FRITZ APPEARS DOWNHEARTED

Doesn't Answer Our Artillery, Says Capt. McMillan

Capt. Jas. G. McMillan writing to his father from France on Feb. 12, says in part:

"Everything is going pretty well with me. I have not had leave yet owing to changing companies, but will get it in a week or two now. This will make nearly five months this time between leaves.

Our winter appears to be nearing an end, as it is thawing the last two days and the snow is almost gone. The ground has been quite hard frozen for exactly one month, the longest winter known here.

The artillery fire has been very heavy recently and I don't imagine Fritz has a very good time of it. Don't understand why they don't attack. They seem to be afraid of the cold weather. Guns can be moved now where they could not be taken at any other time. We are all interested of course in what the U.S. are going to do. Many think that they are not needed and that we would be better without them. It would be considerable satisfaction to have all the German shipping now in American ports taken from them at this time when they are trying to sink everything on sight. They would help with the financing of the war, which must be a heavy burden for years to come. It would take them a year to put as many divisions at the front as Canada has, but then their fleet could do good service. We are well supplied with everything at the front, but food is very dear when one has to buy it. The cold weather has reduced sickness by half, as the men do not get wet. In fact, I suppose this is the driest time we are likely to have, the driest anyway since last April.

The guns got quite busy as I was writing and I just went up on top to see what was going on. They stopped after a few minutes so it was probably a raid. It is very dark out. One has to feel his way bout. Until last night everything showed up plain in the moonlight with the snow on the ground."