It was raining, so we stayed in and had coffee at the ladies. About ten o’clock we took a walk to the next town about three miles. We saw about 4 hundred and twenty German prisoners who are working for the French. The French burn wood because coal is sixty five dollars a ton so they have these prisoners to cut out wood.
It is a very nice village. They have a large factory where they make images and crosses. There is a lovely woods and a place that looks like a park with a very nice stream and a very old and quaint bridge like you read about but seldom see. There were a few buildings that looked like a picture. Then we returned home. It was raining and cold, but the walk was fine and we enjoyed it. We had dinner in the same place. The food was awful and the men were still drunk. We could not eat because the food was highly seasoned with dust and flies. Altogether, Sunday was a terrible day. We wrote a few letters and stayed in the ladies kitchen as it was warm. The stove had an open grate and a wood fire and it looked home like. We got a bowl of hot cocoa and it warmed us. Filled the hot water bottle and went to bed early and had a good night’s rest. It rained very hard and was very cold.
Diary of a World War I Donut Girl 