The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1918-12-14

1t sounded like good old United States
to me. No, he amt no preacher, but
reckon he knows how to talk turkey to
the boys all right Corporal Murphy
hadn't been giving his folks square
deal; never sent any money home,
a-SOakin' his pay shOOtin' craps two
hours after gettin' it. The corp. tOle
me the Red Cross Man talked to i'm
like a Dutch uncle, an when ne got
through, the corp. had signed a paper
tellin' Uncle Sam to take a strange
hold on half his pay, an slip 1t to his
mother. Take it from me, Uncle Sam
mic likes to hear them sort of orders,
an to show how happy he Wuz to get
the corps message, he chucked in
! twenty more plunkerS to the corps tif-
teen an the mothers gettin' thirty-iVe
per. Sure she amt happy less she's
wraslin' with Il dashboard every day,
but the corp. tOle me she wuz only
a-takin' in five family washes now, an
the kids Wuz gOin' to school again.
When the Red Cross Man had toe
hold on the corp, he persuaded MN 10
take out insurance, same as the rest OF
us boys, an then he tole him he could
gamble his bloomin' block off with the
rest of his pay. The corp. gets good
nights sleep now on pay day, cause
what's left of his pay only lasts till
about ten thirty"
as this here Red Cross Man u real
fOr-Sure officer, HalT
Rank Of Officer.
"Well, dino. lie ought to be. We
call him captain, or lieutenant, and
, say sir to i'm. He says hes.an Off
Ger without rank. Says the leather
puts and green pants show that he's
part officer and the rests Irish. The
new fellers don't know whether to
s'lute or not. He says we can Slute
the cross if We feel Like it, but he don
care q tinker'S hammer whether we
s'lute him or not. We old vets know
i'm an s'lute the cross an the man
that's benin it. But officers and pr.
Yates are all the same to him. seen
i'm talkin' to the G. .. the other day,
an he wuzn't actin as though he was
a any scared of him. They seemed tC
. be real friendly-like. But he don't
, seem to care whether he's talkin' to
, the c. o. or a n. c. They all look
alike to him. He takes chow at Oul
mess sometimes, an tin dishes don't
> upset his stumik any. The boys like
to have him, cause he jOSheS em along
and they forget they'r still in thu
States stead in France where they al
;, want to be. He can deliver the mer
. Chandise too. Last winter when Ton
MaSon's wife and four kids come dOWr
y here from Detroit an got sick, the Ret
Cross Man got Tom leave an tool
i'm to the burg in his fivver. Then h
sent Toms wife doc, an some coal
an some eats. Reckon he must a
: helped Tom get a discharge so b
y could support his family, though nc
:. body knows nOthin' for sure. Sin
a Dawson thought he did, though, an
asked the Red Cross Man to help hin
get off Uncle Sans pay roll. Th
i. Red Cross Man wrote some letters VI
- to Sims home town, an when the.
- come back, he tOle Slim his wife an,
~ kids WuZ a-drawin' fOrty-Seven tift
i per and they Wuz better off with hin
4 workin' for Uncle Sam, an he'd bette
h stick arOun' and help make German
Is safe for democracy"
= "Must have the spondulix an som
20 pull, if he's so free with the cash al
A knows so many people everywhere"
T. He Amt No "PIut."
" "No, he amt no 'plus.' They say h
< don't draw no pay, an he polishes hi
Is own shoes, an In pinch washes hi
W own shirt. But you see, Mike, thi
Red Cross Man business is all over tn
lp States. When soldier from MillerS
Vile gets word his folks is in bed, b
a goes mOpin' arOun' like dog was me
K up with a skunk. He's sOured on th
at whole show, an all the sugar this ma
c. Hoover's saved couldn't sweeten hiI
o, up none. His Off see he's punk al
le they try to work it outer him, but
Only makes I'm punker. They look fC
If him to go over the hill next. Then tn
IS. Red Cross Man hears about it. Il
!? gets him In his Office, or in his jitne.
g. an, believe me, he knows how to fin
n out what's wrong. Then he writes u
Ill to Millersvllle, where they got the Re
a Cross too, an they go see what
40 askew with the doughboy's folks Al
n they pull the fly out the lemo an
Of write back that all's hunkadOra a
j. that sick bird just goes to eattn' U
the work again. Why the Red Cro'
ar Man can do most anything. from pate
n In up busted matrimOnies to putt
nv Ice in the family refrig. Carl Wa
or burger was busted up when he hea
he was a-gOin' to, lose the little hOu
II. he an his frau had most paid fl
I'll cause they couldn't dig up the intere
nh The Red Cross Man wrote to somebo,
ce an one day Carl was a-smilln' all ov
his Dutch phis, cause he'd got lett
sayin' he could pay the interest VIII
nO he'd cracked Kaiser Bills strong be
al CARTS United States if he is Dutch. /
~ wuzn't aroun' when they picked |
VI name. Motors don't go dead when h
given them the once over"
~ There's that Red Cross on that u
Z br%la."
4 "Bet y'ur neck. The M. Ps wuz z
. tin their kukus dried up, standin' G
& In the sun keepin' the trucks fro
Z a-gettin' jammed at the crossin's. r
4 Red Cross Man got umbrellas an 2
TX | fnm IN fhocn nlotfnrnc an, no,x, 4