The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-06-14

tenant thanked her and got III and
started shaving.
In u very few minutes the n. p.
corporal come In and reported that he
had found Private - of - Init
TALON in the company barber shop
smoking II cigar that had u band like
tIose taken from the Y. VI. G. A.
"Good," says the provost marshal.
"Go back and ask him where he got
It,"
The corporal departed and as he
went out of the door private entered
In Il bodraggled state. He explained
that he had got lost the night before
and when he located himself he had
lost hundred francs and that the seat
of his trousers had been cut out He
didn't remember just what time II was
DONE Noticing his insignln, the lieu
tenant said sharply "Go back to your
own regiment. Stay home and stay
sober and you can keep your money"
and turning to me he said, "that was
ought to work here"
Here the NJ. =. corporal returned.
81 came 70 report 10 the lieutenant"
he said. "that ! asked Private -
where he got his cigar, and he said II
was given him by II friend and he can't
remember Who"
"AlI right" said the provost marshal !;
"stick on the case and you might
watch out for any baseball games"
Then came in the large French wOm-
an to say that she had five witnesses
who saw an American take her hottie
of wine. The lieutenant thanked her.
Then the Y. NJ. G. A. man entered and
said he didn't want any one punished
for taking the cigars and baseball, and
that he was glad they had not taken
more. He had had his breakfast.
A moment later an NJ. =. sergeant
entered TO say that he had arrested q
private on suspicion Of having taken
the bottle of wine, and that he had
been identified by the large French
womans five witnesses as the culprit
On the other hand, the sergeant added
the private had five other privates who
would swear five different sorts OF
allbis for him.
Six Eggs Missing.
clock him up and We'll see about
it," said the lieutenant, and he finish
ed shaving in time to receive French
shopkeeper. who reported that six eggs
for which he had been charging the
Americans II cents each, had dlsap
peared. and that since he. Monsieur
Demtel, and his father before him, haC
kept shop in that very place for gen
erations and had never before missed
so much rs six eggs, it must be the
Americans who took them.
The lieutenant thanked him. b!
this time there was another caller wht
had an empty cartridge that had once
been IN the belt of an American sol
der. She had found 1t in front of he
house and was sure 1t was not righ
for it to he there. The lieutenan
thanked her. He was about to star
to a belated breakfast when Frencl
farmer came in to say eXcitedly tina
some Americans We're linking 1t up
with several German prisoners Of va
who We're being worked on road
short distance away.
"Well, that damage, Mt least, won
matter" said the lieutenant; "I'm 60
ing to breakfast" And he did.
1t is not to be supposed from thes
incidents of an hour or two Of the III
of IL provost marshal that the Amerl
cans are an unruly lot. Far from 1t
they are the best behaved Of fightinl
men. These incidents represented per
haps the twelve hours' devllment q
some 1900 men, most of them unde
twenty-seyen years old, and their es
capadeS We're no more than the reaC
tion from the heavy strain of very &C
tive maneuvers. When the bugle cal
tells them at 8 80 o'clock at night t
get off the streets, he who refuses 4
obey is the rarest exception, and gen
orally Il new man In the army.
And here comes the provost marsha
from breakfast. He Is followed by tw
French civilians with some tale of WOO
but he is whistling, is the chief OF tn
provost guard and l have heard tn
same tune used for certain vers
from Gilbert and Sullivan when d
Wolf Hopper tried to sing the "Pirate
of PenZance."