Adj. Starberd arrived after a cold ride. He took Ens. Perrino, Bushnell, and myself to Montiers. We had coffee and pie and then to Gonal Court for supplies. It was some crowded auto. Maj. Anderson, Bushnell ,and myself were in the back seat, Capt. White and Adj. in the front. We had 9 cases of lard and 7 of oil, grips and bundles. The Maj. was the most crowded. We stopped at Demouge, and Ens. Hickie brought us some turkey sandwiches and we had a lunch. Maj. handed them to us but we didn’t care.
We arrived at the new place called Marson at about seven o’clock. Found Howard and Carles in good spirits.
After going to our room, we came back and had our supper. Carles made us some cocoa and we had French bread, barely oats, and jam. Then we had a look in the hut. Then to our room. The Madame was an old French woman and very kind. She had an old, quaint home. In the kitchen there was a bed in the wall like a cupboard. A fire on the hearth with kettles hanging on pullies. It looked great. The room we had was pretty near swell. It had large beams and French windows, a fireplace, and one end was all fancy glass doors. There were two big heavy wardrobes, a round table, cradle commode, seven chairs, and the bed, which had rope springs and a very lumpy feather bed; it is better than none.
We had a good night’s sleep and was wakened by the noise of the chickens, horses, cows, pigs, and all the barnyard family. Well, oh my, the chickens are in the back of front of the room, the horse on the left, the cow on the right, and I haven’t found where they keep the pigs, but I can hear them grunt. The entrance is used by the whole family, home and barnyard.
The hut is about two city blocks from the house, and we found the boys awaiting us. We had breakfast or chow and then tried to make things pleasant.
The hut is a French one and has a pretty entrance, a large arch covered with moss, a fence also covered with moss. The view from the hut is pretty. From the back door, which is east, there are hills, covered at present with snow, with pine trees growing here and there. It is very pretty, especially when the sun is coming up. In front, the west, is the church steeple and then hills which look grand when the golden sun is setting. On either side are the roads and the home of the French. There are about two hundred French and twenty refugees in the village. At present there are about five hundred American soldiers from the 26th Field Artillery. They are a fine bunch of men.
We had a meeting, and the boys treated us fine. Had chow, the boys brought it to the hut, and we had to heat it one thing at a time on a stove about two feet high and one foot across. It is fun.
The close of a day in Mason.
Diary of a World War I Donut Girl 