HP3T "':'' ' " 'EVENING PUBLIC BEDGERl-PHILteELPHM, sMuBDAfc- JUf MaOI 9j- jgj,iP '&' ' : : ZZ . ' ' 1 - - - .....,- v - - Wd v&aa F1 T 1?. S " I ' S1 H CJ I ,tZ eoritftntOrk ukrae-'Ue' Mrtfam W m W J T air f... J ' ' t yes&PxltM "S':-5. h , " " w A u. f A, J, Jy fie rHlff Lttotr Companvi CHAPTER I I Join the Colors COMB of my buddies have the superstitious iUi2i '.'tll-l.. ...... ...... -.. J - .- ... .... i,. eoiici met ursuny picKeu mc iu uro mo mm grun for trie United States In the war against the Hun. Personally, I take very little stock In destiny, fate or any of those things of the ccult, around which sentimental, half-baked ovellsts like to weave Impossible yarns. According: 'to 'my understanding of "the cist. X was selected to send Uncle Sam's first shell-message to the Kaiser because I 'put inmany weeks of hard training, and got to-knowevery twist and wrinkle In the dis position and temperament of my French tevefity-flve. But, Just to give the romanticists a little consolation, 1 will concede that'l come of a race of' red-headed, freckled-faced fighters-, and am proud of It. My father, Walter de Varlla, was a United Stales, cavalry scout" In the early seventies, and ihelped to round up the Apaches In Arizona."' DaS was a red-head, and had frecklea as big- as copper cents. He was a fighter, and a good one, too. as United States army records, will show. Hemmed In by savages, while on one of his scouting expeditions, he euf'hls way out In a running fight, using two" 'dolt's, revolvers to excellent advantage. The Indians dubbed him "Red the Brave." My. grandfather on the paternal side fought fof the Confederacy under General "Stonewall" Jackson; he had hair like bur nished, copper. My mother's father served the Union under Grant. 'There was a red-haired De Varila with "Mad Anthony" Wayne, when he stormed Stony Tolnt. and a pair of sorrel-topped, lustvJ'D-e Varllas delivered hammer-blows for democracy of the pioneer brand In the French Revolution. Every one of 'these fighting De Varllas had fre'ckles as well an red h'alr God bless them all ! My- mother was of Irish descent, and my father French. N6w you need wonder no longer why I love, jo fight when the fighting is good. When you get a French and Irish combination, nd breed it for sevesal generations on the stimulating soil of the good old United States, you are bound to produce something that, absolutely refuses to let "George do It" when there Is a scrap on deck. The Fighting Lust I was fifteen years old when the Kaiser nd his gang of International burglars set out to crack the safes of the nations of the world, and revive the chain-gang methods of the unholy old Roman Empire. I wanted to get Into it then, honest I did, although I had Just blossomed out In my flnf suit of long trousers, and was proudly wearing my first dollar watch. My hair always has a habit of bristling like a cat's 'tall' when I scent a scrap, and when the Kaiser started to reach through Belgium to get at the throat of France, I could feel 'that red alfalfa of mine crinkle all over. The hair of some folks bristles when they get-scared. It Is Just the opposite with me. When mine starts to llftup, I'm, Just fighting mad. My mother has told me that It was always that way with the De Varllas. Mv buddies in the battery over in France used to get a lot of fun watching my hair 'when-fgofreal warmed 'up with my French seventy-five gun, and was pumping shells Into the boche nrst-line irencnes. iiwy wujiu mo effect particularly startling one day, when. In the height of a battle. I put on my gas mask. After that, they called me "The Little Red Devil." But that Is pushing ahead of the yarn. As I- started to say, I felt the old De Varila fighting itch when the German Em peror began to blast his way through Bel gium, burning cities, blowing up villages, and killing women and children. Mlybe It was the blood of some of those French ancestors stirring In me and urging me to do something for France, but more likely It was that unbeatable combination American, Irish and French. I stood it as long as I could, and then I told my mother I was going to Canada to enlist. I let her know I thought It was a disgrace for a fighting De Varila to be wasting his time going to school while a bunch of boodlipg'-Huns were running loose over Bel gium and France, and doing murder by the wholesale. . . . Mother's Wiles I could 'see that she liked to hear me talk that' way, for there were tears In her eyes, and she gave me one of those warm motherly miles that make an American boy In his first longr trousers feel that he has suddenly grown three Inches taller and Is a man. But, of course, I did not realize then that no serislble mother Is going to enthuse very much about sending a fifteen-year-old son 'Into the gore, of battle. But she understood her boy all right, and dtdn't argue with me. 