The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1916-11-16
Special to the Times.RecOrd:

special 10 the l1MeS-HeCOrO:
U. S. Army Headquarters, San Benz
to, Texas, Nov. lit was "Our Folks
who were coming, and l stood by the
side of the post Office in the hot sun
and the rolling dust clouds as wagon
after wagon train, as company after
company passed by so that l could
glimpse again "the boys from home
and give them the hand clasp that my
heart dictated. In all of my expert
ence as a war correspondent this was
the happiest. visited them for few
hours in their camp at Mercedes twice,
and had broken bread with them. And
it was good bread too, that came to
that Grafton outfit and to the hospital
company from Lisbon, each time. But
this was a chance to welcome the
North Dakota boys to my station"
and to let them know that men from
North Dakota may roam far, that
thousands of miles may intervene, but
that that North Dakota fellowship
lives on and on through the years.
And they came down the hill from
the resaca COL Frame at the head.
My hands ache yet, for l made up my
mind that the other boys must cheer
my people," too. And they did. For
they were worth applause, those rug
ged sons of the Upper Missouri coun-
try, walking erect, carrying weight
and never complaining.
The First North Dakota was out on
a four days hike. This was the turn
ing point, this beautiful little city of
San Benito-with it's orange and ba-
mana trees, it's gardens of countless
roses, it's wonderful flowers that
waved in the southern sun and bade
welcome to "the boys from home"
And, then, too, there were two north
ern flowers here to greet them, Mrs.
(Major) Angus Frazier, of Fargo, and
Mrs. (Captain) David Richie, of VAL
ley City. They had come on the train
and they stood at the post office corner
and their help to me in welcoming
way when these Flickertail boys came
romping in from 151@ mile hike be-
fore noon was a good deal more dem:
onstrative than a chautauqua salute.
1t was fine-simply fine.
The boys from home had marched
from Mercedes to LaFario the first day
out. They camped there for night,
and before many North Dakotan had
awakened on frosty morning and be-
fore some other North Dakotans had
gone to bed after night of good or
bad luck, the First North Dakota was
on it's way down the valley of the Rio
Grande toward the green city of San
Benito. The dust was deep, the way
was long and the sun was hot. But
when. the Lisbon band came moving
along with easy stride and tuneful
music the people gathered on the side
walks. And was proud when l told
the people that these were my folks"
For everybody could see, if they could
see anything, that those boys are real
soldiers. They turned the corner and
marched up the boulevard to the camp
site that had been selected and l
hurried along up there with a Major
Henry stride and we mingled together.
Boys whom had known as little chaps
in Williston were big, outstanding fel-
lows, tanned by the sun and made
stronger by the camp life. Many Of
them had grown out of my knoWl-
edge" l looked for Minot, but that
company had been left at Mercedes to
hold the lid down, the Minot tendency
on lid sitting having been demonstrate
ed in various ways. They were back
in camp doing guard duty. But there
were companies from every other por-
tion OF the state, and there was an all
afternoon reunion and one that stretch
ed into the night more than a yard
and half up at the hotel, where Judge
Lyons, the landlord, had provided me
with some headquarters" so that
could give the boys place to sit down
and rest while they were getting their
second breath.