Norwich bulletin., 1918-10-15

been received from Sergeant Kirk F. Ricketts:
 Near Bordeaux, France,
 September IS, 1918.
 Dear Folks: After travelling for days and nights amid varied scenery ff last we landed in southern France. We sure did have some journey and believe me we did nos ride in Pull mans, because I can yet smell that beautiful, sweet CD odoT, and from this you can well judge how and in what style we rode. It was a fine trip and the scenery was great. I would not have missed it had l been re- quired to walk.
 France is quite different from Eng land in various respects, but I find that many of their customs and ways are similar Of course the main diff ference is the languages.
 The French certainly do like the American soldiers and are doing all in their power to make us feel at home and afford entertainment Were it not for differences in speech one would believe that they were Ameri- cans
 One of the most striking differences between our own country and France is the railroads. The cars are small with light wheels and I don't see how heavy loads are carried In France the locomotives are some what larger than those in England, but 1 suspect many of them have come from the United States. There are many of Americas own locoTno- tives here also While in England there weer two questions which con fronted me and I have not yet re- ceived a satisfactory answer in re- gard to either of them; First, I did not see how large sections Of struc- l tural steel or pieces of machinery could be shipped on their short gop- dola cars. Second how did the roofs of dwellings, which were made of | straw, keep out the rain and snow ? ] Some day, perhaps, I will be enlight- ened on these two subjects.
 The architecture interested me | immensely in and to this paid particular attention. As clay is l extremely plentiful there, results in all l houses being constructed of brick. 1 It is rather mol1otonous to see all l the buildings of the same design and color. In France conditions are much | different and the chief building mate l rial is a soft stone much like our | Indiana sandstone. There is also con- ] siderable tile used. In the houses ot the poorer people all the decoration is on that side which confronts the street, while the other sides are very plain. I have had the opportunity ot l studying some fine buildings here and 1 they surely are beautiful
 ] As we are situated in the grape section of the country, all we see from morning until night is gra pes, grapes gra pes, and they are grapes. too Rais- | iy1rr fo la h | chief occupation of the people here l and very few other crops ars produc. cd. Grapes seem to be the only pro | duce for which the soil in this regior is especially adapted.
 Well, dad. I must tell you about th( famous blackbarries that grow here 1 The people do not eat them and they | just simply go to waste on the vines I never in my life saw such berrie. and I feel sure that if you were hert you would be picking them iron morning till night. They actually grow as large as your fist, and whel we take hikes along the country road. we see bushels and bushels of then wasting. Figs also grow here ant down under my window is a fig tree They sell ripe figs with the grapes : and believe me, they surely are great Well, to change the subject, we hea very little from the front At one tim on our journey here we were yer, near the firing line. but at present ar quite a distance away. All the new! we have heard has been through tn European edition of the New Yorl Herald and is the same as you get a home. Nevertheless it is very en couraging and promises to end in a 1 least ten or twelve years
 Everything here is more than sat isfactory and would not miss it fo anythinF Hope everything is o. K. a home and don't wo4ry over me. An anxiously waiting for your letters.
 Lovingly your affeetionate son,
 SERGT. KIRK F. RICKETTS,,
 Bat A, >sSth Art, c. A. C..
 A. F. O., 705
 American Expeditionary Forces.