French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-11-01
YOUR OWN BOYS FIRST.
~ Anna Steese Richardson of The
V' Vigilantes.

+hn UblQ Qu1IOuS huAIIAAS UdSS mOCOE0u
=, ono of the cantonments where our
INV army is being trained, to attend
+ba open.ng of a club house for Off
oors It was an extremely fashiona-
ffo functioDI but my friend slipped
arrav with q young non-commissioned
officer 10 see the sights of the camp.
That night she knitted as she had
,orar knit before, because she could
not sleep for the memories which be-
Get her. memories of shivering figures,
echoes of hacking coughs. And the
Tnyt morning she was at it before her
friends we're out of bed. telephoning
+hnm imploring them to knit, knit,
knit. and stand between the men she
ha dseen and that grim enemy, pneu-
mOnia.
Another friend served as waitress in
Red Cross tea room at a county fair
near one of the Northern cantonmen:s.
When theer were no patrons to serve.
The mattresses brought out their knit
ting. Three young soldiers from
western State, finding the women thus
occupied asked in all seriousness if g.
class in knitting could not be started
among the men in the camp. They
could knit befare taps, an hour or so,
and it would be jolly to have sweaters,
muffiers and wristlets.
I listened skeptically to these tales.
TIE uniform was working its little
tricks on the emotionalism Of women,
I agreed.
Then yesterday I saw the picture
with nv own ewes, And | no longer
doubted.
I went to a nearby encampment to
look I'D the son of an old friend who
lives in distant state. Wherever
turned 1 saw half finished windows
through which the fall wind whistled
and shrieked bleakly And all around
ne we're shivering men.
The half finished buildings are the
barracks which contractors have not
completed as promised for our newly
modified army. The shivering men
are YOUR sons, the sons OF your friends.
the boys from your town VINO rode
forth cheerily to make the great fight
for democracy.
The boy l went to see was not sh1Y-
ering. His mother, woman OF means
had sent him forth with more than
her prayers-warm underwear, a
heavy oVercoat. knitted sweater. muir
fer, wristlet sand socks. Some OF the
things he still has. The rest he has
given to his pals.
I saw men in shoddy overcoats
which were made to wear in crowded
trolIeys and subWays-not IN the open,
men in leather coats which they wore
when riding motorcycles, men in pea
Jackets and slickers which had been
loaned to them by kindly hshermeh
from nearby towns.
Uniforms?
Nothing doing in that line! The
contractors who are turning out uni
forms, shirts, oyercOats and saoes
have nof begun to catch up-With the
army which is raIlying to the colors.
But winter is catching up with It
coming on hard and fast.
The boy tramping at my side eA-
blamed the situation thus:
You see, most Of these chaps come
from inside jobs. stores, factories. Of
fees. where there's steam heat
nIenty in cold weather. They don't
know what life in the open means.
They hadn't the clothes for this sort
of life. And most of them haven't the
money to buy it, with. Hundreds OF
'em like the average American, llVeQ
right up to the tip end Of their salary
If rney had anything laid away, It was
lsel behind foT the oIks. We haven
had anv pay yet, and when 1t does
come. so per cent. OF these -e: VIII
send the bulk OF t home. some oi
them signed all but money for 'smoAte6
over to their folks before they Isl,.
We didn't come out for Pullman car
with Indian guide holiday,
but see whiz. if some OF these 1eilo"S
dont get something warm on tnelf
backs soon, they'll be whlsthng some
ding besides 'Tipperary through
theor teeth, and it'yy, be plenty o.
pneumonia
It wasn't a cheerful line Of conVer-
satioa. ! hated the oVerneated~ atmos-
DlG-e O fine train on which rode Dach
to New York
Later in the afternoon stopped al
Ca-c.f- headquarters OF a great or
gauuatfOn. It seemed to have been
kniJcers' day. Scores Of women were
t5z...-.r in finished garments cumfy,
SnuggIy wool warm sweaters, mui-
fers wristlets and socks in khaki and I
gee
-r I watched the work, a nice warm
gle enveoped me. It was ike go
il .~eo your own living room from a.
--c~n ard finding that some
thoIshtful soul had lighted the IRE.
d then the glow died and left me !
II those garments were going to
ne Nobod, new just where III
Europe, but the great boxes would go
cas-.
On. ] know o'-r boys are in France
-5c tht reg lars went 1rTt, Tren
e--2ctly equipped to the last f0r-
and I know our allies COM
I'D our deepest sympathtes or
most generaous impulses. But our
boys are our boys! And they are here
IN tmerica, so easy to reach! NO
1roe.ion Of shinment. long journeys