The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-10-30

Don't let a little thing like that dis
courage you. honey. Go home and
take q run down to Kentucky to see
mother. Tell her 1 am well and doing
all right. No boche bullet Is going to
get me. Then. If you still want to
come over, join the Red Cross. III
work night and day to see you are sent
somewhere near US. Be good. kiddie'
Wait for me-"
I don't know whether he said any
more or not I was crying so hard
couldn't hear. I ran to the rail. He
was going over the side. He did not
look back. BE was a regular soldier.
I understood. I fell in a heap on the
deck. After that I do not remember.
While l had been saying goodby
to my husband On the deck Of the
transport the guards turned their
backs and pretended to be busy. They
told me afterward that when they
saw me rush to the rail they had the
scare Of their lives. They thought
l was going to jump ver after him.
They reached me Just as / crumpled up
on the deck.
The first thing I remember hearing
was the voice Of a seaman who had
been sent on an errand for the medic"
"A woman makes a hi Of a soldier"
he was complaining. If they ever got
out In q good. stiff battle and things
began to look tough for them the whole
id army would 60 to work and
faint"
what are you BLOWN about" said
one of my personal guards. who was
Always willing to give me all the best
Of it. l was his prisoner, and he was a
soldier and didn't want an outsider
picking on me. "A lot Of license you
have to bawl out somebody. That time
the boys kidded you and said they
were going to draft the sailors into the
army and send them out first ! thought
you had the ague.'"
II wasn't feelin' we'll. | had a chill"
"Uh huh! A chill in your feet; that's
what you had"
"Well, maybe | did. A guys got a
right to his own ideas about 6ghtin'. /
amt afraid Of no submarines nor any
thing else on this here sea, but I amt
hankerin' to 60 chasin' Germans across
No Mans Land nor none O. them
strange places. If I'm gonna get mine
I want to get it on the ocean,"
This Is often the case. Sailors who
do not know the meaning Of the word
fear on the water will back out en-
tirely when it comes to fighting on
land. They seem to be born to the sea.
A lot of soldiers, hate the water. They
would rather fight four years In the
army than four days in the navy.
1.-THE kids all right" said my guard
to this sailor, recommending me. "She
made a darn good doughboy. If she
wants to take a flop because. her old
man has to go out and maybe get bean
ed by q piece of shrapnel or somethin'
let her do It,"
It all came back to me then why I
was here, the goodby to my husband,
the failure of my plans just when it
looked as II l were going to get through
clean and maybe 60 with him to the
front. l guess l moaned.
"She's coming to-" said the medic"
feeling for my pulse. You'd better
clear out, all of you. I'll give her some
thing to keep her quiet. She'll feel bet.
ter after a good nights rest"
I honestly did not know whether |
wanted to come to or not. Life looked
pretty hopeless with me back there on
the transport not knowing what was
coming off at the camp. Then l thought
Of my husband. He told me to wait
for him. Well, l wouldn't disappoint
him.
Since I got back home l have heard
of several cases where the wives or
s~weethearts Of boys who have been
called away committed suicide. This
is hard to understand. If a woman is
lucky enough to win the love Of a mai
who will shoulder a gun and go out
and fight for his country and her coun'
try she ought to have enough grit to
live for him and do her bit In the
meantime. he wants to come back
and find his home or the girl he left
behind him waiting to welcome him,
This Is one of the things which keep
him going, the thought that the soouer
It Is over the quicker he will get back
home to her.
It didn't take me very long to find
out the captain on the boat suspected
I might be one Of the cutters. From
the portfolio In my room l could look
out and see the deck.
Kept Under Guard.
A sailor was walking guard up there
He never took his eyes off the port
hole. When he saw me come near the
opening he looked mighty worried
The captain thought l might try te
lump overheard and drown myself. II
would be up to this guard to dive ovel
and rescue me.
Don't Worry."I called to him I'm