Letter 43
My dear Mother,
Many happy returns of the day! I hope the day is a little more cheerful than with us. It has rained or snowed almost steadily since last Sunday afternoon.
For me however is has been a most delightful week. Last Friday the three day passes to Paris resumed so Saturday morning five of us started on ours. Miss Nichols, a St. Paul girl who lives in the same compartment, being my special buddy on the trip. Being of about equal height we can cover considerable ground in a short time. We went in an ambulance to Beaune where we got the French express at about eleven AM and reached Paris at 7:30 PM. As usual, we had to stand as far as Dijon. Had a very good dinner on the train. I really think the French dining room service is superior to ours. Stayed at the same hotel near the Garede Lyon as I did in January as it is both inexpensive and convenient and it doesn't take much of a place to seem palatial after out barracks. Took most of our meals at the Red Cross canteen just around the corner with the doughboys. For breakfast they serve bread, jam, and chocolate, or cereal and chocolate for fifty centimes (ten cents) and lunch or dinner meat, two vegetables, bread, and pudding for seventy-five centimes. Their prices were to be raised yesterday and even then I doubt they get half the price of the food served. Was pleased to find one of the canteen workers was Miss Meaves whom we met between Marseilles and Nice and trotted around with in Nice. Perhaps I mentioned her at the time, a very pleasant girl from Georgia.
Well, Sunday morning we went to the Regina-the Red Cross Headquarters, and at ten o'clock started with a party of enlisted men fro Versailles. Had a very good guide-a middle aged American woman. The gardens are beautiful although the fountains were not playing. Of course we were in Galleries of Mirrors where the treaty is to be signed. We took lunches with us purchased from the red Cross and to lose no time at them walking through the gardens dividing with the few unfortunate boys who, for some reason or other, hadn't a box.
Reached Gare de Invalides upon our return about two o'clock and from there walked two or three blocks to the Pantheon de Guerre to see the famous Pan roma of war. It is remarkable. Have you seen parts of it? Of course the French and British are given more space than the rest of us, but it is their due.
Miss Nicholls and I then attended the Military Service at the American church of the Holy Trinity on Rue George 5th. The music was splendid and such a good speaker. It did seem good to get inside a real church again.
It was raining when we cam out-the morning had been beautiful, so we took the Metro to the Hotel, had dinner at the canteen, donned our raincoats, picked up two other members of the party and went up two the Opera Comique where we were fortunate in securing seats. We had hoped to go to Grand Opera to see the interior of the house-the music at the Opera Comique is really better-but there was nothing there that night. We heard "Tales from Hoffma," and the music and singing were splendid and such beautiful costumes. Haven't we the Barcorole? As we could not get a program have no idea whom we heard.
The next morning had breakfast at the canteen. A chauffer with a Ford car who happened to be going to the same place took us in his car to the proper official from whom we received permission to got to Rheims the next day. The drive took us over the island past Notre Dame, through Place des concord, down the Champs Elysees as far as the Arch de Triumph. The rest if the morning I spent escorting the party around on various errands as I was the only one who had been in Paris before and knew how to read a map! By the way, the former proprietor was born near Allery across the river from the little village of Gergy. She began life as a goose girl, then a traveling peddler and died worth millions. There is a beautiful monument to her memory here and she built a beautiful bridge across the river connecting Gergy with the little farming hamlet in which she was born.
Spent the afternoon in the Louvre museum. Tom y great disappointment, but as I expected, the art gallery was closed-it being a Monday afternoon. I went to bed that night dead tired while Miss Nichols and one of the other girls attended a big enlisted men's dance at the Eiffel Tower.
Got up at 5:30 the next morning to get the 7 o'clock train to Rheims. Again we got lunches from the Red Cross.
In our carriage on the train were two other Americans-a nice major from headquarters at Chaumont (in civil life an attorney from Washington DC) and an American girl-quartermasterette from Toul, who was on her way to England for a two week leave. We stayed together the entire day.
An elderly Frenchman on the way up gave us a good deal of information in regard to the fighting through that section. The holes in the railroad station at Chateau Thierry were our first evidences of the struggle. The railroad follows the Marne, a very narrow stream not as wide as the Elk River, but very deep. We passed through a destroyed village in which the American's fought with the French for two days last July. The rest of the American fighting was farther west through Boise de Bellaeu, etc.
Rheims is indeed a destroyed city. Before the war it had a population of 125,000. Only 14 buildings in the entire city escaped injury. Practically nothing is left but portions of bare walls. Refugees returning have difficulty finding where their homes stood. People are returning. Several cafes are opened and I suppose doing a big business with the tourists, both French and American.
We went to the shacks of the Military Police for coffee and ate our lunch there sharing it with the Major.
At 1:30 we got in a big sightseeing car and were taken about 15 miles out to the Hindenburg line. Nothing but devastated villages, miles and miles of trenches and barbed wire entanglements. Saw German prisoners at work filling up the trenches and gathering up the wire. You see, these trenches are four years old and much of the soil thrown up is now covered with grass.
At our destination we wandered over three big craters blown up by mines. Several Naval officers from the battleship Arizona were in the party. It was a cold ride as a strong wind was blowing and raining most of the time. Reached Rheims at 4:30 just in time for the express which got us into Paris about eight.
Spent Wednesday morning downtown on various errands. We each were given a jersey dress by the Red Cross-a garment we should have been issued last fall. I bought a white crepe de chene waist as the one I got in New York is practically worn out.
We left Paris at 2:10 on the American express. Had a nice Lieut. in the engineers who is stationed in Besancon in the compartment with us. The train has a canteen from which we bought box lunches, oranges and chocolate bars. Reached Dijon about eight and left at eleven reaching home between one and two AM Thursday morning.
Saturday PM
Walked to Verdun yesterday afternoon. In evening attended a lecture by Mr. Taft, the Chicago sculptor who talked to us once before. He spoke on American sculptors and had a number of good lantern slides. He was so witty it was almost amusing.
I spent the morning on my jersey dress taking in the waist and now have to face up the skirt.
Believe a party of congressmen were in camp this forenoon, but have heard no particulars. If Harold was among, I fancy he would look me up.
Found letters from Mrs. Pearce with picture enclosed and Alice and Margaret's of April 7th awaiting me. Mrs. Pearce said she had heard nothing of me since Nov., so some of my mail must have been lost as I know I wrote her.
It is reported the school here closes the 7th of June. We are hoping we then leave toute de suite. It is also unofficially reported that leaves to Great Britain as well as Italy are cancelled. Two of our girls left last week for Great Britain. Our requests have not yet been returned from Toul , so perhaps everything will come out all right.
Had a not from Miss Dunlap yesterday. She was enroute home. If I do not get to Italy I would like to get up to Metz and Verdun this month and then I would be ready to sail in June.
The enclosed picture was taken during the three minute visit of Pershing and Baker here.
The second of June, I can don my second service stripe.
Am mailing William Stars and Stripes. They are so hard to get. Believe I missed two weeks.
Hope you are having a nice spring. It is so cold and wet. East Sunday was our pleasantest day. June will be a nice month in which to reach Clear Lake.
Affectionately, Jane
I hope this letter makes up for the post card of last week. Ben Mosser must be seeing Europe well.