The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-01
LETTER F,RoM FRANCE.

.sss's.s - =. - =
. LETTER FROM FRANCE.
- -------.-
Edwin f. Wtherspoon Writes Of Com
dfrions Sfta;s Arlnfsf;ce.
saulty, France. IAN. 27.
Editor Datlv sIteni: stv.'s e.
I'VE always heard tnat one good
furn deserves another. and solT take
the liberty to Ask yo,, g place this,
another 1etter M II your paper.
PROBABLY NV friends a and around
Sumter would IKE to f11tesar. from ono
of their sons AGAIN I'l1 chance it
ANYWAY SO IN ffha- fo,lovr,na nara .
,eranfis 7 sbau "a, of nv recant on.
ne1r.ien7ces ana nv bonass And. desire.
IN t,r,el near f,,ttIrs
since the arnistica was ,,e siened our
battalion has been moving from place
to place, just passing tie tine i1;es:a away.
Until ne receive enbarkation orders.
Something's our hopes are fun Of gun
shine while at other tines, rain falls
Ike machine gun bullets on a tank.
But orr captain fei,s us that we are
going home soon. and so, the only
thing to do IS wait patiently. But
Why shouldn't We be coutented when
We are so comfortably auartered.
Let me tell you of my fortune. i at
least. /,
We Of the 4th platoon ca1i our
home, Chateau de Stable" the rea-
SON you can easily guess. You see.
there are ne hotels available and not
desiring to TEST our French neiehborss
generosity by ACCEPTING quarters IN
their homes we 60 fifty-tifty and live
II the barns or Stables. The other
day one fellow com planned to his. of
fcer ls6me people VIII complain IL
they have Everything a normal per-
son could care for) stating that the
beds. banks. were no bon. The Of
ticer eSanifed. the hunks and findf.
ing. .eeut> th1t this one particular ,fe4-
lows bunk vas the only ,oa1e; which
had chicken wire springs, reprfmand-
Cd the corplainer and said ...You are
lucky. there's q fellow in the corner
with only. a floor, mattress. II yon
could see the interior you would
think It a. Chinese laundry, for every
one does his own laundry work.
I'VE often heard and now. I know
that kissing is either the fad or. .cua-
tom. here among the French. I don't
objelt TO kissing the madonaoiselles,
but l barr. the nonsiehrs, men. Tho
other night 7 gave a F'renchman "a
tin of tobacco and would you believe
It, he kissed me on both cheeks be-
fore ! could break away. from Him.
So from now on, when I give, any
thing to- tile men I'll throw it-safe-
ty. first.
It has been a custom in th. stats
for people to lock t.aeir. chicken coon
when soldiers came to town for men
;n=fhe service us1al,v nai, each es1s srls
s once ria,t Wa tr;ad to ,Itaen mn
t1e ren,;tatjo aver hero hut 1,n,r,5nyt.
-et hv. w;tb # for ararv ha,,7s In
saulty was ach given a name .lI,,..lad and
humber ,,non our. arrival and every
a roll is ca,}aa and a com.
nieta check Il made .ta has
Nv last mn ra sranb viii he .atont
rhe French ladies' OFT should. saw.
mad ernoiselles, because nearly all
the bows are longing to sac thir
.irlies at .hon,e and I'm no execution.
let me describe the typical French
sirl:
Soon after cane out Of the line
I set out on an eat hunt Finally I
found an es.aniinet where :egga and
chips could be boucht. AT least
the sign read. eggs and cl1ipos; No
one was in the place at the time and
T immediately made, up my mind to
wait only ten minutes before taking
the place. But soon a side door
opened and in walked a typical
French girl Now did not rnaw
INV French lingo and for a moment