The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1918-08-17
an old regular army officer who re
turned to Paris this week.

| Ing they occupied hAd It's roOI Dl0Wn
off by a German shell. The Saliva.
ton Army folk draped tent canvas
over the walls and continued their
work. While they were sleeping in
the building and smashed all their
equipment up beyond repair. Now
ehey are continuing their good work
| N the cellar Of the same house, not
200 yards from our front line trench
| es.
Zone night was sitting in the
Salvation Army cellar when she'll
hit house next door and killed
three Of our boys as they slept. The
Salvation Army women continued
dishfng out hot cocoa and coffee as
ii nothing had happened. They are
game, those women, God bless them.
they are regular women. of the
same breeds as Abraham Lincoln's
another and the wiz ss of our Western
pioneers.
Take It from me- said the officer
lapsins into the slang Of his men.
these women are doing almighty
fine work. There are twenty-five OF
them here in France. We army elen
have given them saell-battered @Rd
cast-off field Kitchens to work with,
and, oh, man. the doughnuts, the pan
cakes and the pies they turn out.
Zone dance hall which they trans.
formed into kitchen was smashed
to smithereens by shells and theig
dishes, tables and cook ovens WsM
galley vest. The doughboys hight
them more dishes. got them a new
0ven-no one asked Where-and
built them new tables.
'All these women are up In vii
lagos constantly under fire. They
brave air raids by night and shell
fire by day and they help the men
clean out debris-filled cellars in order
to open new dugout 'huts' as close
to the lines as possible. ! know one
group Of women who lived In dug.
out for six days and nights without
seeing the light OF day except
through cracks in the splintered cell
lar walls.
The French climate has hit our
boys hard. It is wet and penetrat-
ingly cold. Goes right to the mar
row and three suits of underwear is
no protection against it, When the
lads returned from training camp or
the trenches, wet, cold, hungry and
respondent they found welcome in
Hickey's Hut. Not a patronizing,
holier-than.thou. we Anew-we-are-do-
ing-a-good-work and hope.you-dough-
boys-appreciate-it, sort Of welcome.
but good, old Salvation Army Bt.w-
cry Mission welcome such as Tim
Sullivan knew how to hand out in
the old days. Around warm fire
with men who spoke their own Ian
guage and who did not prented to be
above them in the social scale the.
doughboys forgot that they were A.
900 miles from home and that they
couldn't sling the lingo
= saw q group Of lads on the
Montdidier front who had not been
paid In three months standing ours
ing their luck outside certain or.
ganization's canteen They had no
money, therefore they could not buy
anything. Tie Salvation Army had
been apprised by telegraph that the
doughboys we're playing in hard luck.
Presto! Out from Paris came a truck
loaded with everything to eat and
smoke. The truck was unloaded and
the boys paid for whatever they
wanted with slips of paper signed
with their John Hancocks. The Sal
walton Army lassies asked no ques-
lions, but accepted the slips OF pa
per as If they were Unae Sans gold.
That same truck had a supply of CO.
Goa on board went up close to the
front when the cocoa had been dish
ed up hot and steaming ready to
serve. Twice along the route It was
under heavy she'll fire, but 1t made
the leeway Of shattered cottage
wall and there the troops from the I
were served hot drinks.
When that truck arrived one of
the lads saw Salvation lassy going |
to well for water. He stood stock |
still in his tracks and eyed her from |
her French fatigue hat to her rubber |
boots. Then
Are you an American woman?
he demanded.
She nodded and smiled.
Then for Gods sake say some
thing he hoarsely entreated. I amt
seen a white woman for three
There is no doubt that the Saliva.
lion ArKay is a popular organization
with the soldiers in France. Theasks-
'ies are friendly but mot familfS
They are working with interiors;
equipment and offer NO entertain.
nent, but the boys who go I'D to the
barracks of other organizations ia
get letter paper often come back %
he Salvation Army huts to do their
writing home The secret OF Ia
Salvation Army success is that Me |
'haplains know how to mix. to handle
men, no matter what stratum Of 90.
:iety they come from. They preach
10 can't The substance Of their re-.
igious talks is live right to fight
light, and their talks are Of the
BILLY Sunday straight.from the-shoul. II
Ter type All the regular army chap
aims and we old regular army nffi