The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-09-25

the front doors, which gave an AR OF
dignity 10 the entrance.
For miles and miles along the banks
formerly swamp lands our boys nave
built wonderful system Of docks, al
WAYS crowded with boats. and swarm
ing with soldiers, both white and col
CURED. working necessarily in the dust
and heat. A railway has been con-
structed which joins the main one TO
Paris. and over this supplies are sent
constantly to men at the front. 1t is
hard work. and one to which, the boys
feel there is very little glory at
tached, as they will never get any
where near the trenches: but we all
know that what they are doing is just
as fine as though they were IN the
thick Of the battle.
Our ship footed, all those at the
docks answered with sirens and other
strange noises, and we reached bor-
deaux exhausted from excitement
We climbed down the gang-piank, II
was almost perpendicular, and one girl
rolled all the way down, many others
sat down and half slid and at the dock
we were met by rows Of soldiers, their
bayonets shining in the moonlight
All the hotels were crowded win
Parisians who had left their homes
because of "Big Berthe and the ar
raids, and the one to which we were
taken was a curiousity, most Of the
"running" Of it being done by young
French girls, quite inexperienced. FIVE
of us slept CD in one room, with al
|, our clothes on. In the morning We
. found the breakfast room to be in
really lovely conservatory, filled witt
blossoming plants, but the only thine
nrocurable in the way of food was
!, Gun of dreadfully bitter coffee, we ha'
, no milk, no sugar Of course, and M
bread. The really wise ones had gon'
to the Canteen, managed by Mrs. AS
5 tor and came back extolhng IL
r praises.
e There was an endless amount o
t pasting of photographs and of making
: out of papers for the police to be don
e before we could take the train 10
z Paris We went to the station in div
d ers sorts of conveyances, our party 0
Il top of the baggage in motor truci
i DR.. Stires with us! As we alighted,
i charming middle-aged French gentle
/ man made us most touching speecl
e in which he praised our bravery
k coming, and thanked us, as belongin
It to the nation which was to say
It France. When we left, we were a
J. in tears, he as well.
le The station was crowded, and
g we waited for our train to leave, al
L. other one pulled in that belched for'
le blue fog of French soldiers SON
1t Sengalese-all of them on leave andJu
g from the fighting. They were in III
t, equipment, schrapnel helmets, 81
re masks and all. 1--WE secretly wonder'
whatever they did with wonderf
es boards when it was necessary to p'
10 on a gas mask in hurry) From u
:? opening in the musette on the back
sy one of the men, tiny kittens hes
e. was peeping, and in cage made
y chicken wire little boy had two bal
is blue-iays, which he fed from tie
he spoon: one of them escaped, and Bu
CESS johnson dashed out and caug
g. liz. he was held up and made to She
" that everlasting passport before
or was allowed to re-enter the train! 4
ch we leant out of the windows we hea
ut two American boys ask if there we
ID. anv "girls for New York" aboard 7
up train, so Of course We were only Z
he glad to chat with them. One had
de dreadfully deep wound in his thro
a and showed us the piece of schrapr
err which had caused it and had been c
rly out. He had queer old Boschewat'
he like an apple, which he had found
he the battle field: it was engraved =
Of seph Dehring". When they heard II
ian we were singers, they wanted us to
some songs then and there, for N
rk- said, they "handn't had good I'll
oil in a long while.
we In the meantime, all the French
icy diers who could, were washing at
err sinks along the station wall, trying
get off the trench dirt.
to The gardens were at their lovll
oss ali the way up to Paris,-roses, mi
toj nolias, palms and sometimes our
the golden rod; there were, too, stl
all stalks of American corn, growing
we flower pots, like a curiosity.
xn: At Tours we met a sweet Americ
but working in the Canteen, who SER
ks, often, five thousand mcn in one O
the she has been doing this for fourt