Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-10-31
| SAMMY EN- ROUTE
FORA''SONEWHE :
The BewiIdered Sammy Off For
One OF The Is Cantonments
HIS EXPERIENCE
The Folks Back Home Expect Him 10
Be Decent And He
Will Be.
PART III.

YOUR play, 10 the exclusion VI iSSAAA6
homesick. What with the unexpected |
moves forced upon them by the train,
and the comradeship of the game, the
men began TO feel better.
The "Y'' man won their hearts by
passing around hot. coffee for them to
drink with the lunch the government
had provided. They began telling
him how they felt about things.
war? He'll. 1t amt war mind,
its goin' away and leavin' the kids
and my woman to look out for them
selves!" said one.
IF we could play the game on our
home field. with our own bunch
around to root for us, it wouldn't be
half bad" summed up young col
Iege fellow.
On another train one of the men
appeared to have been lighting his
first battle already. He was holding
one arm stifly, a soiled and blood
stained handkerchief around the
hand
did it leaning out OF the window to
wave to my girl he explained.
Another train came along and bit
me-"
II was really rather badly bruised,
and the 'Y' man helped him wash it,
and bind it up in a clean covering.
word went through the car that That
Y. NJ. c. A. chap is as good as doc
tor" and two other men with all
ments sent for him.
Got anything for the toothache|
another Sammy wanted to know. 1T
is that darn candy the girls threw
after us the last station back.
Lonesomeness doesn't always break
out the same way; it has as many
symptoms as measles. Early evening
on one train found three bruised
| heads, several smashed windows, sew
! eraI dents in faces, made by tin cups,
and various minor injuries. The
train had been stopped twice because
some Sammy with small-boy heart
| had pulled the emergency cord, and
once had been broken in two when
someone attacked the coupling lever
The secretary passed around song
| books at last
"Finel" said a recruit I'VE gotta
do something" So they sang all their
bravado and animal spirits away, as it
grew duck in the car. and it was
husky chorus that finally took up the
words Of "0ld Folks at Home"
"Got any Testaments?" asked one
of the men at last
Tho secretary had. They were for
| the men who wanted them particu-
larly-who did? Every man on the
| car except one Russian Jew pressed
forward to ask for one of the little
| Books: the Russian Jew explained
with great politeness his reason for
not wanting one, and then began to
talk of Russia.
Can she come back?" he said.
"She sure can. Amt got all my
money invested in Russian bonds?"
On another train fine young col
lege chap who had just left home got
a telegram that his mother had died.
The secretary tried to comfort him.
Your mother would want you to
keep up your courage and fight the
/ best you can he suggested.
Il know she would said the boy.
"She was sick and dependent on me,
but she wouldn't let me claim exemp-
ton. That's the kind Of mother she
was. Wanted me to be a good soldier
........ Well, I'm going to be-"
After the men received their uni
forms, they send home their civilian
| clothes; wardrobe room is an UNI
known quantity at a cantonment.
Some of the men said that they hadn't
any home to send things to- But the
secretaries announced that these men
could send their clothing to the Y. M.
c. A. of their home town, which
would receipt the express company
for it. then send the receipt on to the
soldier. If soldier hadn't the
money to pay the express, ne could
even send his things collect, and the
"Y' would take care of it.
who said we hadn't any home %
demanded one of the sammies.
We've got the y"
Near Admission, Ala, one of the
trains broke down, and so soldiers
rushed over to the nearest Y. III. c.
A., calling loudly for ham and eggs.
1t was rush order, but it was filed.
What would we do without the
w" they asked with their mouths
FULL as they rushed back to the
train.
! Several Of the men on one train in
the South got on with as many as
four quarts Of whiskey The men
said that some of the towns there had
been giving the enlisted men free of
charge all the liquor they asked for,
the bill being paid by the business
men Of the Town At first the secre-
taTy couldn't be Of much help to the
men who were really drunk But
after a time, when he had gone
through the car with envelopes and
paper TO write the folks at home, .
/ he observed men quietly pouring their
wliskey out Of the window.
I don't want the stun" one said.
Never did want it It's just this GO
ing away that's got me- But the
felix's back home expect me to be
| decent. and In going to be-"
The secretary told him and the
other men about the ~" huts in
every cantonment, and at every army
and navy encampment in the United
States-those buildings that help the