The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1918-06-27
LETTERS FROM OUR BOYS

LETTERS FROM OUR BOYS
The boys from Dickey county are
getting enough to eat while "over
there" Judging from letters received
the past week by Mrs. Saunders from
her son, Maurice, who is mess SER
geant with the old Company K, bud"
wrote on May 12 and again on May
23rd, and the following extracts from
his letters are interesting as published
in the Leader:
II went up and drew our eats yes
terday for 10 days and here are the
articles received: 3O81b bacon, 164fb
corned beef, Alb corned beef hash,
1641b canned roast beef, 10Otb flour,
S3O1b bread 1--WE draw S3tb a day.,
Glib beans, Alb of rice, S201b pota-
toes, 1O21b onions, 16 gallon cans Of
tomatoes, 51tb coffee, 164fb sugar,
25 cans evaporated milk, 10 gallons
of pickles. Then salt, pepper, soap,
candles, figs, dates, 32fb of each, 25fb
butter, 2O1b oleomargarine, 32tb lard,
1 case of oatmeal and pumpkin for
pie. We are buying radishes, onions,
cabbage and cauliflower. We are still
in the same place and it looks as II
we would be here for some time. AL
most all of the boys are rather an
xious to get into real action. We
have been getting Leaders lately, the
last issue being April 18th.
1T rained here most of last week,
but we have been having some fine
weather.
Last Thursday was Ascension Day
and all the French people were Dress
ed in their best. 1t was holiday and
no Frenchmen worked. An American
band played in the afternoon. In the
morning all the French went to-
church. They have only one church
here and that is the Catholic. It is
only 800 years old, and is very pretty
inside. Walking in the cemetery you
will see graves older than the U. S. A..
The historian of the town told us
that there had been only two new
buildings built here in the last 500
years, and they look like it.
eve have received three big trucks
and Guy Lynde and IA others have
left for our ambulances, so I think
we will soon be in the real fray. I
was talking with man out of the
-Ambulances and they were up
three weeks and never lost a man, so
you see our chances are good. By the
way, the boys who went to-and
got the trucks saw Lieut.. Sears.
II see by your last letter you ex-
pected' to have us home in six months.
Over here our idea is different. They
say the first ten years of the war will
be the hardest, and believe it.
s'We have been getting lots of Or
anges to eat lately. Two francs a
dozen: about Is cents. bought three
suits of summer underwear last week
for IL francs, or about $2.O5.
1--WE are going to have raisin pie
for supper tonight.
'We have had the honor of having
three or four Boche airplanes over us
the last three or four days."
1t isn't given to every fellow who
enlists to take six-hundred mile
drive clear across France in an auto
mobile, yet that is the delightful ex-
perience of Jack Nelson and fourteen
other fellows who left here with Com
pany X last fall. Their experience is
told by Jack in the following letter
received the past week:
| Somewhere Monday, May 27.
"Dear Editor:
"I've been away from the organiza-
tion for over a week, just returning
yesterday noon First made a two
days. trip driving back a three-ton
Packard truck. Got back Saturday
and was gone again Sunday. This
last trip was regular one-clear
across France to the seaboard. We
went down on the train, stopping in
Paris over night And want to tell
you right now that Paris sure is
everything they say it is. We were
lucky to get there-15 of us-because
an American soldier can't go there
except on business
"Walked up and surprised Tom Nc
Donald at the seaport we were at, ant
he was ticllled to death. knew where
he was so consequently looked him
up as soon as we got there. He would
little rather be in our company now
than where he is.
eve got a bunch of ambulances al
this place and drove them back-a
6OO-mile drive clear across France
We surely had swell time, stopping
over night in some big towns where
there are no Americans stationed
This certainly is wonderful countr.
when one gets to see it. And roads
Say, every mile of the 600 was like
4 1