Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 October 1918 — Untitled [ARTICLE]

let you know I’m th® same old kid and crazy as ever. Well, to begin with I sure had some trip from San Francisco to where I am now located, but as I think I have told you about crossing the States will let that part go until I come back. You see, I figure after tie war is over and I have returned from abroad I will simply visit around, staying about a week at each place, telling them of my past experiences. But to continue, we left Camp Mills to take the boat and had I not seen some of the same kind at Frisco I do doubt would have thought about tefi blocks of New York City was floating out in the ocean. But on we gets’ and everthing went fine. The worst trouble I had was to keep from getting lost, and I guess more than one "guy” was caught in the same fix about time for meals. But we kids stood the trip fine, but Bert kinda, allowed before we got there it must have been quite a strip across that pond, and guess he would have no doubt been perfectly willing to buy me and awful good supper if he could of got just one glimpse of that Kannal bridge and he kinda* talked of home and bis girls, after we were two or three days out and the sea commenced to get kinda’ rough. Course I guess he liked it alright but, to take it all in all, there were quite few who were very sick. But we finally landed somewhere in England, not even getting as much as a glimpse of those socalled German submarines. Saw thousands of fish, including four whale.

We were jn England some little time and by chance got to see a lot of country. Believe me it is sure beautiful there, even more so than France, or at least that part which I have seen. Anyway the part of the country I am located in is -mostly vineyards, and talk about seeing grapes I guess I have seen my share but guess they are for wine purposes mostly. They are almost ready to pick. They have also some fine big white ones that are fine eating. Also peaches and pears, which we are able to buy very reasonable, so we surely have plenty of fruit between meals.

But, say, if you were to see this country you would certainly laugh, everything is so odd and so oldstyle. You see very few wooden buildings, mostly all stone and some brick. Most of them covered with a tile roof, but have seen several houses with a straw roof interwoven some way. I remember one in England in particular and I asked the lady how long that roof had been on and she said thirteen years, and it looked very good yet. I also visited one under ground church that was built in the year of 700. Of course not much remains, only a few statutes, but in that same city there is-a clfcrch on top of the ground which they still use and is certainly beautiful inside that was started in the 11th century and i completed in the 12th. Built com- | pletely of something • likb sandstone like you have back there. ■ There are besides beneath these cities underground roads leading from town to town something like a distance of five or six miles and of course entered by some secret route, it is sure wonderful and as you stand and view some of the sights you would sure wonder how much hard work and time it must have took to complete such work. The traffic here with vehicles takes the cake. All carts, and mostly all oxen except their fast drivers which are little mules that are the smallest I ever saw, the average weight I should judge would not be over three hundred pounds each. - They have also some dog carts and you generally have to look twice to see whether it is a dog or a mule; but almost every one has a bicycle, so when they just go visiting they use them. Nothing to see a whole family riding down the street side by side. 1 am learning a little French so am able to say a few words to them and we have a lot of fun sometimes trying to make them understand just what we want, but with the aid of a little French dictionary we generally make out some way. You see we are sta* tioned in a little city and as the boys are all up town I managed a little time what 1 can call my own. I have been going to school every since I have been here, took an automobile course and passed that so am now taking a course in tractors but will finish this week, then I suppose I will, return to the battery and stay until we go to the front. We sure have a dandy bunch of fellows at the school and in the battery also, and the officers are sift*e swell. We get up at 5:30, breakfast 6 a. m., then fall in at .8 until 11 a. m.; dinner at twelve; fall in at 1 p. m. until four; supper at 5:30 and then through for the day, although we have to be in" quarters at 9* and lights out at 10. And believe me that last hour is one grand time. Will do no good to go to bed before ten because you would certainly get pulled out and around, and of all the scuffling you ever seen they sure have it here. Everyone is in the best of spirits, everybody happy, and as the reports we hear from the front every day they are surely giving the dutch h—. We are all looking for a great victory and a happy meeting soOn. Please, if possible, let Tommy’s, Wills and the folks read this as it is impossible to write to all so often. So, hoping this finds you all fine and dandy, will elose with lote to all. Answer soon. PVT. HENRY T. CAIN, 62 Art, Batt A.’ "’C. A. C.» A. P. O. 705, Am. E. F., France.