The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1919-03-05

WY ioi'o" ing ietteT from her
son, Carl, who is in France:
My dear Mother
AS | sit here in the bake shop.
on the biscuit board, writing
you this letter can look out of
the window on one of the most
forsaken towns on earth. Not
one thing but stones houses and
muddy streets. 1t has rained
every day since we landed. and
we have been here over Il week.
Don't know when we will start
to unload, to morrow | suppose,
but you can't tell what they
will do in the navy. | hope we
can get unloaded by the eighth
and get started back home.
Some of the boys seem to think
we will stay over here q while
and carry cargo to some of the
other French ports, but | don't
much think so. wouldn't
mind it much though because
could see more and have lots to
tell you, though | can see all
the war want to see from here.
l saw Il transport leave ONLY
last week with about thous-
and wounded soldiers and sail
ors going back to the States,
some of them wounded for life,
and some slightly wounded.
| can see the German prison.
ers Just any old time | want to.
We use them to unload our ships
"over here" mot over there
any moro. Most every prisoner
that have ever seen is just as
happy as can be. They would
rather be Il prisoner than in the
trenches.
wish you could see some of
the people. Honest, they sound
just like so many chickens chat
terlng 20 me. But some of them
can speak our language very
we'll though, especially the child
rem. Just as soon as they be
gin to talk they 20 to begging
for pennies About all you can
hear going up the street is,
give me Il penny" and just as
sure as you give them penny
you will have every kid in town
following you. If you buy a
box OF cakes and start up the
street eating them you are lust
out of luck for every kid aud
his brother will be after you. /
wish you could see the wooden
shoes the people wear cover
here" You can hear them
three blocks away. 1t sounds
Just like horses walking ON
a wooden floor. Yon only SEQ
the poor class of people wearing
them. The better class wear
leather shoes like ours.
SO many people say the
French girls are SO pretty. Some
of them are very good looking,
but they haven't any thing on
the U. S. A, girls. But the
U. 5. A. girls can't love you
one bit. Honest, these girls
just live on love. | don't sup,
pose they have much food on
account of the war and so love
is part of their food.
The saddest part of France
that have seen so far are the
little children. They seem to
be starving. They don't know
what it is To have n good meal.
And yet the people back home
kick if they have to eat corn
bread If they could only get
corn bread over here they would
think they were in Heaven.
They get war bread and when
say war bread | mean it. 1t
is some tough bread. | guess
you could knock n fellow down
with it just like it was a stick
OF wood.
will now tell you what fun
sailor has when at sea bnttl.
ing with the waves. On No.
vember the eighth at eight pm.
nineteen hundred and eighteen,
the old army cargo, United
States ship, Cape May set sail
under sealed orders, not knowing
where we were going until we
were within one hundred miles
Of the other side, when the ord.
ers were opened and we were to
anchor at ST. Nazaine, France.