The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-07-23

The drivers and the fuel. but IN" equip
mcnt should have included few gal
Ions Of tho English language. After
a time the value of pantomime was
pnprccated by both sides and there
were eventually Il few interpreters,
hut at first d number OF our officers
sought To make English serve by mix
ing it with patience.
"lIavr YOU enough gasoline" asked
m American officer The French dry
CT shrugged his shoulders 10 Indicate
Thai he did not understand. The Of
icrr smiled tol"rantly and spoke with
gentle frmncgS, AS if 10 wayWard
child. Have you enough gasoline"
he said Again the FrenchDan's shout
ders went IN. Have you enough gas
nlineo" repeated the officer. only this
time he spoke loudly and fiercely. as
if talking TO his wife. Even yet the
F'rcnchman did not understand.
Inspiration came 10 the officer. Sud
denly he gesticulatcd with both hands
and began 10 initiate George Bcban
as the Partisan waiter in one Of the
old Weber & Fields shows. Ave YOU
enough of re gaz-o-leenc?" he piped
mincingly. Then an interpreter came.
. Fortunately. there was no German
efficiency at Babel and "berp," "choc-
Olat," sandwich" and "DifStrk" are
near enough 10 common meeting
ground 10 keep the American army
from starving. Nor are the dillicul-
ties of win" inSurmountable.
Il don't understand these people at
ALL" complained one soldier. They
spell some OF their owrds all right,
hut they haven't got the sense 10 say
en- thai way"
Another objection of the invading
army was that the townsfolk de-
mandcd whole sentences of French.
Mixtures seemed ncomprehensihle TO
them. and the officer who exclaimed
Indignantly, Madame. where is my
oeuf?" got no satisfaction whatever.
Encouragement dogged some who
learned fragments Of the language.
There was, for instance. an ambitious
sailor who noticed the pretty waitress
at the Grand Cafe and came around
the next day 10 ask "Madamoysell.
sec vus play donny moy une baysa
She answered: Where do you get
Eat stuff" And an earnest student
OF the language quit further re-
searches into Romance languages.
Next 10 the language the currency
of France proves the most trouble.
some thing for the newcomers. How
much is this" asked the soldier, dis.
playing y copper coin. and upon being
informed that it was ~ centimes he
complained: but why do they put
them together like rhat?"
The exchange. however, serves 10
make the American soldier seem af.
fluent in France. They pay of the
lowest private is $40 Il month, which
DOES not sound imposing even when
Sc Il month is added for foreign scrv-
Ice. but with an exchange rate of $40
francs per dollar IL amounts 10 2O5.2O
francs Il month. which bulks much
larger. This again may be augmented
BY The s. bonus for marksman or
the s. bonus for Sharpshooter. The
lowest commissioned officer, the Soc
ond lieutenant. finds that with his
various allowances his salary amounts
10 l,02A.5l francs per month.
One thing The American soldier
will not forgive the French. He may
overlook their currency, since it
serves 10 make him seem richer than
he is. and perhaps he will pardon the
fact that they call bread pain" but
he is utterly rrbellious at the idea
that he must learn TO count answ. He
finds II hard 10 be patient with the
people who call numbers out of their
righIful names.
Yet. despite these lesser difficult
ties. our soldiers and sailors are prof
Ting 10y the honeymoon Of France
and America. Whether In khaki or
navy blue, the man from the States
can have about what he wants. 4
little later on. the poilu proba bly, will