Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1918-07-31
FROM OVERSEAS.
Letter Full of Interest From
Edgeheld Young Man,
Country's Service.
"a June, 1918.

is the first chance l have had to write
personal letters, or l would have
written sooner, giving you my new
address. l came through in a big
National sedan, passing through a
great deal of the country fought ov-
er in 1914. The fields are spotted
with graves and wooden crosses, and
shell holes in the roofs of houses
bear testimony to the hard fighting
which took place in the Valley of the
- and is still going on.
This is a very pretty town situated
on the two sides of the river and
with straighter streets which are lin
ed with trees. Our Office is located
in a villa which was formerly occu-
pied by a French doctor. The faml-
ly evacuated in such a hurry that
they even left cigars in the humidor,
in addition to all of the beautiful fur
niture, linen, glass ware, etc. We
have two rooms, with hardwood floors
and beautiful decorations on the first
floor, for offices, and n room is used
by the three officers as a dining room.
On the second floor we have the
rooms for billets. Mine is a pink bou-
doir and was perhaps formerly occu-
pied by some Mademoiselle. The fur
niture is white enameled and uphol-
stored in pink. The house is on a
drive running parallel to the river
and my window looks out over it and
a bridge that was blown up when the
Boche was advancing in fourteen"
The house is fully equipped with the
exception of a bath tub, although
we have a photograph, piano, etc.
The noise is always going on and
at night sounds like a drunken man
walking around up stairs, slipping
up on banana Feelings. Whenever he
falls the house shakes. Sometimes he
has delirium tremens.
Yesterday after dinner 1 went with
a friend for a ride around the sur
rounding towns on bicycles. The
roads are smooth and bicycling is
quite as popular over here as it was
in the States before the advent of the
Ford. We went to a famous and beau
tiful chateau built on a hill overlook
ing the valley where Jeanne dare
minded the cows and sheep about
three or four hundred years ago. The
chateau is surrounded by a large for
est of fr and hardwood trees in which
there are deer and wild boars, and.
true to the stories you have read,
the Castle is occupied by a real prin-
cess. The house is of old architecture
with many towers and turrets which
were designed for observation of the
surrounding country.
We went from the castle on down
the valley through a small town with
the usual winding streets and red
roofs to Domremy. AS we came IN
the town the sun was just setting ov-
er the Vosges hills, and the peasant
girls were driving COWS into the vii
lage from the pastures along the riv-
er. At one place along the road we
saw a girl quite like MAUD Muller"
raking up newly mown hay with a
large wooden rake, and at other fields
women were working at various tasks
usually doing the work formerly done
by men.
The house in which Jeanne dare
was born is still standing and is en-
tirely the same structure with the eX-
ception of some repairs made by the
society in charge of its maintenance.
The church in which the Maid of Or
leans was baptised and at which she
worshipped is quite near the house
and the windows are commemorative
of her life in the village. Further up
the hill stands a tall and graceful
cathedral erected to her memory by
the people of France, and at the foot
of the hill is the grove in which the
visions were said to have appeared.
AS we came back along the road
two aeroplanes still in sight of the
setting sun, were shining overhead
like stars, and passing motor trucks
and cannons again brought III
thoughts back to the present.
AS we got back to "our" town,
taps was just sounding out over the
valley, and these are the words for
the music, which r almost as pref
ty:
Glove, good night.
Must thou go
When the day
And the night
Leave me, so