The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-10-19


deck or below after dark. If the guard
caught a soldier sneaking a flag" he
tagged him and forced him to do guard
duty until he in turn caught another at
it. The system worked pretty well.
The boys could smoke all they wanted
to ON deck in the daytime. After the
lights were out our sleeping quarters
were absolutely dark, and there was a
severe penalty for lighting even a
match. The portfolios were open to
keep the men from s%ufocating.
Before dark ! carefully located my
husbands bunk since l knew I would
have to travel by dead reckoning, and
| couldn't afford to stumble over some
thing. because that would get Smithers
and my husband in bad and lead to my
discovery. Before going to bed I took
off my heavy shoes and carefully hid
them. l was going to make the trip in
my stocking feet.
Shortly after lights out 1 felt a gen.
tie push on my arm, and Smithers
whispered:
"All right, kiddie. Go up forward"
| sneaked out of the bunk and
reached my husbands berth without
mishap. BE was glad to see me, and
for awhile we forgot the ship and the
war and the dangers and were our
selves. But, soldier-like. he suddenly
came down to cases.
1--WE got to report you, kiddie," he
said. "You can't 60 or or you will get
us all in bad"
1 pleaded with him. He insisted that
he owed it to his country and his uni
form to report me.
Forget you have seen me-" I urged,
land. let me 60 along. I will join the
Red Cross as soon as I get ashore in
France"
Alarm Interrupts Talk.
He finally agreed he would not re-
port me until just before we arrived,
if l got away with it that long, but he
insisted he must do 1t then. However,
we agreed to see each other the next
night to have another talk, and !
thought, with the whole Atlantic be-
tween US and France, l could persuade
him in the meantime. Just as I was
getting ready to 60 back the submarine
alarm sounded which broke all the boys
out Of their hunks, seasick as most Of
them were.
ran back to my place just In time
to hear the rookie quartered over me
arguing with the sergeant.
Get up out of there!' shouted the
mon CON-" That's the q boat alarm"
81 don't care whether we sink or
not" answered the poor boy. II hope
she does. Don't bother me-"
The sergeant routed out the rookie
without much ceremony. and 1 follow
ed along to a place assigned to me on
a life raft, putting on my life belt as l
went. All the men had orders to don
their life preservers first and then go
in an orderly manner to their places.
Already there had been two or three
drills In the daytime, and the disci-
plined man soon catches on.
When l reached the deck there was
no confusion and no excitement In the
pitch black darkness. The men were
proceeding quietly to their places. fas-
tening on their life belts, although most
Of them had been wakened out Of snor-
ing sleeps. and 1 vas proud Of the be-
havior Of the soldiers Uncle Sam was
sending to the trenches.
If all our boys who are going to
France obey instructions as we'll as
that shipload did there will be no ex.
cuse for the loss Of a life. It all moved
like clockwork. No one lost his head.
MY seasick rookie, however, climbed
into the wrong boat and got a call from
the corporal.
Don't you know" beloved the cor
poral, that lifeboat Is reserved for Of
lcers? Get out of there"
Il don't think this is a very demo-
cratic army" grumbled the y%oungster.
IF they're fussy what boat you get IN
at such a time. I'm going to Russia to
enlist, where there's some freedom, If
they don't drown me, and l don't care
if they do"
The alarm was only intended as a
night drill, and we were soon ordered
back to quarters. l trailed along with
the rest, almost boldly, because there
was little danger of detection in that
inky darkness. l rolled into my bunk
and was soon as sound asleep as any
body. AS 1 dozed off I knew I was not
afraid Of submarines, for the alarm
had not scared me at all, and l thought
we had sighted a sure enough U boat.
After that we had many OF these
drills at all hours. Most Of the men
soon became calloused to the danger OF
submarines, and some Of them got so
they would sleep through the alarm
that is; they would sleep until the SER
poon& u-boeo dufu II uos tO geo that