'She snaked a freshly baked mince pie out of the oven, and told me toscoot to the back steps and gore myself. U wis a mighty good pie of the mother-used-to-make kind, and In the eating I almost for got about the Kaiser and the Belgians. A few months after mother had camouflaged the -De Varlla fighting Itch with mince pie, I was packed off to a prep school at Los Angeles. I found the school a regular Incubator for the war spirit. There were. a couple of English lads there who received frequent letters from relatives In 4he .thick of the fighting In France. The Britishers Used to sneer at us American lads because Uncle Sam wouldn't get into the fight for -civilization. L was obliged to lick. one of them to make him stop saying rotten things about Uncle Sammy. I have-often wondered If the Eng- llaher I pummcled knows that, the Iteddy de yarila wno Dis.cK.eu ni eyes on tnat memor able day la-the same De Varlla who fired the first.' shot for Uncle Sam against the boche. If "hek does," .maybe he haa .forgiven me for the licking I gave him.' I am certain that by this time .he' has taken back all the unkind ttlngs' he said about Uncle Sam. I warmed up r good and-plenty when our s ' .. .. . -'-,' i - ?: - gflsjaagaggMs eiBg3arMravrai-Mggejrgraw h? i ' - -WfWiWT-'Tm--'rrr''w"w"'''Y -.- . --,,. fc,, .. -,.y -ww-W.,w..vA.JmwwMW LwKSkKkEk&sRW$wF 1 i r Tmelmm -iWiVrkuuuuuuuuuuuwMkuuuuums 'r.:jBmmmmmmmmOmF'sMlm K "i&L 'JHemememHsmstWKimEBml B&- V-- jgjMsjgsjsgjgMsggsissMsga wwmM,mmM,.mmammmswtwmmmmmm T'T y . -V - '' 4 r- J 3 , - . .J.-. ;-", ..v.''MV.sj.., . . .. " . U. j.vS' . - ,,.Copiriat v ,,,.,.,.- -j ,''jf.i'.-v,,i . , r--rzi' ..;;.-,.:. 'jji -l Copyright,' tilt, bv John C. IFIruton Co. Uncle Sammy told the German Ambassador to pack up his duds and clear out of Germany, I couldn't Oconcentrate on my studies after that. The print on my lesson books became blurred, and all I could see. were marching troops and maneuvering battleships. But the bottom dropped clean out of my education when Congress bucked up to the occasion and declared the United States at war with the German Empire. Wow! Every fighting De Varlla In the whole list of De Varllas seemed to rise up be fore me In spirit and announced "Now Is the tlmo to get In, my boy." That settled me; I determined to get Into he scrap while the getting was good. I was eighteen then, and big for my age. All I needed was my mother's signature to pre cipitate me Into the biggest war In history. I packed my suitcase, went home and told my mother I was going to enlist In the United States army. She was game and didn't een blink a tear. And why shouldn't she be game? She was Irish, her father had fought under Ornnt, and besides, she had married a De Varlla. "You are a De Varlla," she said, "and I'd be ashamed of ou If you didn't want to go. Your father and both your grandfathers went in when they were eighteen " Her voice shook a little bit, and the next mornlpg I noticed her eyes were a trifle red. I enlisted in Battery C. Sixth Field Artil lery, U. S. A.. April 25, 1917, nlnteen days after, the United States jumped Into the war. I was proud as a six-year-old boy Just learning to whlbtle when the army doctors looked me over and decreed I was as sound as copper from head to toe. Corporal Osborne De Varila I was hustled off to the recruiting barracks at' Angel Island In Frisco Bay, and was Inoculated and vaccinated. I was pretty miserable for about a week from the different brands of antl-dlsease lrus which they pumped under my hide, and on the whole I felt like an animated feter blister. But JUBt as soon as the effects of the virus wore away I developed the appetite of an army mule, and took on weight like a woman who Is kidding herself with one of those anti-fat treatments. Early Training We were given full equipment, Including uniform, underwear, leggings, shoes, mess kit and blankets, and shipped to Douglas, Arizona. For eight days we raw recruits were kept shut up In a quarantine camp, and after that followed weeks of arduous training on the Mexican border. It was a tough grill, but It made every man-Jack of us hard as rocks. Our training embraced bareback riding, Instruction In the use of equipment, and the grooming of horses We were given an Idea of the various parts of the field pieces, and engaged In battery drill and target practice with three-Inch guns. We put in a lot of work on those guns, little thinking that we would handle an entirely different kind of field 'piece when we arrived In France. I became the driver of the lead team of the first section field piece, and before many weeks had passed I could maneuver that piece like a -veteran. By listening to the jlery rhetoric of some of the old-time drivers In the battery, I learned there are certain cuss words which have a special and most effective meaning to artillery horses, and I sometimes used them with wonderful result But, say, I hate to think about the early stages of that bareback training. It was fierce, worse than anything I encountered later on the battlefront. Our battery was afflicted with positively the most