The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-04-02

way, but really next time | think
shall e1deavor to view it under other
conditions. We had a dandy good
bunch of sports in our car, and it's
fine to see how they make the best of
things and manage to have a good
time under any old circumstances.
They fed us from commissary car
ahead, and l was initiated into the
mysteries of bully beef, hard tack and
other army Injuries, and after Sc
hours of such l felt almost like q vet
eran, or, to be more truthful, more
like a dyspeptic junk shop, whatever
that is.
Late the next night we came to am
other hating place, and this time we
were put into big old refrigerator
of chateau and slept on bare army
Gets with overcoats for coverings the
first night, for it was just impossible
for them to do any better for us, bu.
next day we were given billets and
spent the rest of the time in that
town more comfortable. That chateau
was a wonderful place for us green
horns from the new world and we
went through it from "kiver to kiver,"
of course under the watchful eye of
female guide who couldn't say any
thing Ineligible except "un franc"
when she took up the tickets. 1t is
one of the largest in France, and i
place of interest to tourists all over
the world so we were lucky to see
it. Part of it was built along about
the 18th century by old Louis some
body, another part by Henry and
another by Charles - and so on, so
by the time they all got whack at it
it was some sizeable place. 1t used to
be jam full of relics of all sorts and
wonderful furniture and paintings
ard tapestries, but these were all
yanked out at the time of the Revolu-
tion and now it is as bare as a Gel.
lar, and it also feels like one, for !,
Cont suppose there has been fire
in ore of the great fireplaces for CEN
turtles. We explored the various Sc
cret chambers and trap doors and
sliding panels. the throne room where
more than one great king has held
court, the guest chamber where one
famous member of a royal family (fe-
male, at that used to dispose of GER
tain of her more ambitious and polit,
ically aspiring friends by the simple
eXpedient of knocking them in the
head or poisoning them and then slid
ing them down chute into a very
famous river; the high walls, the old
moat, and many other things of in,
terest about the place. It's dollars to
doughnuts that when they used to
pull off those big shindigs and hold
their high and mighty sway those old
boys never thought that in this day
and age of the world those halls
would ever be echoing to the tread OF
hob-nailed American boots, in which
said boots walked numerous and sun.
dry denizens of then unknown and
unheard-of world come to straighten
out the tangle into which the old
world had got itself.
We learned considerable in tha,
city, which was a very agreeable
place ins which to spend a few DAYS.
learned things both profitable and un-
profitable, pleasing and displeasing,
some of them highly Illuminating and
Instructive but equally disastrous fl.
nancially. Food was good there. and
reasonable at first, but the dear ma
tives learned to gouge us Just as GER
tain of our dear people back home do
when they get the chance, and from
Their on the H. G. L. increased sur
rrlsingly. / almost lived on the choc
olatc they served there, for IL was
about the best / ever tasted and If
was fairly reasonable in price too,
but where l am now-Oo la la-it's
just like eating gold nuggets, and con-
sequently we are always hungry and
clamoring for sweetstuffs. We finally
got our assignments and took one last
ail-day and most-of-the-night ride and
landed in this little burg where our
work is to be, for a time at least.
We are nicely fixed now, with billets
around town and a mess of our own
where they surely do put I'D plenty
OF good wholesome food. My work is
interesting as we'll as instructive and
] know that l am going to like It and
/ hope make good at it. Will some
day tell you the character of it, but
can't just now.