The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-06

A motor car salesman.
A short grass rancher.
Scene.
In the smoking compartment of Union
Pacific train between Topeka and Camp
Funston.
ear made dismal failure of perusing
the lines of a Magazine story, Hghted
a cigaret after borrowing a match
from the young man without coat
companion looked gloomily out the
window.
The match incident, as it generally
does in the smoking compartment,
paved the way for conversation. The
Young man without a coat leaned for
ward with the customary question
that always opens discussion Sooo
for an argument between travellers In
this one particular section of any train
if a listener will wait long enough for
one of the conversatiOnalists to say
something the other doesn't agree
with. The interrogative:
Where y'u going"
Camp FunstOn-drafted, an
swered the other.
say" exclaimed the man in shirt
sleeves, did they get you? They did,
huh? Believe me, DO, you're a-goin
to get yours. That camp is no place
for a son of freedom. Didn't y'u claim
Exemption"
Il didn't" answered the one with
the credulous ear which was to be dis
played later.
You're a fool for not. Son, take it
from me, you couldn't get me up there
I've got a wife and kids and besides 1
worked up there two weeks. 1 know
wha4 it is. I've seen many a poor
devil led over those hills that didn't
come back
Face Firing Squads?
Why didn't they come back? Were
| they sent home"
oh yes they were sent home all
right. They were sent home to the
tune of a firing squad. They were
shot"
The youth betrayed his creduIous
| ear. He jumped at the last word as
/ if the leather cushion had suddenly
| been penetrated with a pin.
shot! What for?"
"Oh, military reasons. They refused
to do something some hick officer told
them to.
believe me, they shoot 'em up
| there every day They march 'em
| over the hills and then hold a mill
tary funeral. But you don't hear any
thing about it. Nope, it's military Sc
crets. Their folks amt even notified"
A German spy poisoned the water and
| they shot him"
The auditor turned pale His com
| panion, the man who had been trying
| to keep interested in a magazine be-
trayed sufficient interest that another
man, the only occupant of the COM
partment excepting the trio, knew he
! was also~bound for the camp and that
| his next suit of clothes would be fur
nished gratis by the government
The credulous ear was getting the
| best of the drafted youth but he tried
| his best to find a loophole in the
! others statements.
Amt no use to argue with me-
4 r.s11s. !, ~.
| 1 been there. If 1 ever come into
the camp I'll hunt you up and show
you that graveyard, everybody don't
know where it is-it's a military Sc
! cret"
The speaker drifted out at the
beckon of a man in a wide brimmed
hat who came to the door and witch
ed his finger.
Another minute and his seat was
filled with an individual with cropped
nlustache and a rugged face. The
drafted youth tried again to get in.
terested in the magazine and the sec
ond ditto went back to his window
Another five minutes and the 81
lence was broken with sounds gener-
ally conceded to come from a china
shop infested with a bull. An indi-
vidual of the heavy man-o'-war type
dropped in and nearly ruined a sea
getting into it.
He glared around, lighted a cigar
and then began second review OF
his companions. He didn't wait fol-
someone to borrow a match to start e
conversation. He selected the youth
with the magazine for a victim.
where y'u goin' 20
Funston"
A Different Story.
Fine, great stuff up there. Some
camp. 1 been there. It'll make g
man of you and put a tan on youI
cheeks a foot thick. When y'u see the
kaiser hand him a wollop for me-"
The victim looked doubtful. He
laughed nervously.
I'll do it," he said, provided, o.
: course, don't get shot for somethins
[ at Funston"
Shot! Who's going to shoot you