Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-12-05

the storm very we'll, so We took then
under our protecting wings and march
ed along. | think We marched or
every street in the town, and We were
having such a good time that We missed
the go train back TO camp, so We de-
cided to stay and see the whole thinl
OUT
At seven o'clock the Liberty traii
from camp dropped three thousand Oh
more Americans into town, and i'm
apine there must have been at least tha
many walked in, so you can figure foi
Yourself more than six thousand soldiers
turned loose in that French town, anc
every one of them just as glad that the
war was over. There was sure some
celebrating done, and since the win<
was beginning TO flow pretty freely and
| was pretty we'll tired out, | decided &c
catch the French train at 7.S0 and re
turn 10 camp, and am glad that | did
for there were lot of orders here thai
had come in and | was mighty busy fol
the rest of the evening.
The working hours have been cut
down, and a new order has been estab
lished. and today is holiday for the
entire camp. and as | write there are
not six men in the barracks, for they
are all taking advantage OF the oppor
tunity 10 60 to town to celebrate. TO-DAY
in camp the bands have been playing
and aeroplaneS have been flying IN al
directions and positions, and the spirit
of victory and happiness is filling ths
air. 1t sure is a grand and glorious
feeling to know that we have won. The
daily papers just came in and they give
us the conditions of the armistice. |.
they are carried out Germany is certain
ly finished and will never threaten the
world again, for the terms are more
severe than we had figured on-bui
then it is better to lean toward security
than to lean the other way, for we don't
want to have to send men over here
again on a like mission. 1t certainl
looks like we have made a thorough iot
of it this time, and that We won't be
bothered for some time to come.
Today neither French nor Americans
are working, and the celebration is pro-
ceeding in all quarters, and tonight will
be as wild as last night, but | think ]
will stay in the camp and see what goes
on here. The French are walking
through the camp by the hundreds, and
in little town just across the river ar
band is giving a concert and
the French folks are gathering to enjoy
the music. Yesterday and today have
been given over to festivities entirely
and everyone is making the most Of it.
Tomorrow will see everybody back at
work again, and We vii! go to the work
with renewed vigor and pep. The new
order gives us Saturday and Sunday
without work, but stipulateS that Satur-
day will be devoted to inspection and
drill, which means that Saturday will
not be holiday altogether, for an in
Spection such as We are planning is
going TO be some work. Every piece of
equipment that the men have has TO be
cleaned up and laid out on his bunk ac-
cOrding to a given plan, and man who
has more than the regulation must turn
in the extra stuff, and men who have not
enough will have to draw enough to
bring them up to the regulation. There
are very few who don't have all and
more than they should and we are ex
pecting an thrush of extra equipment
which also means that We are making
the preparations for going home. Think
Of that-getting ready to come home
1t sounds almost too good - be true.
and having been out of the States some
eight or nine months, must admit that
coming home sounds mighty good and
they can start to shipping me any time
they want to.
have not been able to find out
my commission will be held Up
or not, and now that the war is over
am not sure but that | would just as
lief come home with the company
Since have been with them this long.
! might as we'll finish cut the trip with
them. And since we had such good
Accommodations on the Vaterland coming
over, | guess we will hit the worst old
tub in the service coming home-but we
should worry about that would be
willing to make the start in a wash-tub,
which, by the way, the French don't
know anything about Did | ever tell
you how they do their washing? The
women gather up their dirty clothes and
load them on a little cart and go down to
the banks OF a stream and set up
little table at the edge Of the water and
do their laundry work right there. To
get the clothes clean they use wooden
paddles, and they sure do pound the
clothes with all their strength. II is
certainly a sight 10 see twenty-five
French women lined up along the banks
Of a stream and all Of them hard al
work pounding the dirt out Of clothing
and it is an awfully slow process, too
saw few along the river bank today
who evidently did not let the ending OF
the war interfere with their domestic
arrangements.
In my last letter told you what a
wonderful city Tours was, and wish
that | might have been there last night
for ! know that that city was having q
regular time, too. And Paris! Well
anyone would be foolish TO try to de-