The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-12-21
TREAT yANKS AS
ONE OF FAMILY
Many Soldiers From United
States Are BiIIeted in
French Towns.
Enjoy FRENCH HOME LIFE
Learn to Sympathize With the People
and Become Keener Than
Ever to Get at the
Huns.

Ever to Get at the
Huns.
Somewhere in France. - Many
American sildiers are having the
unique opportunity, as well as the
pleasant experience, of learning
French customs and seeing French
homelife by being billeted right in the
houses of their Gallo hosts and host
esses.
In one Of the villages of central
France, high up among the hills,
where one can get magnificent view
Of the surrounding "peaks," the val
ley and the winding river below is
billeted regiment of American ar
ti1lery lads. Most of them are from
California; others are from North Da-
kota, Montana, and other states of the
Northwest.
Coming up the road from the rail-
way station one crosses the mill race
with it's ancient stone bridge. passes
the moulin noir" and entering the
village after "recall," sees the soldiers
lolling about in the houses or seated
about the tables in front OF the wine
shops talking to their French friends
whose guests they are.
From one. Of the village streets
clear through the town the houses
are marked with the number OF
Americans billeted there. One place
may have painted at the side Of the
door, '.24 men" and another 90 Of
ficers, II men," Down in the narrow
side streets are more billets and from
these winding passageways the SOL
diers come In scores after the eve
ming mess to wander along the smain
drag" and visit billets Of their friends
In other batteries.
No Formally There.
Life Is very informal In this vii
lage since the Americans came. The
doors and windows Of the home-bil-
lets, opening right into the streets,
reveal the soldiers beds made up In
shipshape military manner. the
floors scrubbed tspotlessly clean and
everything as neat and tidy as home
might be expected to be. In many
places, sanitation. crude In most
French towns, at least, from an Amer
leans standpoint, has been improved
and living conditions improved not
only for the soldiers but for the
civilian natives as well.
'1How do you like living I'm biIletsf''
was asked a raw-boned gunner who
said his home had ben In Idaho.
"All right now" came the response.
1--WE cid not think much Of 1t at
| first; we had to go too far for mess.
The cook shack is away up there on
the hill in the square behind the
church. And in our billet we had to
climb ladder to get into the hay
NOW. I'd rather live In tent, es-
pecially in the summer. But we an
| say, like the French, 'C'est la guerre'
and let 1t go at that.
sBut we're learning lot about the
French, getting lot Of insight into
their lives which we could not get
| otherwise. We're learning to sympa-
thize with them more than ever. ]
believe it makes us better soldiers.
1 know for sure that 1t makes us
J keener to fight the Germans when we
hear some of the facts the French
/ people tell us. Why, in our house
alone the old man and old woman
| who live there have lost three sons
in the war and another is prisoner
Of the Germans.
"Oh, we get along all right. The
women do our washing and mendins
and they're always anxious to do q
lot Of extra things for us. We sure
I will miss these people when we move
from here. It will be like leaving
home again"
Music and Craps.
The black troops are bringing Amer
ica's folk songs to Europe. Whether
he is in the Overalls- Of the stevedore
or the olive drab Of the fighting mar
going over the top, the American ne
gro sings just as he does In the cottor
fields Of the sunny Southland or the
dock along the shores Of the Great
Lakes.
4 The nearness Of the war. the whixs
Of the bullets and the roar Of thu
cannon fail to mar the eternal non
worrying attitude Of the American
negro.
Their barracks at night are alivl
with music. At least one man In ever.
squad has managed to bring banjt
along or made enough shooting crap!
to buy one In France. Speaking o.
craps. it's the great barrack room
sport of the negroes the first da!