Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-01-09
BOYS IN FRANCE
WANT HOME NEWS.
One Says He Will Farm When He
Gets Back. Well CHARTERED
and Good Eats

Extracts from letters from Homer
! Leonard of Orleans, who is now in
France.
Y. M. C. A. Somewhere in France.
Oct. 27, 1917.
Dear Mother and Father:
How are all you dear ones at home
now? | am well except for little
cold. We are getting enough to eat
and are in big cement barracks now
with good iron beds and mattresses.
We had a long ride on one of the
French trains which are just like the
English, only not SO good. We pass
ed through some fine country with
| lots of cattle and horses. The talk
here seems to be that the war will
end before spring. 1t hope it may
for it is a terrible thing. l have not
seen much of it yet, but more than
you have at home.
Save the land on the hill for me for
| want to try my hand at farming
when | get home.
November IL.
We got some mail yesterday which
was the first we have had since we
left America, SO everybody is feeling
better, and today we were paid off
so are feeling better yet. 1t was all
in French francs. One of them is
about like our quarter and is worth
about twenty cents in our money.
It is not very cold here but we have
lots of rain. ! have been on guard
a couple of nights since | came here
and carried rifle and fixed bayonet.
Have also been on a detail of twenty
men, digging trenches and unloading
freight.
There are a lot Of German prison.
ers here You know they all have to
work There isn't much | can write.
About every house around here is a
cafe and sells booze They bake the
bread pretty hard here and the pota-
toes are small, but we are getting
enough to eat and l am well, so do
not worry about me at all.
November IS.
1 am caring for officers horses
now. It is not very hard work but
has to be done well. The saddles
have to be cleaned every morning.
There are lot of horses in camp and
more coming every day.
We are getting plenty to eat but
not just like home used to be.
When | get back if | fold my
blanket and put it at the head of my
bed, turn up the mattress, and get my
feed and go outdoors to eat, don't be
surprised,
l was over to prayer meeting last
night and there were quite few
there. The music was fine and the
singing was better. l wish you could
have heard it.
Senator Dale of Island Pond was
in camp this morning looking things
over.
A few nights ago the sergeant of
the guard came in and said our hors-
es were all breaking loose, so we out
of bed and did some tall dressing, you
bet, and down stairs three at time,
then ran for stable, only to find our
. horses were all quiet and some of
them lying down, but 46 horses that
had just come in on the other side of
. the shed were all mixed up and some
!, of them were loose, SO we tied them
and went back to bed again and slept
, until morning.
l do my own washing and we have
!, to wash our own dishes, or sometimes
| we eat on them the second time with
out washing. l don't eat with a fork
as l was brought up to, but use a
dessert spoon made of tin and l can
sure get away with the chow. They
tell US we are to have turkey for
Thanksgiving.
December 9th.
, 1 have been to church today up at
the new Y. M. G. A. Quite a lot of
, us went. Last Sunday was the first
time they had services. This was a
much better meeting than that, and
, there was a band for music. We had
; communion today.
We got our mail today and it SEEM
ed good to hear from home again.
We have no snow here yet, but we
may move to a colder place and all
the wool stuff can get will come in
handy.
Well, thereisn't much I can write
but when I get home Il can tell you
some things you never dreamed
about or read in the Boston Post.
will close now.
God be with you till we meet again.
With all the love can send,
Your son,
/ Homer.
Wagner Homer Leonard,
Zth co 1Q1 ct A IN lnl1InitiQn Iral