The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-11-06
transforming At THE FRONT.
asc,ng an Interesting First Hand Ae-
ccsat ef hos our Boys Lived O" the
Proat Lines in France.
n, Frances and Grace Hoyt


Prous Lines in France.
B, Frances and Crsce Hoyt
tCoutlnued from las, Week
The Geld WAS brown with boys at
eouyignon. there were so many who
had marched in from the adjoining
villages, tha, the ~" man. hadn't even
tried to get them into the big tent,
bu, had made us platform on the
usual mess tables just outside IL. The
pasture was packed, and all the sol
diers were sitting on the ground.
What a fine lot Of lads they were, and
how they did love their officers. The
major introduced us to the men, and
fold them a few Of the things which
had happened TO us, such as the
shooting OF our car on It's way through
the woods, etc; but when terrific
rain storm descended on US all, and
we. singing all the while, tas the
major moppcd the keys Of the piano
with his handkerchief asked the men
n they didn't think they ought TO go
where there was some shelter, they
laughed long and loud at the idea that
they should mind anything which was
causing US no discomfort. 1t always
stops raining sooner or later, and our
storm lasted only ten minutes: but II
~as some storm while II lasted! A
beautiful rainbow drapcd itself across
the sky just behind us, (the wish that
~e made on It, was that all those boys
might make speedy and a safe re-
turn home. in peaceD we looked just
over our heads, and there were the
branches of the trees heavy with
mistlctoe.
When we said goodbye to the boys,
and told them we were so soon going
back to the States, they groaned. That
does not mean that there was one
among them who would have left
France, for every boy we spoke to said
that he didn't want to go home until
, Germany was licked" but the poor
.dcars were just plain home sick Two
hundred and sixty-four gave US the
address to their mother, wife, sister
or sweetheart to write to. One boy
said, tell my mother that we are liv-
ing with Christi another, SAY that
God is, our password" and on an
others card was written, "A Christian
sohiierr'
Next morning we had breakfast
with General Edwards and his officers.
II was an early one, that breakfast,
but the General had asked us to be
there. and we would have been there,
il we had been obliged to sit up all
night to do it, for they were all on
their way to the front, and we well
knew what that "front" was TO be,
that il was probably to be the deciding
part Of the war. The General, having
girls in his own family, noticed our
muslin frocks, that we had white slip
pers, and white silk stockings,-he
said they were the first he had seen in
France.
Outside the hotel he spoke to some
soldiers and complimented them on
their salute" and said that they were
among the best set-up of the Ameri-
cans he had seen abroad. He knew
what he was talking about, for the
world has now read. of what the goth
Division" has done towards making
the world safe for Democracy.
When the General said goodbye to
US, there was not one word Of the
dangers into which he was going, he
only said. Children, pray that my
men may be spared as much as pos
sible,--it breaks my heart when they
are killed, or even injured" OF this
stuff heroes have been made in the
carry ua.Ss anu III hhs pooN ipNi st"i0
Later in the morning, az we were
looking at some Bcehe trophies.
crowds of wounded French soldiers
surrounded our car, chattering like
children. and il was pitiful to see how
grateful they were to get the cigar
cites which we bought for them,--l
wonder where -
On one Of the hills back of the
town we came upon queer old peas
ant, hoeing and 'pottering" in his
garden: we asked If we might 90 ia
and see it, and he showed il 10 US with
greatest enthusiasm, most because he
wanted To talk. The whole garden
was like an old fashioned door yard,
without the door,--for the only build
ing in sight was tiny hut, in which
he kept his tools. and which could be
heated in chilly weather by little
open fire. Vegetables and flowers
were growing and blossoming in pro-
fusion. and when we left he had filled
our hands with wonderful roses, some