Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-12-24

reason. This certainly is wonderful
country, too. 1 really never imagined
that there was q place like this in
the world. 1t is so well kept and clean
and neat. The whole thing looks like
a big national park
The French peasants are, as whole
very neat and saving, but these people
have them beat. You can't find a
scrap Of wood or rubbish on the roads,
and the roads are perfect, too. Even
the forests are all cleaned out, and no
underbrush left. Course there is req
son for that--they need the wood, and
so forth7-but the towns are clean also.
The country is very mountainous, SO the
whole effect is a grand sight.
These people are Of course Neutral,
and just now are very pro-Ally, while
| imagine they were pro-German. We
can hardly blame them, and it sure
would have been a pity to have de.
stroyed these towns and lands; so they
acted right.
But even though these folks were
pro German, they at last become tired
of them, and sure did give the Amer
leans a hearty welcome. They decor
ated their towns, proclaimed holidays
and had general rejoicing,
The folks have very little foodstuffs,
wool, and such, but sure have plenty Of
money. When we came here they ex
changed francs for marks at mark to
one and quarter franc, and | believe
mark is worth seventeen cents, and
franc nineteen.
The people have no flour. The price
of coffee is eight dollars pound, but
you cannot get it at that. In cafes they
serve a barley cereal for twenty five
cents cup. Butter is five dollars a
pound, and everything in proportion
Tonight Harold and bought about
twenty apples for four marks, so you
see it costs some money here.
All this movement is very interest
ing to me. l am anxious to see what
and how things will develop. l under
stand that the banks in Luxemburg
are now giving correct change on the
marks, and So they surely will 60 down
soon.
A good many people speak English
in this country told hotel man IN
Luxemburg that they were bunch OF
robbers, and he said ooh, hell, wait un-
til you get into Germany; you can
pay twice as much and get nothing.
II imagine he is right, too.
| wish | could talk Dutch now. We
never realized how much French VIC
could talk until we got here, but We
really were able to get along quite
well.
Harold and / have regular homo
here in Junglinster. We have been hers
three days. The weather is very cold
land we have no barn to sleep in, SO VIC
rented room in the home Of an OIL
couple. The whole house is ours now
} and we spend our evenings jabberinl
] with the old folks. They have boy IL
Dakota. and are SO interested in Am
ericans. They are SO surprised to know
that America really has had men oyel
! here. The old woman insists on tuekint
MS into bed, and thinks we are her lost
kids, / suppose. She must be seventy
or seventy-five years old. Old people
are more hardy here, l believe than II
France.
General Pe,shing was in Luxembure
few days ago, and Marshal Foch !.
to be there tomorrow I suppose 1t vii
be big day.
i / spent couple of days in Belgium
recently. We went down there to take
1 over some German guns and dumpi
! they were turning over. / had a chanc
10 see a German company drill, anc
they surely are military alright. Afte'
things were all picked up, the Amer
lieans escorte the bocles to their lines
The people sure rejOiced at their DE
parture. The next morning | dro q
4 through the town again, ard under th'
arch the people had erected to the'
cDeliverers" they had the German
. flag stretched out on the road, 80 ever,
lone had to drive over it that enteyet