that / can not
name. You need not wonder where so
much wine originates when tell you
the land set in grapes extends as far
as you can see in every direction.
The Frenchmen cultivate the grape
vine as We do our watermelon vines.
The land is clean and very systemati-
cally furrowed off in rows about four
feet apart and vines set about three
or four feet apart in the row. Small
stakes are driven in the ground every
two feet apart and about two feet
high with telephone wire extending
from one to the other to serve as an
arbor.
The magnificent homes that one
sees as he journeys along brings
new the olden time foreign war tales
when people had to be barricaded for
long periods when a siege was going
on. Why / say this is because of
the great and mighty stone walls that
surround them, especially the coastal
cities. / have been right near the
great stronghold that Napoleon built
for the safety Of his men. 1t is 20
feet high and was made of the heav-
lest of stone. 1t is worn and crum-
bled in sections of the wall. All these
sights make a fellow appreciate the
history that was learned during
school days. l have always wanted to
see the charms of fair France and
see the curious sculpture work that
the stone cutters of old mastered the
art in constructing, but as you know,
my dream has unexpectedly come
true. In the space of Id days travel
ing both on land and sea I have trav-
eled 1000 miles, have seen many
pretty cities and also the irrigated
rice fields of which I had never seen
growing and it raised right in my
own State, too. All this would be
more interesting if were allowed to
mention just where saw these new
sights. :.
l met up with a Union County boy
today-Duncan Hart. We have been
walking about over camp tonight en-
joying the dainty. anaTtseheious eat
ables that we A. E. F. fellows have to
pay so dear for. This will give you
an hdea-oranges 15c each, apples 1Oc
each- rhocuiate- bars PFC each, sand