evil-minded, devlllsh-dlsposltloned horses on earth. Hon est, I believe that German propagandists had been working among every one of the nags- for how they did hate us ! No one can tel me that the horse doesn't possess the power of thinking like a human being. The way my nag used to scheme to break my neck rivaled the machinations of the villain In a melodrama. Every time the nag tossed me Into the desert sand among the cactus, he would grin and toss up his heels In t)ie most fiendish manner. Off for France During the first few days pt the bareback riding I hadn't the slightest desire to sit down, and couldn't have If I had wanted to. There was. a little comfort in knowing I had cojnpany In my misery, for all of the raw recruits ate,' their chow standlpg up as I did. But as time, wore on I became toughened to the work, and developed a contempt for" a nag that lacked ginger. AH 'this time, as' you can imagine, we wero getting keyed up for war. We longed for action and watted Impatiently for the day when we would receive orders to move east ward. The latter part of July, 1917, one of my ? , .- i . . '-C' ''TIIQMgggJHggggggggg4 r ,of' ilM!i'iiiiiiiiiiiH ximmimirym am uw Bnttorir C cTtxih ll.&Fieltl - . buddies rushed Into my tent ono night', and said excitedly: ' "Reddy, we're off for France tomorrow." 1 thought he was kidding me, but no, the news was buzzing all over the camp, and the next morning we "entrained for parts un known." We all knew what that meant we were going to France, going overseas to put' the Yankee punch Into the fight against the Hun. CHAPTER II Off for France WE were boiling over with the fight spirit as wc slid over the rails toward the east coast. The weeks of training In the dry, bracing air of Arizona had steel-plated our constitu tions and lifted our morale to the twentieth story. Every fiber of our bodies ached for a try at the HUn; we felt then that our regiment, unaided, was capable of turning tho tide against the boche. We gave our pals husky blows across the back and told what we were going to do when we bored oUr way Into Berlin. "When I get to Berlin town," paid a giant artilleryman from Montana, "I'm going to drop everything else and put in my time hunting for the Kaiser. Itcmember now, he s mv meat; I'm going to t,ettie wun mai bloody old boy, and I don't want any Inter ference." , "You've got no monopoly on this Kalser klllln' Job," retorted a gunner from Kansas. "You've got to walk fast If you beat this buddy out looking for his royal highness, the chief butchery of Berlin " This sort of talk may sound foolish, but It bho ved the excellence of our spirits. W c were ready for anything the rougher the better. I believe we were about as reckless an outfit of artillery roustabouts as ever moved toward a battlefront. The trip overland was one continuous ova tion from Pouglas to the Atlantic port where we emharked. At every stop, even at the tank nations, enthusiastic Yankees pulled the hero stunt on us, flowing Into our trains and overwhelming us with fruit, candy and pastry. Everybody wished us godspeed In our mission against the Hun. All this, of course, lifted our war spirit several more At 3 o'clock one morning we piled off our trains In an Atlnntle port, and marched on to a transport. The ship pulled down the channel ana anchored. We remained there for two days, and they were blamed tiresome days. We couldn t see any sense in this delay at getting a whack at the Hun I growled with the beet of them, for the boche hate had taken a heavy grip on me. In me was a deep-seated feeling that I would not be content until I had planted both feet on French poll. I suppose some of my buddies would say that It was destiny pulling me on to fire the first gun for liberty. I'll confess that I did have a feeling I was needed on the other side to help start the ball a-rolllng for Unci's Sam. Off at Last Every mother's son of our lusty crew of boche haters gave an ear-ringing yell of Joy when, at sunset on the second day, the trans port weighed anchor ana sicamea moij "" of the harbor. Off to the flght-country ; It seemed almost too bully good to be true. I felt like kicking myself to see If it wasn't all a dream from which I would soon awaken and find myself In that rather dull prep school in Los Angeles. Most of us were a trifle glum as we saw the coastline of Yankecdom fade away In the violet mists of evening, but not long did we heaVties mope Out of the east stiff, salty breezes brought to us a smell of ad venture that Jacked up our Eplrlts like drafts of sparkling wine. Here at last, I thought, I am afloat In the pea of mvstery and danger the sea which for three years had been the theatre of events which had vibrated the world. Hundreds of miles to the eartward. I knew that destroyers prowled about on the alert for the treacherous submarine, while cruiser and battleship fleets patrolled wide, watery areas, eft dually bottling up the battle squadrons of the Kaiser I was supremely content as I hung