Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-08-06


adeux. For the foreign force
FsE3"--l the first party of American permits
sonaires-sodiers on leave-and the
city was AiX-leS-BainS, the first American leave
center In France Here the French the
Americans at play and we're satisfied.
"Aix-les-B Beans" the American boys pronounce
It. at the imminent risk of the name being short
ened to "The Beans" Aka jewel, cear-cut
with brilliant facets set in Il frame of gorgeous
moonlight and of wonderful opaline sunsets and
SunriSes This is the beauty spot to which sent
the boys in olive-drab, wearied by months in
trench mud. under bursting shells. And this is
The story of the first permissionares to arrive in
AiX-the American soldiers Blighty.
On a certain bright Saturday cosmopolitan
crowd gathered at the railroad station all in a
high state of anticipation. One could easily pick
out the persons of prominence the mayor, the
doctors, lawyers and others of small but as
sured incomes And it might be noticed that the
older women kept watchfu eyes on the jeunne
files who, tense with expectancy gaZed I'D the
iron road along which the first perrnissionaires
were to come. For who could tell what romance
might not be on the way, romance excusfng the
tuttering of eyelids and the extra nicety of
dress?
AS special effort TO make the incoming Amer
leans feel right at home, the crowd featured
negro band and the local baseball nine composed
Oh small boys in scarlet jerseys and linen trous-
ers, with legs bare as only q French how ovor
dares wear them. The lads had small American
iags tied around their arms, and their teeth were
rattling with the cold for the snow Law on the
mountain sides and a refrigerated wind blew
down from there.
In the crowds also were American officers and
visitors, Y. NJ. c. A. secretaries canteen workers
and uncatalOgued spectators. Before the Ameri-
ANS arrived a dozen British aviators on their
way to Italy changed trains and, seeing the
throng' asked the reason On being informed,
they exclaimed with heartfelt approval:
wish we We're American permfssIonaires ~
And well they might for beautiful AK which
IN the happy days before 1914 had attracted the
discriminating visitors of all nations was in more
shan gala dress this day, painting the lily, while
GHIltaIy and civil representatives had assembled
'here to give welcome to the boys who had come
from the west shores of the Atlantic to fight
shoulder to shoulder with the French
These are the early arrivals of the American
eXpeditionary force which landed in France last
summer-reguars and volunteers. They had come
from the trenches with scarcely an hour tc pre-
pare.
They wore their trench helmets their packs
were on their backs, their clothes and boots COW
cred with mud. their faces grimy, their hair dis
ordered. Their train was two hours late but the
crowd has been waiting that time and the cold
winds have not chilled the enthusiasm which
greeted the appearance Of the Yankees.
1T certainly did make impression" said
old regular of this reception "We didn't know
what kind of a place it and some of us
were sore because we couldn't go to Paris, while
half of us didn't have the money to it
through, the right outfit But guess Uncle
Sam had an idea it would be just as well to let
the French people know the American troops
weren't kept in bandboxes and tissue paper but
were In the fight"
There was no doubt In the minds of those who
watched the boys getting out of the cars that
fbDN hod Of tbo from
and tired, having been 80 hours on the way with
only one stop-over where the Red Cross unit had
breakfast ready for them But they were too ac-
customed to discipline to resist speech-making
and hospitality, so they listened patiently to the
provost marshal's friendly admonitons to shun
wine and women No ban placed song.
Then--on with the welcome
The negro band erupted into jazz and raggy
noises, taking the Americans back home in spirit
at least following which a French orchestra
swung gracefully into the strains of a suite de
MaSsenete" and the permisSionaires were es-
corted TO their temporary homes. They were led
through streets hanked by fag-draped balconies
from which pretty girls cried with familiar greet
ing: r5#
'vive lAmeriquel vive la France! vive Oncle
Samr 81 ss
And that is how the first American permits
sionaries came to the A f. F.'s Blighty. with a
blare of trumpets. a waving of flags, cheers,
smiles, sparkling eyes and welcC ming speech. Be
fore them lay eight days of clean, delightful
recreation amid beautiful scenes and-probably
best of all-unlimted baths.
We've fed on mud" said one happy permits
sonaire 1.-THE rats and sit on the edges
of our straw and give use morning salute. We
haven't had a real wash for so long that we've
almost forgotten how It feels to have that sense
of self-respect that comes with the morning tub
AK with its famous waters, baths and casinos.
needs no introduction to many men in the Amer
lean evolutionary force. In the days before the
war IL attracted thousands of Americans each
season. among them the late ]. Pierpont Nor