Evening star., 1942-08-30

IN ireland, written Dy COrpl. FRANK
Oakes:
"Toc and I climbed a mountain
last Sunday. The walk took all
day and we must have covered about
Is miles. We walked through peat
bogs for over an hour. That stuff is
nothing but rotted vegetation. We
came across herds Of sheep. They
looked like white stones all over the
sides of the gullies and ravines. 1t
was worth the walk to stand on the
top and look down on the huge crazy
quilt that Is this country. It's beau
tiful, but so different from the
mountains at home The hedges
and small fields make it different.
I'm the city, the other day, we saw
some strange sights. One was a
car with huge air bag fastened on
the top. I found out later that 1t
was illuminating gas, and was the
source Of power. In small town
saw a steam truck with a high
smoke stack and a steam whistle.
The driver wore goggles.
Its quite job figuring out the
money. For instance: l shilling-a
little over 20 cents; f1orin-about 40
cents; crown-about 81; l pound
about $4.04.
Beer is about 20 cents glass,
liquor, 80 cents shot. When we go
to a cafe, it's always the same
menu: Chips and steak or sausage
or fish; chips and eggs; ham and
eggs.
Stoves Are Ancient.
Each amounts to the same thing,
about 8 shillings (.6O. The wait
resses all look like blacksmiths' help
ers. The stoves, the furniture and
the lighting are on the same order
as when King Henry the Eighth
pitched WOO Some of our improve
ments of the late 1800s are now being
tried out in some of the small towns.
We are putting bulbs on our gas
lamps. They are still hooked to the
wall. I'd give whole basket full
Just to be able to walk down a
brightly lighted street. All street
lights are purged here-a protection
against night bombings.
Two days ago I heard my first
American music. Believe me, Moon
light Serenade" sounded pretty good
after listening to Ramona" Bar
ney Google and other such classics.
Lately I've stopped going up to
town. umagine calling one house
and one pub a town. Since then
I have been making friends with the
local "Tillers of the Turf
These people are content to just
sit and listen to the wireless The
war news is about the one and only
program they listen to. eAll seem
eager to make friends with the
'Yanks,' and seem to regard them
as being the best
II was invited out by an old couple
who live near here. The 18th here
is like our Fourth of July 1t COM
memorates the battle of the Boyne.
The Church of England and the
Catholics don't agree on their holi-
days, so the Catholics celebrate on
the 18th. 1t would surprise you to
see at what odds these factions are.
Last Sunday was what some people
call 'Blueberry Sunday The idea
is that everybody goes to the noun
tains to pick berries. I didn't see
many pals. Every one seemed to
be having good time-without
them. Looked to me as If it were
a gathering to exchange old gossip
for new
Farm People Gossip.
These farm people are the worlds
greatest gossips. They think that,
once married, one must settle down
completely. II married couple
were to 60 to dance or movie-or
just walk to town once a week-the
town people would think they were
added in the head The old
couple whom I visited have not
spent a night away from home in
30 years and have not once been to
q dance or movie, so you can see
that their only diversion is gossip.
and no one is safe unless one follows
every custom carefully.
Are the WAACs wearing their
uniforms yet? They are much the
same as the ATS uniforms, but the
American girls seem to be prettier."
From Hawaii, Pvt. Elwood Cor
don writes as follows:
Tonight about three OF us were
watching one of the natives here
take in a net from the ocean and
In it were six hammer head sharks,
weighing an average of two and a
half pounds each. The fellow told
us that these sharks grow to the
amazing weight Of 600 pounds. In
the net were also some Hawaiian or
South Sea fish called maui and
uluan. Did tell that at the place
where some of us swim there are
also sharks? OF course, these sharks
are only small hammer heads and
will not attack humans, but tiger
shark will. I've read a book on
species Of shark of the South Seas
and up to now have had reason to
believe that any shark would at
tack.
The natives here surely are won-
derful people. Very seldom do you
see any OF them without the ever
lasting smile. expect to come back
some day, as civilian, of course, to
see the isles. There really is lot
TO see here and one should 60 easily,
so as not to miss anything. An
other place should like to see is
Samoa, Tahiti or Papera, all in the
South Seas. There are people who
might not think much Of trip like
this. but I've enjoyed reading about
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