Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-08-08

their hearts and put us up nice par
racks for a mess hall. For lie past
week we have had men working to ger
il in shape, and it is beginning to look
like something at last. The kitchen
has a fine concrete floor (no one ASKS
where the cement came from ana t,ie
walls are painted olive drab up 10 llis
windows, while the rest OF the siaes anu
the under side of the roof is white MOI
do we ask where the paint came from;
it lust happened). Then there ais
two great big army ranges, Win ovens;
and one of them has big tank atlacheu
n il for hot water. All OF the cup
boards and shelves are painted Wnlte.
and the poor kitchen police VIII nave
some time keeping them white, ana 'ilat
;e INST what CAPTAIN Edwards is gong
IN make them do. The serving laoIe
is covered with tin, and tin is as scarce
as money about two days before payday.
Pioht hack of the kitchen we have built
the re-house-roofing paper, wire:
screening and burlap have been com,
bined until the result is danny room
for the supplies. And then a smaller
building for the meat-house, since II Is
against the rules to store the meat with
the other supplies. OF course, every
window in the mess hall is screened,
and while we have no flies is because
there is no place around for them TO
breed. This whole camp is like new
pin. and especially our end OF it, for the
Captain is sure astickler for cleanliness,
and his chief work is searching OUT
places that need cleaning up. We keep
three men busy all the time cleaning
up around the barracks. In the mess
hall proper are twenty tables, eacn seat
ing ten men, and every day those tapies
are scrubbed with sand, and as result
thew are smooth and white as 1t IS pos
sibie TO make boards. The sergeants
took I'D a collection and bought OIL
cloth for their two tables, so that we
feel quite elevated when we sit down 10
eat. One of the men in the company
is somewhat of an artist, and he panied
a fine big picture for the end OF the mess
hall One of the iieltenantS in the
adjoining squadron got pretty sore pc
cause the Captain would not let MIN
take the picture to Paris and put It on
exhibition. The Captain said, mo, no.
Ii might get lost in the shuttle" so the
picture stayed here. 1t really isn't bad,
and when we leave this station the
picture sure goes with us. The artist,
by the way, is also the company shoe
maker, and when he isn't half-soling
shoes he paints pictures. Last week
he ran out of money, so he painted
neat little picture and CHANGED it off
seventy-five chances at franc chance.
1t took him about two hours to paint
the picture and about fifteen minutes
to sell the tickets. The fellow who
won it had no place to put it, so he gave
it the Captain to hang upinhis quarters.
One artist who knows how to market
his products.
One of the cooks just came into the
Office and brought the clerk and me
some hot cinnamon bunS-real ones,
too, and oh, but they are good. hope
there will be an encore. When the
cooks are in a good humor they make
lots Of good things to eat, but when they
get a crouch on, it is stew and more
stew, so we always try to keep them in
good spirits. They promise to Guido
themselves when they get to using the
new kitchen, and hope they do. One
of the cooks is baker, and that means
a whole lot, for he can make all sorts
OF good things to eat-his raiSin pies
are fit for a king, and whenever we buy
the raisinS he will always bake the pies.
Whenever we have the money We have
pies. The mess sergeant is big Swede
from Washington State, who weighs
about two hundred and twenty-five, and
he sure is boss, too, for there is no one
in the outfit who dares 60 up against
him. He runs the kitchen to finish.
and it is mighty seldom that there is
any trouble in the department.
Yesterday the water line reached our
barracks, and today we have all the
water we can use, and the old water
tank has been turned back to the Q. M.
1t sure seems good to turn spigot and
see the water run again. The electric
lights are about here, the barracks hav-
ing been wired, and as soon as the
transformers arrive we will have all Of
the comforts of home. About the time
we get set to enjoy the fruits of all our
arduous labors about the place we will
get an order to pack up and move to
some other place, and the whole thing
will have to be done over. Of course
we can move lots of the stuff that We
have made, but think of the concrete
floor, the paint, the front yard, and the
many things that will have to be left
behind. The barber chair goes with us,
though. We made a new one recently
it raises or lowers to suit the custom
er'S size-it turns around-lays back
at any desired angle-has an adjustable
head-reSt-is upholstered until it is so
comfortable that every time get into
it | want to 60 to sleep-in fact, it does
every thing but make change. The bar
Der is an Italian who belongs to our
company, so what more is left to be
desired?
1t is about supper time now, so must
close and see what is in store for us.
Write to me soon and tell all my friends
hello" for me. With lots of love.