Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-02-07

A Dinner With the Gensral-visit to
the Home of La Fayette-Somethins
About the orphans-Ready to Come
Home.
THE following letter from DR.. j.
Wilson Mcconnell, was written to the
homefolks from Base Hospital No. 80
at Royat; Puy-de-Dome. France, on
January s. 1t will be Of special inter-
est to the doctors many friends and
acquaintances and Of hardly less in
terest to the public.
I have Just come in from the sur
gerry, where I operated on man for
mastoid trouble-double infection,
both sides-and I sat down here think
ing 1 would give you the story OF last
week, as I usually do. but when
wrote the date line. the phone rang
and Col. Carter asked me to go for a
ride with him. An invitation from
the c. O., is about. equivalent to an or
der and in this case a very pleasant
order it is too, for the colonel Is
dandy companion. and we will 90
somewhere for ride and 1t may be
ate when we get back, but I will try
to chronicle the events Of the week
past for you.
First let me say. that I am always
wishing for all of you, for really do
have lots Of interesting experiences
and see so many pretty places and
things that IL I had all Of you along
we could enjoy them 30 much in the
years to come, for talking over places
where you have been and people we
have met is one Of the pleasantest
things in life.
Second: State Of weather and health
the usual thing in a letter-the
weather is damp. rains frequently,
SHOWS every few days. but 1t stays on
the ground only in the mountains, and
though I see snow every day, 1t Is not
cold. Health-general health condi-
tions are good. There has been a bit
of a flare up in flu in some places, but
we have not had many severe cases
the pneumonia is not severe. My own
health is good. I am not quite SO
stout as have been, but weigh enough.
I have been careful in my eating in or
der to keep my weight down. Our
mess Is good, but hardly as good as
when we had more patients, for when
we bought in larger quantities we had
better choice. We buy a great deal Of
veal from the French and veal Is not
one Of my favorites, as Agnes Knows
and I serve fair warning on the rest OF
you when come to eat the Christmas
and Thanksgiving dinners have miss
ed. My long suit Is chicken and rice
and gravy don't forget that. - Cousin
Lizzie and Aunt Seraphina used to
start the fire in the stove in the mid
die Of the afternoon to cook me an
egg custard, and would like to eat
one right now. Lots Of people have
been good to me all my life-1 think
of how many people have taken trou-
BILE for me all during my life, and l
am thankful for it. Then I was for
tunate enough to marry a wife who
loves me lot and takes lot Of trou-
BILE for me and you cannot beat that
for good fortune. Over here, I have
found people who treat me fine too
so the Lord Is still looking out for me.
The dinner given by Gen. Santant
was fine. He Is, as you recall, the
French commander Of this section
lieutenant general he is. He gave this
dinner to the American officers-eight
OF us-two colonelsS two majors and
some liason officers who have been
attached to his staff. He had his staff
present, and the dinner was served In
a "cafe gastronome." enclose the
menu for you. If you pardon me, I
will translate for you too: Consomme,
Turbot Dieppe (fish); lamb chops,
and cream, roast partridge
on toast; salad. lettuce and celery.
some meat patties and all sor.S OF
fruits and confections-as I told you
they are great for glace fruits and diff
ferent kinds Of cakes. The wines
were white and red wines in carafe (you
drink those instead of water). Haut
Sauterne-a dandy sweet water. Cham
pagne (Nuits st. Georges) and a cor
dial liquer--chartreuse or some such.
The first toast proposed by the gen.
eral was to President Wilson. We
toasted LIE Belle France also, Of
course. You address the general as
Mon General" always. Lauto est ar
rive
Sunday night. Well, we had a nice
ride Of about 80 miles. What it would
have meant to each Of you. We went
through Chamalieres, and up the
mountain side, winding around on a
perfect road and smooth grade, un-
til we were up where we could see for
miles down the valley Of the Aller,
numerous villages with their red roofs,
the slopes covered with vines, and lit
tie wine sheds and cellars here and
there, many Of them looking as il they
were 500 years old and they probably
were. At last we were up in the snow
and it wac cold-we passed the same
place had been on my wild boar hunt.
an old volcanic crater, with stone piled
by the real Master hand-such heaps
of lava and stuff you never imagined.
Then we came to the village Of Volvic
"a place hundreds Of years old. mar
row streets dirty in appearance, about
1000 people, would say and all en-
gagged in stone cutting. The Volvic
stone is known all over Europe. 1t is
a volcanic stone, about like sand
stone or brownstone, red and dark In
color-and there were thousands OF
slabs of it of all sizes and also plenty
Of capitals and carvings. 1t was a
bleak looking place, for practically no
vegetation was growing up there.
We visited the Chateau de Tour
nool and it is by far the biggest ane
most interesting castle I have seen II