Oxford eagle., 1919-01-30
SOLDIER LETTERS.
St. Florent, F-ance.
Dec 2S, 1918.

lear EWAENA--
Ny other letter brought me so
many appreciated communications
from friends in my home county that
Z have decided it is about the best
say 10 carry on so large a correspond
encc-
There are around 200 troops in the
area where am located. and it might
interest the folks at home to know Just
how we spent Xmas in the Demo
cratic army" Well, for one thing,
tee various organizations bought all
the turkeys in the country and every
one 50 far aa / know had q good Tur-
key dinner. Most Of the fellows had
boxes Ct candy. tobacco. and presents
of every conceivable kind from home.
also letters cards. etc. The Red
Cross sent a presents for all the pa
tieutS IN tn, hospital, and the Y NJ
G. A. distributed ]. 900 packages to the
enlisted men
raised SEQ from officers and en-
listed men. ard gave TO more than 100
Freach orphans in this little town .
regular ola American Christmas tree.
.ri-h Santa coming down out Of the
- q me big warehouse, calling out
RE nameS and handing to each one a
nice box Of PRESENTS n was . new
z ing 10 these poor children. and they
eat forget II soon In fact. the
eli5l lran IN France VIII miss us mcre
s4a any other class when We depart
or America took an interpreter
The nezt day and visited the homes Of
a aunber of the children juSt TO see
aow they were enjoying their toys and
-the- gifts Hound one little SICK boy
S .aose mother had taken his package
home e. him from the Christmas tree
The night before, sitting up IN bed with
a toy drum On the cover making the
day hiieous with his noise. while his
little brothers were down IN the floor
+on their knees having = great time
running . toy train or . track II
mas the same way all around. In my
work among the orphans, found one
family that was particularly touch
iEg- Il cen zisted Of = father. mother.
F and 5 girls the eldest was y years,
and thc 1aaEest seven months of
Ilge. III mother was away in =
crsrty -oSpital in another town and
had bea for tWO months The sole
aeme fog s-e family was a pension
~ sl2H1 per month the man received
F fraln zh2 French government for hav-
~ baen in the army Th7ee dollars
lAis lad . 20 Tor cows milk TO
-aei .le baby. Th-y E-ere living or
1- q and TO; any too much Of that
+ If Wcu al brighs children and par
Z tic1 ariy the oldess enc that was a
F Hht-. mother 60 al M rest. q woman
lie had g Glance 10 BE- a child.
+ ee .Eere As scantiiy cad A. they
te pporly feb bought them a few
f-cs fef Imme3izte need TIE
-er rad not seen one Of the child
a ter the tao months she had been
..-y IN tAe hospital ! had occasion
a. visit tins toNn where the mother
.1s. after found cut about IL /
-elt ever and took the little nine
year-3ld giFl THAI had never been out
~ the village IN her lie, nor ridden
T r a1 auto. together with = French
afcrpreter down 10 the big city where
l-. rospital was took her b
1- tore, had . nice new d-ess put
0- her. white collar, md bright. neW
I rbbon CT her hair. We theE went
dea- % the hospital. and the frs;
thing the peer mother knew her gii
was standing by the side o. her cot
/ ID uas worth 3 great deal 10 So them.
tlen took her 70 the Red Cross and
gave me- the most dinner she had
ever secG Al one time. When she
could hold no mOre they wrapped her
w. q Big batch cf good things TO car
7 ry home
a few days later the doctor dis
missed the woman and I managed to
gel her home ChTiStmes day, in time
to >ae al eight Of the children get a
+ big ..arkage e-eh-
Ioiay carried them q box Of gro
ec-ie<. took the little mother TO a
shoe store and bought her a pair Of
/ leather shoes costing 5000. The
wAole family had only wooden shoes.
.had already bought her a nice new
ns. 50 they are about as happy
amly IS you can find in town and
as grateful.
Tire orphans and French refugees
arl the most pathetic sights one can
see in this country.
ln this town Is a large building
+-rf-r ,--sA v,aE,,geaS