Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-11-17
IS 4FEDUP' ON WAR;
LONGS FOR VIRGINIA
Homesick Boy With Foreign
I Legion Wants to Wriggle
4. His Toes In Potomac.
By THOMAS NJ. JOHNSON.

e,
FIELD HEADQUARTERS. AMERICAN
ARMY IN FRANCE. october 22--There
Il at least one homesick American colder
In France. but he is not in the American
Army. He is with the Foreign Legion.
that hard bitten lot OF soldiers Of fortune
who are supposed not to know what home
81 His name Is Jimmy. and he is very,
very black and he would like to be back
home in Virginia, wriggling his toes In
tho Potomac.
He said so the other day, when we met
him at one Of the training camps the
American Army is establishing Jimmy Is
m orderly now and takes care of the
boots Of a major in the marines who COM
xnands this particular camp. SO that he
feels more at home than he ever has since
he came to France, as he will tell you.
Rightly" Is House Boy.
."Ysee.~ he explains. I'm rightly
house boy-Hghtly a house boy. Never
was cut out for a soldier. I was born
does pronounce it Virginny-"an' been
house boy for some pretty quality folks
] got bout nun this here war, but course
new there's reglar American officers to
Be tended to. / gotta stay
We came upon Jimmy standing before
. stone barrack building. whiting stick
With a deadly looking trench knife. He
soldiers in France. On the back of his
head was a discarded American officers
olive darb cap. minus the bronze eagle.
which Jimmy had replaced with a it,le
red feather. His coat was a cotton khaki
American Army coat just one size too
small for him His breeches were the
treenish gray Of the marine field uniform.
and he wore spiral cloth puttees of the
light blue of the French army. Around
his shoulder he wore the braided green
and yellow cord. the fourragere. with
have distinguished themselves in action
and have gained four citations.
The newly arrived American officers
were spectators that afternoon at the
mimic storming Of trenches by some
French troops and we wanted to see
1t and had lost our way.
How do We get to the maneuversT'
10 asked.
-Munoovers?" asked Jimmy. "mu-
He pondered a moment visibly on
his strange new word
"Oh. to eat" he calculated finally, as
u he had seen great light
Waited for Jimmie's Story.
AFTER that the maneuvers were for
Eutten until we could get Jimmy's
story. He had shipped on a horse
when he reached Marseille and
promptly spent his pay. Then he had
yestered the American consul SO much
that that sorely tried individual had
rot Jimmy enlisted in the French For
odgn Legion to be rid Of him
sure seen some dghtin'," said
Jimmy. "Yessir. seen some fightin'
! got hit here in the arm with one o.
these what they call o-boos, these big
Aheil@ an like to blown my arm off
Then right after I got out the hos
pdtal they sent me back into the line,
IN q shranel bust my haid No, sir
this amt NO war for me. Why, last
time was up the line TUX a bosh
pgasiner an he give me a big ring,
looked like gold The major here he
toll me to bite 1t. an If twas gold it'd
en.te salty. 1t don't taste salty one
little bit I reckon that bosh muster
eonfooled me- I don't have no luck IL
This war"
The major is going to keep Jimmy
- his orderly. SO Jimmy will be again,
- he says "a sorter house boy"
fou see. said the major, its the
EASIEST thing in the world to make
Jimmy work Just say, Jimmy, I'll
pend you back to the front If you don't
hustle and he'll hustle. Jimmy's one
Ied-up colored gentleman as far as
lighting L. concerned, and he'd like to
10 home right now. But to do him
justice think he feels in duty bound
% stay here as long as a single Amer
nan omcers boots need shining"