The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-10-23

| "'s'NS sAta Hsll'r VI N"ihsiib anu hiefi
what,
Which was the most beautiful. tn,
sunsets or the moonlight? On tn,
ride home the moon was 80 hrigh
that it seemed almost like afternoon
Not soul did we see, until we cam,
to railway ere ssing, where there wa!
long train, filled with French sol
diers, and dozens Of fiat cars, loadet
w.th eameufaged artillery and trucks
The men were sitting around the CUR
carriages, talking and calling to each
other, and through the open windows
and doors of the cars we could hear
them singing, talways "Madelon,
why?) as they waited. The misty
blue Of the uniforms, the dim lights
and then the moon over all made II
seem like a dream picture.
We took numbers of walks while we
were here, for the parks were more
than inviting; the paths led under
huge lindens which were so thick that
they were moss-grown, and no sun
light ever crept through their branch
es. We had difficulty in walking near
the river, and had to make frequent
detours into the fields, for there were
tempting swimming holcs' which the
boys were only too quick to find.
Neither of us minds snakes in the
least, 1--WE have one who has lived
under our old house in Vermont for
years, "Miss Williams almost
member of the family but the red
slugs in the wet pastures in France
are the most disgusting things we
have ever seen, (they are so slow and
oozy!) and we picked our steps with
more than care.
The slow flowing river Aube is fill
ed with equally slow fish, like our
American trout, some Of them and
others exactly like mackerel: they lie
fiat on the top Of the water in lay
ers, tempting one to catch them, but,
we were told, that is not such an easy
thing to do. We counted, one day,
twenty-eight silly creatures which we
could have gotten in a net.
Foot bridges lead across the stream
to houses which seem to be built in
the water, the pathway lined with
plants, growing in pots, and
the gardens surrounding the buildings
9 very mass of bloom. The wash
women were always beating the
clothes with their wooden. paddles un-
der the shelter of the town laundry
roof, and as they worked their chat
ter sounded like machine guns.
1t was here that young Lieuten-
ant brought one of us home one after
noon, and, as he left her, said that it
was more of a treat than she could
imagine, taking d bit of walk with
"a sanitary American woman" He
mad no idea that the remark was fun
ny, it was a serious matter to him!
Something unheard of happened one
hight, no one came to take us to
performance which we knew we were
o give somewhere. We waited until
line o'clock and then went out into the
'quare to see what we could see! We
ound some soldiers who hurried up to
he "Y" hut, at our request, and came
'ack with the news that it was at the
hospital that they were expecting us.
The hospital, the most important of all
'laces. There was no apparent way
# getting there, we didn't know how
ar it was, the streets were pitch
lack, and in the meantime we knew
hat those poor boys had been waiting
or US for over an hour. At last a
ide-car came by, which we held up,
with the aid of the group of soldiers
which we were always sure would just
happen round" when they heard
,nglish spoken) and they bundled US
9th into it. There was not one word
( comp amt from a soul in the build
ng when we at last arrived, every one
'as happy and every one sang as they
ad never sung before.
The men were sitting on benches on
he dirt floor, they had real home
lade scenery, and foot lights, and all
orts Of orchestral instruments,
traps" and everything.
1t was an especially sad little hos
ital, and everyone was over-worked
lmost to the breaking point. There
ere no women nurses, and there were
hooking numbers Of deaths from
each day. Never have
lore faithful and Woodworking doc
,rs and helpers been known, but their
atients had kept up so long before
sporting their illness to the officers
( their company, that there was no
4ving them. The doctors were as
eart-broken over the death Of each
oy as though they had been their