The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-07-20
James Bracy, Black, of Ports.
mouth, Doesn't Care for
Foreign Legion.
SCRAPS AROUND WHOLElOT
Isn't Afraid of the Germans, but
Wants to Battle With Them at
Home Where He Knows the
Country.
BY FRED 3. PITNEY.

IL 10 <AAhOIINuhSp 4Eoh
YEP
1t was a very plaintive query, in
deed, and l turned from the autOmO-
bile in which l had ridden into La
VallbOnne, the headquarters of the for
eign legion, to see small and very
black negro in the uniform of the
French army watching me anxiOusly.
YES" 1 replied, "we are Ameri-
cans. Are yOu?"
"YaSsuh," said the negro. sic suis
Americain. ParleZ-vOus AnglaiS? All
comes fom PO'tsmO'th, Virginia. Nah
name is James Bracy, sub. james
Bracy, B-r-a-c-y. Is yo' got dat name
right? Perhaps, yo' wants to write it
DOWN."
James was not martial. He was
feline. He was like a small kitten,
playing around, begging to be
scratched behind the ears.
SLOW do you come to be here?" 1
asked.
"Ah come in a grand ship to BOr-
deauX, wraStlin' lroSSeS," he replied,
IAN when All got there, there wasn't
no way to git back, so All listed"
:'How long ago was that?"
Eight months, suh.'
He Knows Norfolk.
81 suppose you know Norfolk,
James"
Norfolk" exclaimed James. "Why,
of cO'se All knows Norfolk. All comes
from PO'tsmo'th."
"And Old Point Comfort?"
'"Suh?"
"Old Point Comfort, Chamerblain's
hotel, Fortress Monroe"
"NO, sub. All don't know none of
DEM"
But if you come from Portsmouth
and know Norfolk, you must know Old
Point. It's only eight miles away"
"Aw-h," said James, you means
Hampton Roads. Why, yassuh, All
knows Hampton Roads. All sailed out
tab Hampton Roads when All come
heah." -
James crept a little closer, and be-
came confidential. "Does yo' all reck-
on America is gOin' to git into de
wah?" he asked.
"Do you want America to come in?"
I queried.
"YasSuh." he said eagerly. "Yassuh,
All suo' does want America to come
into dis heah wah."
"Whyp
Wants to Fight Germans.
"Cause." he replied, "ev'ybody roun'
heah says if America comes in we all
Americans d be 'matically released
an could 90 home. An" he added,
pleadingly, "Ah sho' would like to
weah some clO'es again-sOme regular
clO'eS. Desc heah amt clO'es, rightly
speakin', an All shO' would like to
weah some clo'es again, suh."
"But don't you want to fight the
Germans, James?" asked.
"YaSSuh, yaSsuh," he said. "YaS-
sub, All wants to fight de Germans.
But All wants to fight 'em at home.
All shO' wants to lick de Germans to
a finish. But All wants to do it in
de United States of America. AhSe
eager to fight de Germans. Dey amt
nobody mob eager'n All am to fight
'em in PO'tsmO'th. Virginia, wheah All
knows de country an de people an
All can fight 'em right"
'"YOu must have had some expert
ence already, James," / said. "YOu
have been in the legion eight months;
you must have done some scrapping."
ooh, yassuh." he replied. "Ah done
right cOnsidahbul scrappin'."
"What part of the front have you
been to-" asked.
Scraps Around Whole Lot.
"Ah amt been to de front" he said.
"Theah's a couple of other fellahs an
me scraps aroun' heah a whole lot.
Sometimes we wraStleS an sometimes
we scraps, but mostly we scraps"
We had gone to La VallbOnne to see
the American members of the for
eign legion who were still at the depot,
and 1 asked James If we would see
him in the squad.
"No, subj" he said, "Ah amt goin'
to be in it."
'Why not?' I asked.
"Ah heahd yo' all was COMM" he
explained, land All went to Sergeant
Bouligny an All says to him, All says,
Salutin' of cO'se, sergeant All says,
when de gemmuns comes to see de
legion, Ahse ready. when yo' is. Yo'
can call on me- All says.
But Sergeant Bouligny comes from
New Orleans, an he looked at me an
he says, we don't need you he says,
an he turned 'rOun' an walked away.
All reckon it's cause Ah'm cullud, so
All come Ovah heah to ask yO if yO'
all thinks Mistuh Wilson is goin' to do
anything bout de wah so we all can
90 home"