The Topeka state journal., 1918-08-24

clOlneS, etc., ana walked out TO a little
mill pond and just loafed around all
| afternoon.
First. tho, We were assigned to our
| rooms by the billeting officer. You
know the troops are quartered all
around in the town. 1t is just a small
village and maybe twenty men are
stuck in a houSe-another bunch In
the city hall-or maybe a stable or
garden. 1 have a dandy big room with
some French people; two beds, a
| couple of tables, a washstand, half a
| dozen chairs, a fireplace and a big full
| length mirror. The furniture is won
derful, in fact you could not ask for
better place to stay. The people are
lawfully nice to us-my iandlady-I
| cannot understand her-brought up a
bottle of white wine this afternoon,
vintage of 1900. They have lots of
it. 1t is all light tho, and you never
see any one drunk in France.
| It is very warm down in this part
of the country-almost like kansas
but the nights are cool.
In a letter written later Lieutenant
| Erickson says:
I am in the artillery school I told
you about in my last letter. We are
very comfortable here altho it cannot
be compared with our billets at the
last place. Lieutenant Oakes and 1
are very lucky in having brought our
| in the states and consequently are now
sleeping on the hard floor.
The French people where we stay
ed were very good to US at our last
stop and sure hated to see US go. The
| woman where / stayed cried when /
left and showed me some pictures of
her two sons who were killed in 1915.
The government pays for our billet,
| but it is customary to give the people
a couple of francs a day and my land
!
from me at all, but I left her a ten
franc note where she would find it
| because 1 know she could use it.
Am glad to hear the canteen service
| is going so well and that the people
are coming across to support it be-
| cause it is a wonderful thing and a
| life saver for the Tnen. You cannot
appreciate 1t till you have taken the
! trip have just taken. You encounter
it every step of the way; we were
served hot coffee and sandwiches the
| last thing before boarding the ship in
the United States, and the first thing
we saw in England was the Red Cross
with more hot coffee and cakes.
Am glad 10 hear that AL Cole is
! coming in-he tried several times be-
! fore left. 1 don't think the war will
/ last much longer tho, because the
| Americans are sure going strong. We
| have seen lots of German prisoners
| in France-they unload coal barges
and do all sorts Of work. One of our
| bandmen was talking to one not long
ago-an officer-and they think We
are British with a different kind of
uniform. The prisoner laughed and
/ said You can't kid u.s." or words to
/ that effect. I'VE know you, you are
British in a different uniform" I
| think tho, that the Fritzes up from
are learning. much to their sorrow.
! the difference between a Britisher and
an American.
i Pretty uniforms and shiny boots
! may look nice at home but they are
/ want here is wool suit, some heavy
i hobnailed field shoes and wrapped
! puttees and an iron hat.
| If you thought the 341 F. A band
was good. I wish you could listen to
! the - F. A. band 1t is an eastern
| the band was recruited from Sousa s
| and Pryor's bands. They are sure
wonders and play all kinds of music,
high brow or jass. equally we'll They
! gave a concert last night and our
! band stood around with its mouth
day they are not half SO cocky SIS they
| were.
Lieut.. JOHN E. ERICKSON,
S41 F. A, Am. Ex. Forces, France.
X y
Mrs. Malissa Nicely. president of
Lincoln circle No. 1, Ladies of the
G. A. r.; Mrs E. K. GIunt. deps
ment chaplain, and Mrs. Julia Cor
don, past national secretary and treas
urer. have returned from the National
G. a. r. convention in Portland, Ore,
Mrs. Nicely and Mrs. Giunt went as
delegates. Mrs. Gordon has been
made a member of the rational presi-
dents staff. All three ladies are mem
bers of the Topeka circle.
\ X
THE LETTER OF A DEBUTANTE
Dear S. R..-There isn't any special
reason why L should write to you to-
day except that it is Saturday and L
| rather lave the habit. This letter
habit is very much like the bath habit; !;
when Saturday comes it is just simply
a part of the happenings of the day
and then too, sometimes I hear some
thing really good and when scandal
flows freely, 1 feel like (his name
slips my mind now, but 1 think his
intimate friends, and most everyone
seems to be his intimate friend, call
him Frank did when he first came
to town and took a rooR with bath;
1 actually can hardly wait until Sat-
urday night to write to you.
But this week is different-there
isn't any terrible scandal around
town: no ones husband Is going with
any other mans wife. as in the days
of the famous filtration of the state
house grounds: the girls whose best
friends have all gone off to war are
not working up any desperate cases
with the men who are left at home. If
any of these things were happening We
would tell you so. for didn't we hint
at the beginning of the year that some
OF the engaged ones were not doing
any sitting around home. Neither are
there any new tales out concerning
any of the attractive widows. OF
course. a great many people are out
of town and hence the dullness. If by
searching the byways. L can find out
Ianything about-any- y-one-whom-so ever
Ietween now and next week, 1 shall
certainly not keep 1t from you
They say one Topeka girl has had a
great streak of luck. A wealthy uncle
has promised to send her to one of the