The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-01-18
MADE THREE '|T||R|||P
TO THE HOSPITAL
Rivesyille Boy Loses His
Appendix While in
France.

Mrs. Minnie Annette. OF Riyesville,
has received the following letter from
her son in France:
| Dear Mother:-I will endeavor to
write you few lines to let you know
that ] am well and hope ali at home
are the same. suppose Herschel and
James are going to school and Dad
working. Va
How are all the people around
there? Well, mother, France is some
place, 1t rains most Of the time. You
should have seen the crowd the day
the armistice was signed, we had some
time.
Mother this country is an old one.
The buildings are built Of stone and
several Of them are over thousand
years old. You ought to see the old
cathedrals, or churches; they consist
OF hundreds Of rooms. Most Of the
French women wear wooden shoes
which they strap on.
have just begun to understand a
little French, and believe me there
are lots Of French girls over here.
Since ] arrived here / have been in
the hospital three times, once for
humps. then an operation for appen-
dicitis and last the '.flu," the people
were very good to me while | was in
the hospital and got along fine, but
was very sick boy. Mother, dad
wanted to know what kind OF a time
we had coming ever. It was not so
bad. You see we had calm weather,
no storms at all. We were eleven days
and seven hours making the trip, and
believe me / was glad to get on shore
once more as was just tired out. AS
far as submarines were concerned we
weren't bothered with them at all. Not
any OF the boys are with me now that
l knew personally. left them on the
seventh Of September, and have not
seen them since. But there are so
many fellows that 1t isn't lonesome
i and haven't been very homesick.
Mother the money here looks like
some kind of coupons. 1t is not like
the good old o. S. A. money. The most
OF the fences here are made Of stone
or the ground thrown up In the shape
/, of a stone wall. have seen as high
as ten acres in grapes. They use
them mostly for making wine.
The greater majority Of the French
people are very good to US. The
French girls ten years old look as IL
they were about eighteen, and very
few can understand English. One
thing they certainly have splendid
roads.
Mother you need not write any more
until you hear from me as will not
get the mailbut Twill write as soon as
possible and tell You when to write.
certainly would like to be at home
for Christmas, bGt,it is impossible. But
IL nothing happens 4 hope to be at
home by the Fourth Of July. Another
thing about this country you ought to
see the railroads. The engines look
like dinkey engines If they are as big
and they don't travel like the good
"0ld U. S. trains. This country Is at
least 500 years behind U. s. A. Every
thing is different.
certainly would like to see all the
friends in West Virginia. There are
some Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio
boys with me now. How are they all
at Uncle Arthur's. Tell them and
grandpa ! said hello. How are the
rabbits around there? / suppose it is
too late to hunt them now. Tell dad
L / said that we had bigger game than
habits to hunt for a while. but not
now.
cold weather there, haven't seen
any snow here yet