Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-08-25
CHAPTER " CONTINUED.

The billeting of the men was a
problem. As | mentioned before. the
constitution of the United tates for
bids billeting, taking as ground 70"
this action that when soldiers are
placed under a private roof constant
friction is bound TO arise. In Eu-
rope the masses of troops were so
great and the country so thickly set
tied that this method of caring for
the soldiers was of necessity the only
one that could be adopted. In the
average French farm the houses have
big barns attached to them. in the
barn on the ground floor are the pigs,
cows and numberless rabbit also
farm implements. wagons and the
like Up a shaky ladder. which had
been doing service for generations,
is the hayloft,
There, among the hay, the soldiers
are billeted and sleep
When we first came over, according
TO our best army traditions, cots were
brought for the men. We tried to fit
these into the barns, but soon found it
impossible, and, after we had been
there a certain length of time, we
turned them all in and they We're
never again used by the troops. In
stead We bought hay from the natives,
spread it on the floor of the loft and
the men slept on it, This sounds
pleasant, but it isn't as pleasant as it
sounds. 1t is fairly good in summer,
as the weather is warm, the days are
long and the barn is generally full Of
cracks. which let in the air, and You
can get along fairly we'll as to light.
When winter comes, however, the
hrns are freezing cold. and the men,
after their hard work in the rain,
come back soaking wet. 1t gets
dark early and the sun does not rise
until late. On account of the hay the
greatest care must be used with lights.
Smoking has to be strictly stopped.
You have, therefore, at the end Of
day tired wet men, who have no
where to go except to their billets,
and in the billets no light to speak Of,
very little heat and a strict prohibi-
ton against smoking,
The officers, of course. Jared bet
ter They slept in the houses and
generally got beds. Europeans do
not like fresh air. They feel good
deal like the gentleman in Stephen
Teacock's story who said he liked
fresh air and believed you should
open the windows and get in all you
could Then you should shut the
windows and keep it there 1t would
keep for years.
! have been in many rooms where
the windows were nailed shut. The
beds also are rather remarkable.
They are generally fitted with feather
mattresses and feather quilts Very
ceten they are arranged In niche
in the wall ike a closet AMI have two
doors, which the average EuroDear,
after getting into thIe bed, closes,
thereby rendering it about as airy and
well ventilated as a coffin.
I remember my own billet in one o.
the towns where we stopped. As
was commanding officer, it was one
of the best and was reasonably warm
It was warm because the barnyard
was next door, literally in the next
room all that separated me from a
COW being a light deal door by the side
of the bed The cow was tied to the
Goor When the COW slept | slept;
hut if the COW passed a restless night
l had all The opportunity / needed
to think over my past sins and future
plans. In another town an excellent
tllet was not used by the Officers
because over the bed were hung pho
praphs of all the various persons who
Rad died in the house, taken while
they lay dead in that bed. Human