over the rail and watched the "foam churn over the bow. About a mile ahead, a United States cruiser of the latest model rode the seas majestically, while on our flanks Yankee destroyers saucily plowed the waves, "Uncle Sam Is on the Job," I said enthusi astically to niy buddy. Sergeant Pasquale Atlllo, a young, Intelligent New York Italian, one of the best artillerymen In the battery. "You can bet your bottom dollar Uncle Sam is on the Job, Reddy," her replied. "Mr. Submarine has about as much chance of poking In our game as a Jersey mosquito has of drllllnr through one of the steel plates of this transport." I was mighty lucky to have the sergeant for my buddy, for, aside from being one of the best chaps that ever rode an artillery caisson, he was a competent maiv and It was largely through his Instruction that-1 was promoted to corporal after the regiment landed In France. Oar New Americans This war has opened my eyes to the fact that the sons of our Immigrants have the makings of absolutely top-notch Americans. This Is being demonstrated, every day on the western battlefront in Europe, where they are fighting and dying In the cause of Liberty. And before this war Is over we, are going to take off pur hats many times to the lads who, in ante-bellum days, we rather contemptupusly classed as forelrners. 4 Believe me, they are proving themselves Yanks of the first water, every one .of them. Some ot them .are wabbly In their English, but they are backing up the spirit of Wash ington and Lafayette Just as If their ances tors had played 'heavy parts In the Amer ican Revolution. When -we have the Kaiser ibv CommlltMi.on tabUo laformatlea. I . .. . . ..... . ..- m Mtuem : if wo fiired the jsurf'shot or ihe Sm.&mcan fV'jrj.wi,,, -iATJ-T "'. 'f ''St'1 ''5? ""j-TsSa ... .... A J interned In Sing Sing prison, and the nations of the world have returned to peaceful pur suits, we are going to show our appreciation for what these lads have done for their alopted country, or I'm a poor prophet. Tliere was only one fly In our ointment on the trip over, and that was the chow, which, for the first few days was about the worst ever ladled out of a ship's kettle. It smelled to the heavens,, did that chow, and before we were two days out. a third of the outfit were groaning In their bunks with dysentery and other ailments of the digestive organs. We bellowed long and loud to the head chef, a big, fat darky, who didn't know as much about cookery as a longshoreman. We might Just as well have complained to the ship's anchor or the keel of the transport. The chow grew worse and more of the boys went to tho mat. I have a stomach as vigorous as a blast furnace, but 'It balked at the kind of stuff that was being served up In the messroom. I saw 1 would have to do something to keep out of the sick bay, so I decided upon a little strategy. I was on pretty good terms with an under cook by the name of Sam, and for two bits a day he supplied me with chow frpm the ofllcer.s' mess. I let my buddy, the sergeant, in on the graft, and a little before mealtime wc would steal away to the bollerroom and eat the food which had been cached there by Sam. Tho best Jn eatables on the ship was pur loined for us by the ebony rascal, and my huddy and 1 waxed fat nnd comfortable while our comrades howled In Increasing volume at he Kteady decline of the chow. Of course the .sergeant and I had to yelp and complain w Ith the rest so as not to excite suspicion. If' the bunch had discovered our little game they would have mobbed us. We felt like a pair of Judases at first, but under the Influence of that pood food our con sciences became covered with rawhide. I havo always noticed that a well-filled stom ach is the best conscience soother in the tt orld Things came to a ripping climax on the third day when the rascally chef served a concoction which he labeled "Irish stew." The stuff was an Insult to the Irish race. Several of the boys gagged and beat It to the deck rail the minute they got a whiff Landing of of the steaming, stinking mess, whllo down right murder, and nothing else, gleamed in the eyes of other artillery huskies. As for me. wretch that I was, I pounded on the mess table and yelled: "Boys, this thing has gone far enough: I'm vvllHng to die for my country on the field of battle, but I'll be blamed If any lump headed, fumbling Jackass of a nigger cook Is going to shuffle me off with a kettle full of ptomaine bugs." All for Murder If the lads had known that only ten min utes before I had polished off a good square meal In the seclusion of the boiler-room, they vvould have lynched me. But they didn't know it. .My words had an Immediate effect, for they were ripe for murder, pillage and every thing else In the category of lawlessness. "Right you are, Reddy." yelled a buddy from Michigan, "I move we hang that rot ten cook to the yardarm. He's out to get a sea funeral for all of us, and he,'ll accomplish his purpose If we don't get him first." "There ain't' any yardarm on this Bhlp," observed an old 'artilleryman, "but, boys, we can lift him to the crow's nest and drop him off into the brine." 