The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-10-10

noise.
/ The officers were not very strict
aboard ship and let the crap game run
with all the noise necessary to the sue
cessful playing of this national pas
time. One of the boys had been in par
ticularly hard luck and had only Il thin
dime left to put up for future margin
when he COPIED a big pot. Just then
| the submarine alarm sounded. We
| knew we were near the danger zone.
| Hurry up" shouted one of the play
| ers as we all broke away from our
places.
The winner calmly collected the pot.
''They may shoot me. and | will tell
| the world So" he announced, before
| | will leave this sugar for blooming
| Dutchman to put torpedo into. That
would be just my luck. If it ever rains
i soup will be caught with fork"
1t was another drill alarm, so the
| calamitist returned to the game only
to be taken for his roll
ut would have been better for me if
we had been torpedoed." he said after
he had beer cleaned.
! And don't think the doughboy is
piker. Many a time I've seen $1,000 in
a single pot.
Besides craps. the men sang and
played Black Jack, a favorite card
game of campaigners and one in which
they win and lose big. 1t wasn't long
before few of them had all the mon
ey. The youngsters wrote letters until
thought some of them would never be
able to handle gun on account of
writer's cramp. One young fellow
didn't slight a girl in the state of Tex
as. and l suppose he told each she was
the only one He ought to get lots of
mail over there"
Because of the breaks in the sleep on
account of submarine drills and for
other reasons am ordered not to dis
cuss some of the boys slept in the day
time good deal There were not
many duties aboard ship, and the Off
GERS let AL hands take it as easy as
they could. They knew there would be
plenty to do in France.
That is why the American soldier is
fighting for his captain and not to
make the world safe for democracy.
He knows his captain as the fellow
who looks out for him. l speak of the
regular, the neat, sodierly looking fell
low you can always tell from a guards
man, when | say this. And l don't
mean that as reflection. Soldering is
the regulars business.
In the daytime | saw little Of my
husband, but with the aid of Cupid
Private Smithers | sneaked up to his
berth often at night. He still insisted
he would report me. The old timers
who knew me covered me up, and all
tie men were very decent. Whenever
an officer came along they would find
an excuse to gather around me, and
they did very little swearing. If fell
low forgot and cut loose he got call
from somebody. The loyalty Of these |
boys l had known on the border |
pleased me very much anu battered me |
a little, l guess.
My headquarters were the kitchen,
where | was rated as one of the cooks
and did my share. Here they called me
Silent Joe" because | talked so little
afraid my voice would betray me.
Glad that they gave me this reputation.
was ready to live up to it.
Fools Husband.
One day | was folding up my blan
xet when | saw my husband coming
Town between the tiers of hunks.
what are you doing there. rookie?'
le demanded. Don't you know there
S drill on deck?"
My back had been half turned toward
lin. | swung around and tore off my
lat. My hair had been clipped short
)ut he recognized me and laughed
The joke was on him
you fooled me. kiddie," he said
You'd better go up to drill"
But the best | could do was to help
nyself to a good cry on his chest
here was no one who could see US
lie was gentle with me as always. and
was happy. | had needed that cry
long time. | think he was a little
roud. too, to know his wife would risk
D much and follow him so far just to
e near him. | enjoyed that moment.
didn't care if all the officers on board
aw me, but none did.
1t was easy for me to go through the
mple drills on shipboard. for was
lmiliar enough with the army to show
p lot of the rockies at it, Some of
le men who did not know was
board were curious about my shaving
when do you get out your razor?"
youngster asked me one day.
81 don't have to use it except once
week." | answered I'm a kid yet
OH go to it every day to look manly
Once l did try to shave to play my
lrt.
Of course there were always the sol
err songs, and we had quite collec
IN Of musical instruments aboard,
AIMED by amateurs. One doughboy
ho had recently returned from serv
3 in Hawaii had brought ukelele
ong, and he went big, for the boys
led those dreamy tunes.
1t is a strange thing about soldier
at he does not sing the stuff written
r him, but prefers the tear jerkers
d sentimental ballads. The soldier
ngs in France will be about back