Evening star., 1918-05-20

LIEUT.. r. b. WARDEN.
Appreciation of French artillery
Instructors is voiced in letters re-
eeived recently by Charles g. War
den Of this city from his son, Lieut..
r. B. Warden of the Field Artillery,
D. r. c.
Lieut.. Warden Is a native of George
town and Western High School
boy. and was in his fourth year at
Cornell, a student in the College of
Architecture. when he entered the
Fort Myer second officers training
camp. He was ordered, in Decem-
bsr, to France for a further course
1T a French artillery school. This
course he completed on April Is, and
has since been detailed for observa-
tion duty as a last step prior to as
alignment to his battery.
i French Captain Confident.
Hen says: Il think I have profited
greatly by the instruction here. 1
have certainly gained something
through coming into contact with
some Of these French officers. heard
d talk yesterday by French CAP
tain. who has had great deal to do
with our instruction here, and will
lang remember it. He is a man from
the bottom up, and then some I
wish you could have heard the way
he said (referring, of course, to the
present operations on the western
Austrian infantry divisions against
us 1t Is because they don't dare" !"
and that last word was like a chal-
1enge thrown squarely in the kaiser's
face, and when he closed his speech
with the simple statement: We will
win" I think that every man that
heard him repeated in his heart; We
WILL
HE Is to remain here for the next
course, and is then promised posi-
tion with the American Army. Last
night at a banquet which we gave to
our French army instructors. he said:
Tt will be the greatest honor and
privilege of my life to finish the war
with the armies of our sister repub-
lie. There's nothing would like
better than to find myself connected
with the organization to which he is
Assigned"
/ Quiet Sector on Front.
: pndsr a later date Lieut.. Warden
eat present am with the French
army in q quiet sector (very quiet) at
the front. Although while Tn writ
ting this can see an observation bal
loon from my window and hear the
occasional boom of a gun or the
whizz of scouting plane, have had
no direct evidence of the proximity of
the boche. In other words. have not
been baptized by fire. 1 hope / will be
before leaving here. for ! expect to be
assigned to a battery. and if ] am
called upon to go to the front with
that battery in the course of two or
three months, + would like to have
that experience behind me. to steady
me. and show me how to steady men
under me.
'I am billeted in little ruined viii
lage about four miles behind the
front lines. with a French battery. I
am here merely for the purpose of in
epection, and have no duties to per-
form. wish could describe this old
village to you and some of the scenes
! witnessed on my way here: she'll
torn towns swarming with troops in
horizon blue; roads teeming with
trah1c. men and munitions moving
forward to the front; men coming
from the front for a rest, covered
with mud, but smiling and happy.
MUD. mud-Iye never seen SO much
mud In all my life as I've collected on
my boots in the last few days.
!. Describes ohcers With Him.
'The officers commanding the bat
terry ] am billeted with are fne-two
of them speak very broken English,
and the third no English at ali, but
we have great times together. One
pf them Is short. fat and round faced,
with twinkling brown eyes and a
continuous chuckle-he has a re-
markafle English vocabulary, but q
very bad accent. The other two are
tall and slender. and much more Sc
tious In manner than the short one.
Ono OF them has q very good English
accent. but no vocabulary-the other
pne. as ! said. does not speak Eng
appearance. with a bold brown eye
= heavy mustache and a very gallant
manner. They have treated mo like
IN old friend and wish there was
something 1 could do to show them
my appreciation.
Heachtng here have cursed hard and
often at myself for my weakness
know that when l finally gave in and
allowed you TO teach me auction il
would mean trouble. sooner or later
Well. as soon as 1 got here, they
= y,
without thinking I said yes Well
found that ] had forgotten nearly
everything about the game, so in the
evenings have had an awful time OF
1t. between my ignorance of the
game. the difficulty OF conversation
Snd explanations. and the rapidity
Etth which they play.
.S Orderly Takes Care Of Him.
Sxou should see the orderly they
3eve assigned to me. He is a French
eoldter who spent some time in sau
$faneisco before the war. ] have
great sport figuring out what he IL
Eytpe TO say. But he tries to take
care OF me. as II were a baby-he
Sells me when must wear my over.
goat ana when my raincoat will be
taM0ent. and dare not disobey him
fcY tear OF offending this good fel.
3ow, and he keeps my clothes ant
Poots cleaned up as IL I Were on Z
eresDsparade."
TvH~ov Nav f. - C~r:x.>~y..I