'To the crow's nest with the black beg gar." chorused the . desperate crew, and the rush was on Into the galley. r ' V The big chap from Michigan led the band. He was a ferocious-looking object as he Jab bed viciously at" the air with a-palr of table forks. .- But the chef heard the uproary and -the rush of feet down the stairs. He must have suspected that- a' day of reckoning' was com ing up cannon-ball express, for he-, scram bled up another-companlonway and. gained the deck. So .great, .was his haste that .he took 'along with him a great wpoden ladle from which hung t threads of dough The boys 'were hot on the trail ,and they reached the deck, .Just In time to see the white coattalls of the chef disappearing around a corner of the charthouse. The chase was now on In earnest. Up and d,own corn panlonvvays,' through the' main saloon, down into the engine-room and back up again to the deck, the chef ran for his life with the pack of 'enraged artillerymen at his heels. Finally, exhausted, the terrified' negro plunged head first Into the cabin of tfie com manding officer, bellowing: "Save me, for ,de Lord's sake, save me." "What does this' mean?" asked the col onel sternly as.he surveyed the panting, per spiring artlllerj-men gathered about' his door. The First Victory "It means Just this, colonel.'' spoke up. a gunner who had Just arrived from the mess room." He stepped, forward with a bowl of the stuff that had been serve4 a& ste,w. "Just take a' whiff of )f)l. .colonel." he said. "Jt,'s .the Jtlnd of chow -that black ras, cat 'has been -serving up ever1 since we left - si " ....:...! .... .' . . i .... Ji '.t: iffli t r w ' i . hi CAJs v vi''ilm. '"--' i-' ''-'i'? I'y'l " '&'(""" f ',''-" ? 3 ft' wmlKKAWKtAWKKtKKIKAE!Nrmikwkmm rWkmwkT1m3!vK&'''' -'I';"- -41,,- .':. ,.. Uiy h,-& yr tt&sf? HM"72iJsiS7S3sl&GE iAi ;''-' ' iJfcWSWrSKiitett I --. -..wifssaa!BKSBjBB5PiEBJBftfHMEjo ibt HBmBBBBBm-' f h'' BflBHnflQflBflB "ft ' ,:' -"'' ' 4mLmmmMammm,wM&::!wLWLm kmmAzAjAkmmmmmkmmmteMkmAv , ,A AH. PfJI 1kWwkmmmmmcjkm, 'kmmikmm b mlkwki' H' '", (.'jH " av Blk ssHswWas " ' rJ"V -Tr TS. 4 -. t;ti1la& T t ' "'a ' J- A ' The colonel did take a whiff, and h drew back with an expression of disgust. "Well, J should Bay so," he'-observed. Then he turned to the chef and said angrily: didn't get us all. "That's not fit to feed- to pigs; you are suspended untll I have a chance to Investi gate." The colonel did investigate,. and he found that the' men In the culinary quarters never washed the kettles. Bits of food were allowed to lay In the bottom of the pots and decom pose. Fresh food was put right In on top of this mess, cooked and served up to the boys. It's a wonder that the .ptomaine bugs The chef was laid off the-Job for the rest of the voyage, and we had no further trouble with the chow. However, the sergeant and I continued to get our private stock from the bollerroom cache. The day after the chef was fired out of the galley In high disgrace, a shrill call rang out from one of the lookouts of the transport i "Periscope on the port bow." CHAPTER III With Pershing in France ADYNAMIC thrill ran through every mother's son of us. Here, at last, we were face to face with that dread mechanical monster of the deep the Germans submarine. Stinging with excitement, we crowded to the rail and strained our eyes to port over the dancing sea. All was a-bustle on the transport ; officers Issued sharp, quick orders, while the eunncrs swung their pieces and felt for the range. Sailors lh blue yanked the lids from munition luxes and lifted out shells. The cruiser ahead swung about, pointed her prow due north, and forged along swiftly In response to the quickening of her eng'ines. The guarding destroyers darted about like eager hounds Fearchlng for a quarry that had temporarily eluded them. '"This 1h the life," I heard a comrade say through gritted teeth. I stood tense, expecting every second to hear a shell go screeching- odt Into the brine. About a quarter of a mile away I could see something sticking up out of the sea. part of the American Expeditionary Force at a 'That rubberln' periscope." I thought ; "I hope we make a direct hit" Then came the sickening reaction. "False alarm ; nothing but one of those d n porpotseF," cried the lookout, lower ing his glasses. A groan of disgust ran through the ship. "Wouldn't it make you Btek?" observed a Callfornlan. "Here we were all primed for the best movie of our lives, and the lights go out and the screen goes on Jthe blink. I'd llko to skin that hell of a porpoise." As for me, I was as mad as a devil, for I felt that our trip across would not be com plete without a good warm argument -with one of Germany's U-boats. Anyway, that was our Introduction to the much-talked-of submarine zone. Taking No Chances A porpoise at a distance does look very mjich