Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1919-01-30
France
December 1918.

France
December 1918.
Dear friend;
My mail isn't coming at all amy
more. Got letter from you last
Thursday dated in July, and these
are the only two letters that / have
received from anyone since / wrote
you last.
Have had three days vacation al
ready this week and will have tomor-
row off. Then will have to go to
work Thursday for the day. No not
know whether my application for
leave has gone through or not, but
think it has, and viii leave here Fri
day morning. Have had dandy
time yesterday and today.
1t rained all day yesterday but
went out just the same. Got soak
ing wet but am used to that. About
every time we stick our head out of
doors here we get wet and it is no
wonder that the French people are
called frogs. That is about the only
kind of an animal that could live
in this country.
Yesterday morning / went to You
vray, about five or six kilometers up
the river Loire. Got in with a
Frenchman that had big wine cell
lar and got all the wine could
drink and brought some back with
me. When / got back to camp a.
bout three O'Clock | was feeling
pretty good, but was wet and cold, so
changed clothes and laid down on the
bunk and covered up with blankets
and slept until supper time. After
supper had to consume the wine that
brought back with me so managed
to keep in pretty good spirits all eve
ming
This morning as soon as break
fast was over | took a car going
down the river Loire and rode to the
end of the line at Luynes, about nine
kilometers from here. There were
four other soldiers on the car, from
the Fighting O. M. to use their own
definition, and they were out on an
expedition similar to nine | thot
] had Just as well hook up with them
and when we got to Luynes we went
ahead on foot without knowing Just
where we were going to stop.
Passed blacksmith shop along
the road where some Frenchmen
We're working, and gave them d Gig
arctic each. One of them offered to
show us his caves and we went with
him, About half Of the people ii
this country live in caves. They
are cut il solid stone, and very offer
a front is built on them which makes
them look like house, and they
make very nice places. This fellow
had four stories to his place. In.
stead of a stairway from one floor
| to another there was whiting patti
cut in the solid stone on the side OF
the hill. This path was about tive
feet wide and the stone on eithe,
side was from four to ten feet high
At the entrance Of the lower cave
a dandy fountain had been carved out
OF the stone, with little pools at in
teryals of about two feet from the
ground on up to the top of the cave
Water came in at the top and poured
from one pool to the next, and il
the large pool at the bottom was {
tiny spray which threw the water III
In the air from the center of the ba
sin. The thing was all decorated
with sea shells, and miniature stat
ues and was real beautiful
inside the cave was sort Of cur
losity shop containing a collection O.
4 souvenirs that the man had gathered
up during his life. He had every
thing from hats like Napoleon wor,
TO toy cannons, but what interested
us the most was the collection of vi,
| ~' AAS piOuSUL OUT plenty OF
this and made us drink with him
Then we went up to the second foo,
Of the place, where we found Z
bunch of chickens and rabbits. II
the third series of caves he kept
Junk of various sorts. On the fourth
floor was a place of worship of some
sort. This cave was only small one
about ten feet square, and the front
was closed by gate of iron bars
At the back of the cavern was ar
altar, all fixed up like those in the
catholic churches. 1t was hewn out
Oh stone and looked very nice. Along
either wall places had been bewn
out for small statutes of saints or
something. On up at the TOP of the
NIL, and just above this place was
large crucifix. The cross was Of
| wood and the scuIntura ~ rL,