Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-12-03
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France, Sept. 25, 1918.
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France, Sept. 25, 1918.
Miss May Spencer,
Ashland, Ore.
Dear Sister,
I've been particularly pleased TINS
week receiving three letters from
you, bearing various dates for the
last two months. The Oldest one was
just two months to the day in reach
ing me, but was greatly appreciated
Just the same. We've moved about
so much lately that our mail has
rather a hard time following us, ana
all the transportation facilities are
heavily taxed to carry our needed
supplies, so mail Is slow to arrive
However It does come.
That typed letter was some letter.
too, believe me, and sure enjoyed IT,
Sometimes | wonder how you can get
along on my letters. There is SO
much that we may write and so little
that we may tell about that 1t Is
some Job to turn out letter that Is
of any interest, but Of course you un-
derstand the reason for our reticence
on most subjects and can imagine all
sorts of things which are not so real
ly, and may be get some fun out Oh
that.
In my case remember how | lived
in Idaho and you will have far
picture of how | am going here even
to the setting for the picture-re-
markably so, in fact. That isn't so
bad for a fighting man, now is 1t?
Say, how would you like to take
hand scythe and garden rake and put
up the hay in the upper meadow by
hand, bundle the hay in a blanket
and carry ii to the barn on your head!
That is what the people do in TINS
country. The fields ars very similar
I'm kind, but the hay Is not nearly so
tall nor good. | think each one tries
TO nut up enough hay to keep a goat
or two and maybe a COW or so thru
a ratherlong winter II the grass Is
short they cut leaves from the trees
and cure them. All their plowing
seems to be done by hand with a
spade or hoe, but they raise some
very good gardens and if they have
anything to sell to the soldiers they
ought to get rich quick
On the whole these people are
very poor as we would class people
vet they seem to be healthy and hap
py | do not understand how they
can be either, as the kids are most
awfully dirty and poorly clothed, and
the barns filthy and are the next
room from the kitchen. All the peo-
pie Just here wear wooden shoes and
look funny accordingly.
Once | was going along the road
and two little French kids we're ahead
of me with a bucket Of slop, when
suddenly something went whistling
over our heads and about quartz:
Of mile away was a violent blast,
Say, slop bucket went one way and
kids another, and in the road was
left Just four wooden shoes right in
the tracks they were in the process
of making. No, it wasn't another
tragedy of the war, it was safety
first. The French know when to get
under cover, while our first thought
Is to run out to see what is doing.
Even at that all our danger seems
to be very far off and really be-
lieve it is. I'm probably not allowed
to tell that, but it struck me as rath-
er funny at the time, and ! cannot re-
sist the telling of it. I'm enjoying
my work here to such an extent that
| am ashamed of myself.
Really 1t does not seem right to be
at war and let some one else do all
the suffering, but I'm doing the best
know how to do, and what I'm told,
so l suppose l ought to thank my
lucky stars it's so pleasant and not
so utterly disagreeable as falls to the
lot of some others.
j. NJ SPENCER,
Co. c, 31S Engineers,
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