lke a spying pcrlpcopeand the pesky mammals fooled our lookouts several times before wo reached France. But then, these Instances only showed that our men were ever on the alert for the Kaiser's under-ths-sea. dogs. . Our officers took no chances while we were passing through the terrltory'of the U-boat. For three nights the transport, traveled with qut lights, and our guardians, the cruiser and the destroyers, redoubled their vigilance. We were routed out ofour bunks at 3 a. m. on each of those three days, and iwere com pelled to remain on deck untllv7'a. m. with our life preservers buckled on and bur shoes and trousers unlaced.' The favorite time for the' average submarine to attack Is. around dawn. fc . We didn't eight a single U-boat all the way over, but we had a lot of 'fun, at the expense OfJthese- sneaking craft. Naturally we were all thinking about subs when we entered the zone, and hardly an hour 'would pass-but that some Jokester would yell: ,. .. "Hey, boye, there's a sub." ,'Then, we fall guys 'would crowd to the rail and put our eyes out- looking' for perl scopes. . I was taking my turn at, poker one day around noon when ,the submarine chestnut came along and caught me an' awful -wallop. My hand was a pretty, good- one well It was. nothing less than a royal flush, some thing which had, neler before rubbed, ac quaintance with me during mybrief experi ence as a poker player. I was about to proceed wth this poker knockout when a voice screeched at my elbow i "Holy smoke, lads.) here-comes a torpedo; going to hit us 'midships.'" .Zowle' I was on my.teel n an Instant, da'shlng my cards on the table, -The. other players followed suit' We did our little marathon to th.e rail; only to find that we had been) properly guyed again. & . When we returned Jto. the .table,,'f .course we fouad the card all '-raised up and' -had w iMneiiw,iiuu "" "" f " j&z&jzr gga wVi Vi..irf.jrVj iSMF-Y jK .tatfftoXfifi for the Jokesterj but he was wise enough, to stay out of sight untlLI had cooled down. ,One of the breeziest, brightest little per sonalities on 'the ship was 'our chaplain, a man by the name of. Dixon, from Illinois. That fellow was just one. human bottle of sunshine with the cork out kft'that the gUd stuff could pour out and warm up the-whole boat, .Well, the chaplain sure did love that song "Uncle Sammy," Every ' time he found a bunch of Us together he would say with one 6f his blithe smiles: i "A cigarette for every boy who will ring Uncle Sammy.' " i f.We would obediently yelp ,all three ver of the song, and after we had roared forth the last stanza the little chaplain would deal out the cigarettes. We dubbed him "Uncle Sammy," though he didn't lo6k any more like Uncle Sam than'the nih In the moon. He really looked like a pocket edition of Theodore Roosevelt, with his eyeglasses, rhuetache and gleaming teeth,' which he dis played abundantly when hi, smiled, -i It was the ambition of; the chaplain to have us go ashore In FrMCe singing tne "MarselllalBe" In French, and he drilled with this song every afternoon. There wre a,few In the outfit .who 'had good voice, but the Wiajorlty couldn't have qualified for the' choir of the corner- church In Podunk. Arid the way we slipped and! slid over those French words would"haveworn the nap off 'any' ordinary man's' patience. But the chaplain had patience thai made Jobs stem thin In comparison. He kept at' us hammer and tongs until once in a whUe we made a direct hit on a French word. The chaplain would reward us .with one of his Roo-seveltlan smiles 'and hand around the smokes. The ship was athrob with excitement on August IS when"we slghtedfa' thin blue line oft the horizon the coast of France. ' '.'Hip I hip ! hurrah 1 France," yelled a gun ner, and we Joined hint In a deafening roar of cheering. 'Now for the Hun," I said to my buddy, the" sergeant. " ...... .'.We'll soon be In his bailiwick," he replied with a glad grin. i The Prophecy, -'Then my buddy said something which I have thought of a good deal since that mem orable day. "Do you know, Reddy." he said. "I be lieve you are going to do well over here." '.'Not any better than yourself or anybody else," I replied, trying to be modest "Oh, I don't know," he ald with an air Of seriousness: "I've a hunch you are going to do something big." ' "Can that stuff, buddy," I observed, try ing not to show, my pleasure at his words.. On the day after I opened the war for Uncle Sam, my friend the sergeant grasped me by the hand andsald: "Didn't I tell you, old man, you were going to do something real over here7" But that Is getting ahead of my story., The excitement grew as pur transport swept nearer the French coast, Soon we Could make out dozens of 'neat little white houses with red tile roofs all against a background of beautiful green. It was a sight good for sore eyes. A warlike touch was given the scone as we neared the entrance of the harbor. French port Two big French airplanes advanced to meet us. flying. low and scanning the water Closelv for hostile submarine Tt wa dangerous spot,' the entrance of .that harbor.' v.iuj' i.ic ujr uGiure, wo learned later, a Ger man U-boat Ijad sneaked close In and sunk a supply ship ". CHAPTER IV ' -1 1- A Royal Welcome- IT was evident that our approach had been - well heralded, for 'the docks were dense with people, and on public buildings, dwell ings and warehouses hundreds of American And KYenrH flimtl'lr. .an.r.. .