Evening star., 1943-07-28

Henry McLemore. asked me to
come to their home to eat black-eyed
peas, turnip green's, corn on the cob.
pot roast, rice and gravy. corn bread
and May haw jelly. All of this to
be topped off by freezing slice Of
rattlesnake watermelon. A man
who wouldn't hurry to that meal is
either ''teched In the haid" or was
| brought up on the side OF the
Mason-Dixon Line where Sherman's
name is still spelled with capital S.
But let's get on with the questions
and answers lest the black-eyed peas
get cold.
Does London look as beaten and
battered and blitzed as you expected
it to look?
Many Buildings Untouched.
No. It was shock at first to find
it so we'll preserved and so much OF
it standing. A first-time visitor
could ride from one Of the railroad
Standardization, Kings Cross, St.
Pancras or Waterlooe.-to his hotel
and never know that London had
taken the worst beating the Luft-
waite could hand out. Not until
you have been there while, and
visited the hardest-hit portions Of
the town, do you realize the damage
that was done. London has had a
long time to clean up the rubble and
repair the damage and it has done
an amazing job. In London you
keep wondering how so many build
ings could have escaped damage.
Is it difficult to get liquor in
London?
Strangely enough, this question
has been asked me more than any
other. Teetotalers ask me with A
gleam in their eyes, hoping the
answer will be that there isn't any
to be had Those who like a snort
occasionally ask me, with anxiety in
their voices, if their fellow snorters
overseas are able to do themselves
any good.
My answer pleases both groups.
It's scarce. but it can be had if you
want to pay enough.
The Scotch is all 35 to 40 per cent
below average strength and s12 a
bottle is considered a fair price.
Gin is higher. There is no such
thing as package store All the
bottled stuff to be bought must be
purchased from a night club. or
what the English call a bottle
club Pubs are open only a few
hours day and quickly sell out
their meager supply Of hard drinks.
After that it is beer and ale.
When I returned to this country
and talked to my sister who has a
leaning toward the teetotaler group
she said probably owed my loss Of
weight to not being able to buy a
drink. I explained that I attributed
my loss of weight to all the running
around I did trying to find a drink.
She laughed. but not very heartily.
How are the dogs faring in Eng
land?
Mail Situation Better.
Just as well as they are here. The
English feed them what is left over
from the table. and deeply regret
any hysteria of the early DAYS Of
the war which caused them to de-
stroy so many of their pets.
What do the English think about
the peace table?
They are confident that despite
all the high talk by the high leaders
there is going to be some highfalutjn
fighting around that table when
every one sits down.
How is the mail situation? What
percentage of letters sent YOU did
you get?
It's aWfully good right now. You
get letters over there between seven
and Ia days from the time thev ara
mailed in the States. And YOU Get
nlne-tenths Of them at least. The
boys have never learned to like
V-mail. For time there was an
agitation to eliminate everything but
V-mail, but poll taken by the Army
newspaper, Stars and Stripes.
showed the soldiers would rather
nave one personal letter than six
Photographic ones.
How do the Americans get along
with the English girls?
Much too we'll to suit the English
soldier
Distributed by McNausht Syndicate. Incl