The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-02-11
Our Writer in France

racks 129, with the cooks, the KIP,
and the casuals. was just playing
a few s0ciable games of checkers OF
my bunk with a friend, and thu
bunch kept congregating right at m!
bunk and bothering with questions
as to who was winning CASUALLY wher
l was losing) when up came one o.
our crew with fellow to introduce
to me. ''The devil take him." says
l, and was prepared to be bored while
the game grew cold, because the
friends who brought this frined uI
is an ex-missionary true to stamp
The strangers name was Fairfi OF
Ferrer, he was introduced as a news.
paper man from Salt Lake; he was
pleasant and had plenty Of words
We talked of the papers and paper
personnel of Salt Lake. l mentioned
how I got hooked up with Blackfoot
he said: ''Why / was after that job
myself" We compared notes and
found that we actually, fifth third
man named Carlyle Burrows, had
that cold winter Of 1915 in Salt Lake
had lines out for the same job that
finally landed me such wonderful
home in the wind-swept Snake river
valley. Burrows went east and
landed job on the New York Sun
just In time to escape the draft. This
fellow Fair, or Fehr. went to Wash
ington, D. c. and studied law, then
enlisted in Sprague's ambulance
corps which has had the poor luck,
after sticking around Camp Grant al
most as long as we at Kearny, to be
all scattered to the four winds in
France, He comes up from the base
hospital No. 80 at Hyeres, near Mar
settles, q gas casual. He was gassed
by handling gas patients on the st.
Meeyell sector.
And do you remember the great
drive on an outlaw at Bingham
named Lopez? Well, we hadn't been
in this camp but few days when in
comes q remnant of Sprague's out
fit, Sgt. Lester Wire in charge. Sgt.
Wire was a mate Of mine at Salt
Lake high school, and a. noted pistol
shot. He was one of the men who
entered the mine when they had that
f1asco fight in the dark and killed,
1 believe, one of the posse.
Everybody from the front swears
at the Y. M. c. A. and by the Saliva
tion army. Ferh said tonight; 1--WE
made an oath, by never to
pass up a Salvation army drum here
after!" The Salvation army had the
goods and the service. And received
the least financial backing from
home. Whenever something is given
away free to the soldiers, it is US
ually the Salvation army. One day
at the Y here apples were being
handed out. l got some, and then I
said to myself: II guess the Y. M.
c. A. is pretty good, they give when
they have something to give" Then
I looked at blackboard standing by
and it said, "Apples free-Salvation
Army" The good old army has
made it's own great future success
during this war, if the influence Of
two million grateful soldiers has any
thing to do with the future in Amer
lea. Personally, my money goes to
the times l have passed it up in
the past. And listen to mel am
mild. You will hear wild talk when
the boys" get back in force.
enjoy the typewriter work. They
can't furnish enough to keep me
from being bored. That is the thing
like about newspaper work-the
constant moving of things, no dull
moments, no idle hours. I am more
keen to get to work every day. Isn't
1t strange that in this world there
are so many people spending their
time lodging work, and I who want
to pitch in like the very devil, l am
stalled in an under clerkship, across
the sea from my field of work, and
isolated so I can't even keep busy
seeing things. Well, I shall get to
town in day or two and buy up
some French literature to refresh !
myself on. sometimes wonder |
where are all those books the good |!
home folks donated so literally to |
army library societies. The
library here never has had more than |
three books when l have dropped in.
I guess they have a small line of fic-
ton which the boys keep out. l see
The books around the office here and
The barracks, but always in use. 1t
Is poor stuff at that. I got copy
Of Lucille last week and read that
1electable story for my second time.
My English professor used to tell me
hat ! would not think so much Of
hat later, but I do like it, very
much. 1t isn't great poetry, but it
8 pretty story. One day got my
lands on copy Of the Saturday
Evening Post and read it at sitting,
hen passed it on to a friend, who
ook it to the barracks and suppose
hat was the last the Y. M. G. A.
'ver saw if it. It Saumur the library
lad twenty or thirty books, the Y. M.
;. A. library, or else they too were
.lways out.
Last night we worked until mid
light, and the cook had a quantity
4 bacon friend, SO we toasted bread
nd had a fine little lunch, milk and
ugar in the coffee and everything.
Sincerely,
FREMONT.