The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-16

that they dipped into this odous mess.
 My friend told me the horrors of con
 taminatiop they were obliged to put up with was worse than the hunger they were obliged to suffer unless they had sufficient money to buy foof from a sort of contractor of the prison who must have made vast sums of money from the terrible provisions he sold to those prisoners who could raise the wind"
 Before he was in prison. the man of whom I am speaking told me that an edict was published in Moscow pro- hibiting the wearing of any uniform whatever by men in the city. He was wearing at the time the official khaki ! of his position and had no plain clothes at all. He, therefore, went out to purchase multi. He succeeded in securing a suit of clothes which be- ! fore the war would have been dear at 1 s35. He paid for it about $225 and con- | sidered that he was lucky in be1.S | able to get it at all.
 1 I am just in receipt of a very inter l esting and cheery letter from my young | officer friend in the 12Sth United states artillery. He writes to me deploring | the fact that American troops are no | longer allowed to take their leave in l England. and insinuating that murkY and musty old London is what he most 1 desires to see next to his own native state of Kansas.
 "I am writing" he says, "at very handy table in very warm, dry, com fortable room, wherein wood fire burns merrily in a real American made l fireplace We are still camped in bill | lets in 8 wood near Verdun. It seems 1 that general headquarters dislikes to | move us until we go either to Germany |, or home, So, here we are, still far | from the madding crowd and rarely seeing anyone, save the personnel of our own regiment. The Germans didn t l leave enough of Verdun or it's adja- cent towns to offer much inducement to the former inhabitants to return there immediately after hostilities ceased.
 Our camp, however, is picturesque and comfortable. It Is situated on the side of a steep hill, the huts in which we live being built on terraces wlN h have stairways leading from one tier to another. All the officers of the bat talion live here except those son duty who are told off in charge of each bat tery. We have an excellent mess and our diversions are chiefly fighting over old campaigns together, playing poker, pinochle, rummy and the like, and also, of course. we have our letters to write and plenty of books to read.
 Right now, for instance, some of the
 gang are playing a very noisy game
 of poker in the next hut. good many
 of the officers are being given French
 leave now. They are always drib-
 bling back full of stories and recol
 lections of their adventures which they
 recount for our benefit. I think I shaN
 get away next week. and shall probably
 go to Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo.
 How I wish, however, I could come to
 London! Our chief excitement this
 week has been the arrival of lot of
 horses for the use of the battalion
 American ones this time and dandies.
 big bay boy has been handed over
 to me and he loves to go just as much
 as I love to ride him. This is a splen-
 did country for riding in spite of the
 shell holes and the plowed-up condi
 tion of some of the roads. We had a
 theatrical show here the other day that
 was put on by couple of Y. M c. A.
 men who were joined by some very
 pretty and charming Y. W. c. A. girls
 who are members of the oversea theatre
 force. I can tell you they are doing
 fine work, fighting the blues away from
 the boys in camps over here"
 This cheerful young warrior certain
 ly seems to be "doing his bit' in the
 way of keeping the American forces of
 the army of occupation happy and in
 also sending out a spirit of optimism
 to those who watch and wait at home.