- ... ........ .. ..... .i.i.., i0 lne breeze. Quaint little F?ench, fishing vboata swarmed about the transport, and the occupants of these craft were the first to .greet us. w These fishermen, were very-picturesque In their rakish, red tam-o'-shanters and "cor duroy trousers, rolled up to the knee They wore a red scarf about the waist and their feet were bare.v The faces.ot these foreign looking men were. wreathed;n-smiles they Jabbered and gesticulated after the manner of the French, shrieking 'questions at -us which we did not In'the least understand . Oneof them became , so .'excited that' lie .forgot to steer his boat andUhe.craft'ram med another and was Upset, throwing th. fisherman lnto-'the .water.- We threw a line to the capslzedHparty and' pulled him drip ping and gasping to the 'dck 'of the trans p6ft. Wegavehlm a hilarious "'reception slipping his-, damp back and shouting 'Howdy. .FrenchT" He' replied with a tor rent of enthusiasm. In his own language and a. wide', smile unfolded under, his queer little eyebrow of a ..mustache , when we filled his hand -with -American colna'j-He stayed 6n the beat until, we docked .Arid did not t seem to' worry In, the least abou.Mhe fate, of his smack, which he had left upset in the.harbor. In the' neantlrtie the French aircraft had wheeled about'and were foljowlng the .trans port, serving as a, sort ofrearguard, The United States 'cruiser rode proudly ahead and ,the destroyers 'steamed" behind us. Tit .sounded pleasant andwarllke to -hear tne Duzxing oi tne motors aioit. we yelled greetings to .the airmen, and tbey peered at! us through 'their goggles ' and waved in reply. They, were flying rs6 low that- we could 'almost talk to them.; ' v' Dense, crowds. were Jlned up on both banks as- we passed through the first locka.. There were quaintly dressed peasant women who made' me think of the pictures of Puritan i ' cnNTrmiRniNAii'mnAY' . .Jti v-vwj-, -i,V -?r t- "-.- i i.J .J.ijV.'iJJufA .KuramnisiuM s;y .j m jU ii ." r dames in my.Witoty book back InM rney wore ptlmv wnite caps, exci !ght bodices,' wide skirts and shoes. The little girls were pocket , Af their mothers and big sisters, i i A . Calerf nl ReccBtlen?- .fisfl & corduroy trousers and sabots. The wljiiVttS vw.ac fui .iiv in miiiu & c iu wfw.w'w i-rX had once attended In Frisco. " h''A.F 1 "M ' The populace, so to speak, went wttd we supped through the locks, our bana,ajr-i,w,'B Inr alternately lh '.'Star Snantteit Banna' i.V"J arrd the "Marseillaise.". ."? -iV , i ,iMen ripped their gaudy scarfs from-; waists and waved them frantically : -w and girls fluttered, their handkerchiefs. American and French flags were li everywhere. ,W could easily gather by the aetl these good neoDle that we were th things they had looked upon for a long There was something oathetle and ch ff'iKTr Si;,-': miK Ti J. " UfW J x Kati wllfi4gV mm aoout -their Joy. Many,of them sobbed, Js. ffi Children, they felt so glad to see us-fanlM. sSg and I did not blame them whcn'I thought ofjlTa wnat they had been thnltgh the lasftnWt J4BM ftta? '""" fi.-s (l Bona, brothers and fathers from tnla ex?" had died hv th IhnnunH on th front lhie. along with other loyal -Frenchmen. In. the v f coming of the Americans these poor fblle- saw nope and a, prospect of a turning- or. uw , iiuc agamst me mvaaing Docne. t -j iE uur ngniing eago was snarpenea wnen wtt; glimpsed the depth of. their welcome, !1fr 'fc couldn't understand a single syllable pttlM, ,Jv - ...v.. .....J WC01TU iv uo, uui "o wv. iw wir y, granted that It was all complimentary ir fi? .v..tw,t.v. infill VVJtl Bwu UkU, UUI1CU OUfcbn. M "Take heart, you folks, forkwe're going" fa t paste-neu out or the bodies," yelled.an artl!'. leryman. ' - 'Jt .&-? "Uncle Sam Is on the Job now," cried: a -k other Tank. ' "';?,$& . w e aocKea mat nignt, but were not aiiowea; a xo go aFnore. jjui me irencnies seemecrn- i Mrmlncd that we should feel the welcome, otL!S France, -even though we were penned Ivv&M .(...1 .kl. ml.... ..... .a ... lit. -A....rTi'7J nuua.iu niiij. xiicy pvYuniptru UD wiin U",IIV.,TJ' oi irun ana nouquets ot powers. Hopirrxne-v old transnort looked llkn a florist "than and -.- we consumed fruit until We were threatened .'5J! with colic. ", X T, The Yankee spirit of exploration and aia iA venture got the best of soma of the boya tMK nlrtlf .nri thlV ell, n.nn ..,. M. t7JlMMl&M- sentries flnri )-ttltnY In lh. ahln .hit- vnfrn rc' them penetrated into the cltv. returnlhir he-V?