Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1917-12-12
ARMY YARNS

81 went into restaurant on the boule-
ward with girl, said soldier l!cKeQ
her up on the street, know, was fool
but she talked English and 1 was fran
tic to look at a pretty woman and hear OF
something besides war We had an ONE
let and two bottles of beer. What do you
think they charged me?'
The answer might have been anything
Two hundred frances" said the boy
ut took all my money except lew
francs. I've cabled home to my father In
Canada, If he doesn't come through I've
got to go back to the trenches peIore my
leave is up.
His was not an isolated experience.
The men come here unwarned and as
trustful as children. They so want to
mud and Boche shells and the fear of
death. They do not know the language
and they do not ask the prices, and they
listen to plausible strangers One Eng
fish woman tries to protect them She
stations herself at the railway station
and talks to them when they come out.
She is the only one that know of. No
one else seems to care.
do you want to go to a quiet and
clean hotel?" they are asked when they
walk out Of the railway station on ar
rival. -
That is what they want above every
thing else. They want quiet and clean
illness and rest Most of them go tc
bed at O'Clock at night and do not get
up until o'clock in the morning. Be
cause the tout who addresses them is
seemingly respectable and can talk En-
gish they go with him. The hotel is
clean and quiet-and they wake up in the
morning without sou.
Only the man who has gone through
this experience can realize, what a trag
edy it is. 1t may mean that he must
cut short the cherished leave to which
he had been looking forward with such
sick anticipation through so many weary
months. To rob a soldier on leave is the
cruelest thing in war.
''He came to me in the midst of
storm off Vera Cruz" said the Marine
Corps major whose name everyone knows
anyhow, So that the censorship rules do
not irritate. "1His eyes were rolling and
his blubber lips were trembling.
sick
g Yes. sab, sick said he. 'Ah'm home
sick and Ahn seasick and Ah'm lovesicl1
and dat shuhly is some sick
A party of Australians went out to
see the town. They insisted on deck
ing their taxis with British flags.
Won't go. unless we get the flags
was the ultimatum. Tired of being
taken for Americans
That is sore subject.
Who's been doing the fighting in this
war they asked, 1--WE or the Amer
leans? All right, then. But there isn't
the town is perfectly covered with Am
er'can flags. Wherever we go some fool
Frenchman throws up his hat:
s. 'Ooray' he says. for the brave Am
orleans. Vive FAmerque'
Find 2 Canadian in town on pernnis-
sion and the chances are you will find
him jingling with souvenirs The rner
of Canada have almost a mania for
gathering mementos of war It was
Canadian who is responsible for the fol-
lowing wittcsm:
The English said he eight for hon
or, the French for glory. and the Can
adams for souvenirs
A little Canadian came to town the
other day to eninv his leave granted
because of a particularly gallant action
But he wasn't happy
i fought for twentv-faur cuseed hours
straight on end" said he land then .
Boche shell put me out. When 7 woke
M the battle was all ver-and I had
MT got single souvenir