The Delta independent., 1918-05-10
GUY THooTHAkER WRITES
FROM FRANCE TO HOME FOLKS

We have received many fnteressinp
letters from soldier boys at various
points, but none has been more re-
plete with genuine news than the one
which we herewith append:
On Active Service with the Amer
lean Expeditionary Forces, France
March IS, 1918
E C. Toothaker.
Dear Brother and Family have
often wanted to send you a line. but
my letters have been very few so far
and many things to make writing diff
ficult. have written twice to moth
er and Nora and hope you may have
seen them and learned that am well
and getting along nicely. One Of the
obstacles to letter writing was the
absence of lights at night when we
are not busy. 1 am very nicely billet
ed in a small village. but the only
lights are candles and We can not use
them because of danger OF fires
But now the Y. NJ C. A. has rem
edied all that with its coming and Civ
ing us a place to spend our evenings
and have a few conveniences- IL
surely is a Godsend to the soldier
and they are doing a great and hu-
name work. They furnish many
things free of charge and such Amer
can articles as they can procure are
sold to us at the same prices as at
home,
There are a few small French chops
in the village and they all have wine
rooms in connection Naturally quite
few of the fellows spend their even
ines there but it does not interest me
and the military laws are pretty strlct
ON the subject. Just here I am remind
cd of an interesting sight that came
,ndsr NV notice during the voyage
across They were working some sail
ors who were prisoners and on ene
back of each was sewed this piacaru-
st stole government alcohol ana got
drunk on duty while Transporting
American troops to Europe | Thought
n WAS pretty good and should be an
examuIe to others. which Of course 1t
was Intended to be
arrived in France on Feb. 25th ait
er an uneventfuI period OF twenty |
davs aboard a large vessel We ler'
the United States during very severe
cold spell and very dark nights out I
after the second day out It was warm 4
for the remainder OF the trip and soon 4
the moon got large enough TO make /
real pretty nights. I stood three guard
enruute is why I noticed the
nights so distinctly. When we sighted /
land il was already green with the
coming of spring and was cheering
sight to us. We landed and spent
two nights in the stone barracks puiit
by Napoleon. after which we boarued
a European troop train They are
not the pullman cars that Uncle Sam
gave us while at home. They are
built to accommodate either eight horses
or forty men and the Accommodations
are about the same in either case They !
are about one-haf the size Of an Amer
lean car and have only four whsAls.
The passenger coaches are the same,
and the tracks are poor
France is as beautiful and pictures
que an agricultural country as ! ever
saw, but every thing is on the small
scale and 50 very ancient have mo-
seen a field of more than three or four
acres and they are all either wheat
or vineyards The grape and wine in
dustry seems to be the larger OF the
two. The chief food OF the people is
whole wheat bread OF which the
American soldiers are very fond.
and wine. They also raise for food
the large Belgian Hare in several col
ors and styles The hides are care
fully dried and kept r suppose thu
later on they become expensive Paris
ienne furs and may even go TO Amer
lea These people are not without an
eye for business. although they live
very plainly and are satisfied witt
very little Normally they surely would
be the hanpiest people on earth for in
spite OF the war they are happy. Blu.
many of them wear mourning AMI a.
of them have some cne in the struggle
They are very hospitabfe people az
glad to welcome the American soldier
and try to help him like the country
They are always willing To teach -
one few words OF the language
love to talk to them when they give
me time to keep up. Most of them
speak no English at an and speak If
tie French but yesterday while I was
on liberty to neighboring and larger
town met and walked an hour with
two ladies' Zone of whom has 4 hr-
band at the 'front.' who had studied
English somewhat and we got alonr
fsmousiy They helped me a whoe
lot At that town 7 saw more people.
womsn ard girls especially. than
had seen before. except at the large-
city where we dfsembarked and hsfd