Show IS SHOWN SO BY CAPTURED REO GAU lS BERLIN Aug 5 The The confidence and tand and optimism expressed by the French prisoners are often otten disconcerting This Fis ls the experience of George Queri a aGerman aGerman German writer who has been passing isome some time with the German army near Verdun Today he writes a number of French prisoners were brought in from the CaUlette wood I said to one of them II Fort Vaux Is in our hands nice he replied courteously and have you OU also captured That is a characteristic French answer answer an an- awer and often it Is difficult to hold ones one's temper at such a reply We must admit however that their optimism Is wonderful These prisoners had emerged from a veritable hell but It was amazing how quickly they recovered recovered recovered ered their usual good nature They had been standing for hours in trenches with nothing to eat or drink and exposed to the worst fire from German German German Ger Ger- man guns that the tho French rench had yet experienced Now they are aro stretched out on the grass and lau laughing hing and joking with one another They eat ravenously the food that Is br brought to them and smoke and smoke The majority of them have thrown away their heavy st steel el helmets helmeth I picked up one of the helmets and In Inside inside inside in- in side the lining found a letter My curiosity curl curl- got the better of me and I 1 opened the letter and read It It was from the soldiers soldier's wife wife wife-a a pathetic heartrending epistle which told In simple language the tra tragedy edy of this terrible war Evidently Evidently Evi Evi- dently the soldier had not written to his wIle wife that he had been sent with his regiment to Verdun but she got word r of t it somehow and wrote to him from Amiens Amlen 1 I 1 am very unhappy to learn that you are at Verdun I had hoped that you yo o t would remain far away from that terri terrible battlefield My dear loved one flue how you suffered on the Somme Aft Aft- that awful experience I r thought you would woul be spared more horror but It se seems ms that fate has destined you to go through l the worst and I only pray that t God will wUl give you the strength to bear hoar it all I think only of you and day and nd night I worry To think of of you Jou in Verdun is awful if Ir i did no not nor have confidence In the belief that this wa will war war will Vm soon be over I 1 do not know what I 1 would do It Is terrible that I two such as you and I sh sho sho ild ld be held apart all these two twenty-two months but happily the war will soon be over I 1 hear this from people who ought to know krow So be he brave m dear Leon I I this war cannot last much longer long longerI I death would be preferable I You wanted to spare my feelings I i but tut I know 1 Lull full well el- el where re e. e t r 1 I I I I I and I 1 pray that you will be spared I 1 often oten hope that you OU would be wounded not not to give sou ou any pain but but that you would in that case be he brought home to me and little Pierre Dont Don't say I Iam Iam Iam am silly you who ar are all the world to L' L m. m z |