-k fore morning and bringing glowing reporta"6'Vs3j ine jiospuanty oi tne Jtrencn. ;?.,.pfS ui jjiave, vnm rrance, saia one "Oi ,yie i y. iuc,ub iiunicia, u. nine uiii-Kiy, .upuurniB.rvyfsi iurn. rums in mis Durg wouian-i jet.mew . pay lor a Diamea ining-; nuver saw somuca j wine in my lire, it must ram doozo intnese a nflrtd i " . J parts." The Landing We landed the following' day. Aufrustllt. 1917. and I shall never forget tho events At this same nort. thn first. detai'hmAnt nfTT?efl.l'&3 eral Pershing's forces put 1n nearly 'two, .1 monthsprcvlous. on June 26. 1917, and-they mk were receivea hkp a lot oi goas. out tne S2.J nnvpllv rt heelnr AnierlrnnH had. not vet wirw'.V.S'i ore, ana tne innaDiianm ot.tne.pon gaverf-as nfg oulte as rousing a reception as they- did tBs'-.'S first arrivals. . . , W-&g It was a clear, beautiful morning as ;. -v marched 'down the gangplanks, sfngUuc-'tb : . "Marseillaise" with an ardor that Jieairlr Jpjsl with nrlde and Joy. - . . ACii3SSk Well, say. those Frehchles fairly' mobM3re- us. . . iMm snouting, vivo ivvmenque, tney twrnmrn- tor us as If we were something good tcett. .n? Tlie first thing I knew, a ..mlddle-'lsg' woman In peasantcostumo. had. swung ifcK; arms around my neck and was klssInsr'BMfT first on one cheek and then another.-AW-fJS bddy would have thought I was a Ion(f-MK4f&.j Cull. I viicu ii. J7IO iii i"v mmv na.v aw jw- grip 11KC iron, ana i nau id grrin-ona Bww-Jiyj, ".. J. .u.; . u .-S351 Dm lilt; iiiiiib ''a u"i u-c. vf y iniBi-j, It now developed Into a -matter iof ''taW. turns. No sooner had the elderly wantt let go my neck, when another pair of L flopped around my collar, and I started-! run. but I changed my mind when -XCt good look. .-Iw-j "And you would have changed your' ml too,. If you had been In Jny place. sThe-'pt tlest girl In Franco had annexed herself p my neck. My eyes told me that there couU be a prettier girl In France than she'.'" Her hair was as black as acrow's wing; eyes were big and brown, and .her rid it pouted up at me Invitingly. x am an Amcntii n u .1111.1.0 j I gave her a smack that must have-W heard at the Battery In New York.. fi blushed and then kissed me on both" chei and let go. And I am frank to say Iviw, kottv to see her go. ' The next In the line-up was an exclUv.v.. I Frenchy-looklng chap with a goatee and -evfk 1 glasses He had.hls lips pursed upllU'-al5 I Interrogation point, and he was maKlatr ? J m. full steam ud. I Mocked his approsiek with a'tvvlst of my .elbow'.. for I.suspecU;sn "Nothing doing. Frenchy," I said. 'YsM n,hr wn come from, men don't klss'ea iftw.- -. M . M s$igmi He eviaentiy aront unasiious .:-.-, to Sneak In under my guard, but r-sheel-;i fist warnlnglyin his xace: -- w, ... l. .....aIIs '.... I'll A1r mi.'i He saw I meant business and' abantet,'J hi. vu.lnlr offensive: '. ? ..". tT.T.S tT M Xiay on, . yBiiwi , v nt.-Aiiru T-Vrnew It was the custemTeif v everybody In France to'klss,. but I mas.nt ... inH nnt in ret-used tO'men'sataefckeT: .each other on "the cheek. " T&.rVH That night jwe'sWpt in an open7fleiKtBl miV blankets. It was" bully to-feelseM.O (-round once more ana i ". we-. jlose to tne ngnting anc. . iv,t'i,., tp. mini there a. weeK. streicnuut'Mi legs arid resting from bur voyage. course -we were impatieov. me unify, . -intsii to beat It to .the front-li dlately apd take a hand In the' b)g. CTf.-'V ' s" Off to Barrack ri-s'j:.. -nr were eiatea at tne ena oi me j- when we Iwere loaded Into funnyMltOfi' cars -whicn were aunui mu mo nui i.rii-an brand. We weretpacked ba'S that we barely had standing- roomjif ' to shove' ana squirm pernio wo "w. hi.- .nnu-rti to sit down. . NeVetH v .. i hirn iDlrltB and were klaeH on the move. i , 14 nr. mbled for the positions at.the . doors, anil was, lucky'enough to;wn-l In .the open several nroa. -.uur 5flw trip consisteo i-ii ii "'7':.'w; h.tit.v nndat some of .the stat the route' we received handouts of.atH nr. ....ji-ihrauah a orettv rolllBtt'J try. dotted with towns and vllUupt ftJLW Very eTV yuuin MVe. v t.wfrw,w-4 we at the front dolng-thelr bltataWigj Hun The worn .on mo i.im. , done mostly-by oldVrnen, romn.;$m, dren."- The Inhabitants gathered;;. '.. a. -m i nana inroiiKD. " "After'trsvellng fon-three dV jnji heend or tne un' "v" ,VT :..,. tonk u to the best artWe-fjrl k .France. That night-we 'hit. the- L.i ..ttrassee Jina.reai piupws. v. f V.u v,.. nf mil. we were .near I tine "a-hd could -hear- the boom ft 'mm. ' " . . .? -. E'erV one ot us t!t x uniinri reallzedthat onlya few mlies V.....i....r notiln.awayvt.th.h BiSr."- .11 .aaer tb 'starttotir pWtTow-behlnd toTwgtm ttTrinv fate was not.,lnstore .rox,-ia,vj learned,to our grief-the next ay tq a-ould have -to, undergo rDany.weefciv RH!- ,,-a.V 'fhe'most exactuvg-FttMl fuierylristructora before w.-ypTSJy to' pepper awy-v ? ,. j,s : . ' ' i ' m i v?.i,t ...,,..Vf. 1 '!. ' W - 41 jiw'if f -- r (.C tt-,v i i j , ' 1 1 ii i ilji. wrfm 7 maam r-'-mrmKf J&W1 " iQ'.'2Lveiaiiixj , ... .,,. V T m? " "7"
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