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  • Friday, March 1, 1918

    Made the fire and it was a cheerful one. Made pies and at ten went to the dentist and had a tooth filled. It was not a classy office but a house that had been visited; but one of Frit sies Coughs and his visit was fatal. The desk was a trunk and the chair was a couple of boxes. It was very fine. At five there was a large killing—17 of our boys and wounded many. Six were taken prisoner and many chased out of their mud houses. Two officers were killed. All day there had been hard firing and much damage done. It has been a very busy day. We had Mr. Ward, Mr. Fergeson, and Mr. Hoffer as visitors and for lunch. We had a lot of fun. Had a very busy afternoon and a noisy night. Forty of our men were killed, wounded, or missing. It was a terrible battle. We got three German prisoners. One building was shelled in which 9 men were killed and wounded.

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  • Thursday, February 28, 1918

    Left for the hospital at nine and had a very rainy ride but got home safe. Got busy attending the canteen. Heard many stories of the front. Served 8 tanks of coffee. Made coffee for all the guards at night and they enjoyed it. Had C. Johnson, a newspaper man, for lunch. Rich was here and he told me about the others and many funny stories. Got to bed at 12.

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  • Wednesday, February 27, 1918

                A very good day. Payday. Cadet stood canteen and I made 70 pies and 14 gallons of cocoa. Kept very busy. Col. came and took Cadet and left Miss Gladys. It rained very hard. A shell dropped on the road and it killed two horses and one man and wounded five. Made coffee and served it to the men as they came out of the trenches. Adj. Starbed is very sick. Heard many stories about the front. Four men came in with the Gen. and two of them were from Millvale, my home town. The Gen. came in again to see how we were. Went to our pallets late but glad of our little.

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  • Tuesday, February 26, 1918

    Had a very trying time getting the fire to burn. The car came at nine, and I went to the hospital. Had a very sad time seeing the wounded soldiers. Saw a Boch air raid on my way home. Also saw some Italian soldiers. Made hash for dinner. Mr. Ward came and brought flour and sugar, then I made pies—apple and raisin. I made 50 in 2 hours, and they were gone in one hour. Cadet has just put drops in my ear. She told me the wheels in my head would be well oiled. John just laughed; naughty John. We stayed up serving cocoa till one o’clock to some of the boys who were leaving the trenches and they sure did enjoy it. We and they sure did enjoy it. We got in bed at 2, tired but happy.

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  • Monday, February 25, 1918

    Went for a trip in the General’s own side car. Went to the hospital. Saw Col. Ber. Shaw and he told me to go to Sabastapole there I saw  Lt. Fahester and he treated my ear. Came home and the Gen. arranged for a car to take me next time and each day. In the evening Cadet and I went to the front; it was a very quiet night but pretty. We saw some lonely German dug outs, heard the men singing in their earthy homes, and was glad that I was yet alive. The night was very noisy. The Boch dropped a shell in an ammunition dump and the noise was terrible. Not many were hurt. Had a nice visit from Maj. Posenfelt and his Adj. The close of an adventurous day.

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  • Sunday, February 24, 1918

    A fine day. The much needed graphophone was going most all day. I started for a walk and got a ride on a motor car filled with medicine for the Kaiser. Looked at fifty graves of the dear boys who have gone to their reward. They made one look around. While walking home, I saw a messenger bumped by a motor truck and fall full length in the soft mud. Oh my, how we laughed, and he joined us. Got home and had to say goodbye to the company of boys as they were leaving for the trenches. Had a good meeting. I was the leader. God came very near and blessed us. The evening was very noisy and there was heavy firing. The close of a Sunday in the War Zone about one hour’s hike from the Germans.

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  • Saturday, February 23, 1918

    A very blue day. We had breakfast and I took care of the canteen all morning. Mr. J. Woods, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, was here for dinner and talked of his experience at the front. Our bill of fare was stewed prunes and beans. The Germans are making awful noise. No baking because no flour. It makes life sad for the dear boys as the question is, “Any donuts or pie or cakes?” It makes one sad to say no.

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  • Friday, February 22, 1918

    It is very blue, raining, and cold and much shooting. Went to the doctor and he put some medicine in my ear. The Cadet woke up singing, “O it’s glorious, eight in a room built for four of us.” Had a pleasant visitor, the doctor. He heard we were sick and came only to find us in bed. Couldn’t do a thing but laugh. Had a wonderful evening, the officer of the day came and told us to be ready to put our gas masks on and go to the dugout as the Germans were going to make it interesting shelling the road and the town. Heavy firing kept up till the small hours of the morning. Col. Starbed and Coe came and stayed the night. We slept on stretchers in the kitchen. A very interesting night. John went to the front on the Red Cross ambulance.

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  • Thursday, February 21, 1918

    A very quiet day. No men in the hut, but planes are overhead and the shooting is terrible and one would think it was just overhead. Fenton came from Mandre; he is all out of supplies and came to get some from us. We had a very pleasant time; he prayed and was enjoyed by all. Cadet is making a cake and Miss Van Harden salad dressing. Both were a success. We had a quiet evening. We had some very distinguished visitors, namely Gen. Dunken, Gen. Wood, and Gen. Bullard and some Cols., and we felt quite honored. Saw Gen. Pearson, and he smiled and saluted me very kindly. The Germans are shelling the road and making a heavy attack.

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  • Wednesday, February 20, 1918

    A galivanting day. Cadet and I went to Ligny to see The Salvation Army family there and had a very fine time. We started to hike but met a line wagon and they stopped and let us on. We were on the seat, four were in the saddles, one on top and one inside. We had a fine ride. We went through the woods and two of them cut some trees for poles, then a fine ride to the hut. What a fine place. There is Maj. Anderson, Staff Coe, Adj. Case, Ens. Purviance, Capt. Pumons, and Lt. Murphy stayed there. I met some of the men I knew from the 1st Ammunition Train. Then we went to the supply and first saw Capt. Clark. He was looking at a German plane taking pictures and we looked through his glasses and could see the French shooting at it. Then we saw Segt. Barr and he showed us around. We saw some fine horses and got our mess kits. Then we had dinner in the kitchen. Then we went to The Salvation again and as Perrince had cut her finger, I made donuts and Segt. Green helped. We worked till time to go home and had to run to catch the train of mules. We got on a wagon. The load was going to the front and the driver’s name was Smut; a fine boy with brown eyes and a cheerful nature. He talked and laughed most all the way. The mules names were Peanuts, Queen, Nig, and Frank; all fine mules. We had a very nice ride. Met a T.M. truck, and they threw oranges at us. It was the best ride and we saw the railroad on which runs the American Limited; one train a day, third class. There were only old women. We arrived home and the night was very noisy. A shot fell only fifty feet from the Sausage at the Observation Station. At about eleven a man knocked on our door and told us his team had run away and he had forgotten the town’s name; we told him and he left to phone. The mules got frightened when we tried to put the gas masks on them; knocked him down and ran. A very noisy night.

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