The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1918-11-02
A BIT OF HOME
WITHIN THE CAMP

Stars nnd stripes, WhlcH must soon
be taken In us II Is nearly sunset, and
another flag bearing n little Triangle
OF blue and the letters Y. W. g. A.
II Is a fall afternoon and the air is
bit sharp. Through the front windows
OF the house the woman approaching
up the walk can see the cheerful glow
OF IN open fireplace. There Is the
sound Of a plano and some one IL
singing.
The woman. who Is slight md young
and tired-lOoklng, puts her heavy suit
cnse down on the walk and shifts tho
bnby she is carrying to the other arm.
She listens II minute. then picks up the
luggage and walks bravely up to the
front door. Some one hns heard her
coming and IL there TO meet her. Some
one always Is In places like this. The
door Is thrown open. and kind wom-
ans voice says: "Oh. do come In and
rest. Let me tnke the baby" The
bnby is passed over and the stranger.
worn from long journey. tired and
sad. is given the welcome which only
the Y. W. c. A. hostesses know how to
give.
She explains that she has come to
see John before he leaves for the
front. She has been saving her money
for travelling expenses. and Inns come
to surprise him. John has never seen
the baby, and now maybe he never
will, for she has discovered That John
has just left on n two days furlOugh
to surprise her. Before she could get
train back to her home johns fur
Tough will have expired and he will be
on his way buck to camp. The little
mother does not know how to meet the
situation and tears OF fatigue and dis
appointment begin to flow.
"well, that's too bad" says the sym
pathetic Y. ". c. A. worker. but
cheer up. You can just stay here for
n couple OF days. Wen send IL wire
to John ut the first place his train
stops and tell him to take the next
train back. He cnn enjoy his furlough
here"
This is done and the little family
has glorious day Of 1t.
The Young Wnmcn's Christian nsso-
cintlon has established 81 hostess
houses of this character for American
soldiers and snhOrs and their families.
In this brief bulletin of news lies one
Of the most potent factors In the win
ming of this war. Our boys are fight.
Ing for their homes. The Y. W. G. A.
with its hostess work In this country
md In France Is helping to keep the
idcnl of American home life con.
stnntly before the men who ure pro
tecting II. These men had to go away
from their Individual homes, but there
Ia home which follows them-u place
where they can go when they are or
duty and meet their families and rest.
There is IL room In every \. W. q. A.
hostess house with real fireplace In
Ii and II domestic hearth. There IRE
chairs with cushions on them; the
china Is not Of the iron.bOund bucket
variety necessary In camps; and best
Of nll. the boys say. there are nice
women TO tnlk to. No boy In emp
would hesitate to nsk his mother or
sister or the girl he thinks most of to
meet him ut II Y. W. G. A. house. for
he knows that the women she will see
there nre of the right kind. The very
fact that 1t is known TINT there Is n
real, honey place nenr ench cnmp nu.
thOrIZed by the war department and
presided over by dIgnltied md refined
women. has served very largely to dis
courage the other type of woman md
keep her away from the men she for
merly prcyed upon.
The Y. ". c. A. houses are not es
tnblished with any view to marking
class lines. however. although many OF
the hOstesses who assist led lives of
greatest ease and luxury before the
war. Democracy rules at the sign Of
the little Blue Triangle.
A story is told Of great merchants
wife whose individual fortune mounts
to the million mark. This lady Is IL
member of one OF the Y. W. c. A. com
mittees, and on one occasion she WIS
helping In the cafeteria OF n hostess
house ut the Great Lakes nnvnl truin.
Ing station. A little shUpsirl who had
n "day on from her work In the base.
ment Of the great store owned by the
Y. W. C. A. workers husband. and who
had come to see her snilor brother. was
in II State street hurry for service.
She sharply ordered the merchants
wife to ''loOk alive with these forks.
grille"
The lady addressed as .'girlie" quite
humbly saw to 1t that the pile of forks
was replenished. Then she went over
md talked to the girl, helped her to
locate her brother and sent her AWAY
happy. The shopgirl never knew thnt
she had been talking to her employers
wife.
There are two hostess houses ut the
Great Lakes station, and 1t Is Won
derful sight to see the crowds OF wOm-
en- relatives and friends Of the sailors
who throng to them on the Wednesday
drill afternoons. From 1000 to 5000