The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-27
BETWEEN REVEIL LIE AND TAPS
A Day With the Kansas Boys the Kansas State Agricultural
College Training Detachment Camp
SECOND SPECIALIZED DIREC
TON CAPT. w. CARLSON

hat cord" Sheepishly the boys re-
sumed their place on the grass As
one of them remarked afterward:
Hell, and to think he just came here
to collect our dollars for those pic
lures he took the other day-a whole
days salary"
The saluting troubles remind the
boys Of a story that is told in camp.
1t may be an old one but the boys en-
JOY telling it just the same They say
that a rookie passed General Wood
over at Funston enc day and forgot to
salute. Realizing his mistake he
chased back to the general and arol-
ogized.
commander I'm only a general.
But say, there is second lieutenant
coming behind me there-dont you
dare forget to salute him.
Thus far-no promises. yer know
the boys in the K. s. A c. training
camp have engaged in no little ex-
change of salaries based on cardboard
or cube devices. But they have fallen
into one reckless and dastardly gam
bling habit-horrible, but it must be
exposed. The Manhattan street rail-
way runs two cars out to the college.
in their bringing of low joints and
high rail centers. these two cars per-
form a most dutlful days work seven
times a week. The cars are numbered
ZOO and FOL" Where the other
699 cars are located, no one seems to
know. At any rate. 200" and '701,"
manned by motormen who are always
willing to stop any place you may
designate and who, judging by their
greetings; know everybody in town.
these two cars. we say. never fail 10
come humping and rafting out past
the barracks. When the boys go
down town in the evenings. they en-
gage in their deviltry of gambling
The gang will make up pot. The
men who bet it is 10. ~5Si :: win win The
lis. of course II "701" happens out
that way first This game of street
car poker is taking the camp by storm.
Fond mothers. take warning.
Manhattan girls are complaining be-
cause the training detachment SOL
diers are, to all Appearances. built of
ice caked shoulders. They won't
| flirt, they went smile. they won't even
| give US fleeting glance" pretty lass
| complained the other day. There is a
reason. The boys have been given a
| down town IL they wish. But Captain
! Sturges has made the evening leave
! only provisional II he hears any
! complaint whatever from the city au-
/ thorities. the military police or from
| Manhattan citizens concerning the
| actions of his men on the streets of
Manhattan, the evening vacation will
be annulled. The boys aren't running
| any risks.
There are two young men in the
camp who have 1t figured out that
! some day, II they stay in the army.
I they'll be millionaires. One is from
Port Huron. Mich. and the other from
central Kansas town. TITS easy"
: the Michigan man, who gave up $500
month job to- enter training. ex-
plains. I'VE get one dollar day in
| the army. One hundred days, one
| hundred dollars. One million days,
one million dollars. Miliionaires"
! The boy. are not allowed to have a
cigar or cigarette in their mouth when
/ they meet md salute an officer. One
| young married man, walking with his
wife, who Lad come to visit him from
a Kansas town last Sunday, was carry
/ ing his wife's suitcase in his right
| hand. had a grip on her arm with his
left and was smoking a cigar when
| an officer appeared around the
corner. For a few second the rookie
| was. flabbergasted. SO he pushed his
wife to one side with his left hand.
threw the suitcase out in the grass
with his right, spit his cigar out in
| front of him and brought up his hand
| in salute. When the officer had
passed. smile lurking under his chin
| strap. the recruit collected wife. suit
case and cigar and proceeded on his
way.
| There are several railroad men IN
camp. They can't forget their rail-
way titles. They have designated the
corporals call boys" and call boys"
they are. 1t will take more than
Uncle Sam and Captain Sturges to
| change II, too.
You'll have to give credit TO Nam
haitian for taking care of the soldiers
and their families. Every other Sat-
/ urday and Sunday the city Is crowded
with relatives of the boys at Funston
and Riley. Hotel rooms are reserved
far in advance and to take care Of
the crowds the citizens of the city
have threwn open their homes The
writer isn't taking the word of the
| Commercial club of Manhattan fog
this He knows. He was there. He
dragged a heavy bag from one place
to another hunting for a room Thres
business men. their stores full OF Gus
toners, left their counters to help him.
Finally Fay Seaton. editor and pub
Usher of the Manhattan Mercury end
the most oyerworked newspaper man
IN Kansas these days. moved from his
cool bedroom to his den on the frrs
moor Of his home. that the Topekaa
might take one of the keys from the
city's keyring- Fay seaton-and Mrs,
tseaton-are only a minority of the
/ population along these lines. The
same spirit of hospitality exists every
where Citizens Will stop their autos
and ask soldier. to ride Business
men strive to make the soldier feel
at home Every convenience is of.
Tered The community house Is filed
with accommodating men and women
who are devoting large part Of their
time to the cause Prices are reason-
able and the man in uniform or his
family are always given preference.