The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1918-12-05
The
SAL
RedCross Man
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BY ROY PERRING.
$s%kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

like six-cyhnder officer, but they
don't ride in no f1iyver."
"YOu are guessin' close, Ireland.
Didn't you see the Red Cross on his
jitney? That's the Red Cross Man
He's got real handle but few know
what it's like. Every jack from the
c. o. to the ducks in the guardhouse
call him the Red Cross Man. Got 'em
in all the camps"
81 didn't see none at Wheeler's field.
Is he what you call-not a preacher
but a"
mo, Mike, he amt no chaplain, if
that's the handle you wuz huntin' for.
The cross is big red one, AN the A.
r. c. on his jacket don't stand for
aero reserve corps, but the American
Red Cross. l heard him the other
morning when he tried to start his
fiivver after the rain. Captain Welsctl
said his language was Biblical, but it
wuZn't orthodox, whatever that means.
1t sounded like good old United States
to me. No, he amt no preacher, but
reckon he1knowS how to talk turkey to
the boys all right. Corporal Murphy
hadn't been giving his folks square
deal; never sent any money home,
a-soakin' his pay shootin' craps two
hours after gettin' it. The corp. tole
me the Red Cross Man talked to i'm
like a Dutch uncle, an when he got
through, the corp. had signed a paper
teilin' Uncle Sam to. take strangle
hold on half his pay, an slip it to his
mother. Take it from me, Uncle Sam
mic likes to hear them sort of ORDERS.
an to show how happy he wuz to get
the corps message, he chucked in
twenty more plunkerS to the corps fif-
teen an the mothers gettin' thirty-five
per. Sure she amt happy less she's
wraslin' with washbOard every day,
but the corp. tole me she wuz only
a-takin' in five family washes now, an
the kids wuz gOin' to school again.
When the Red Cross Man had toe
hold on the CORP, he persuaded him to
take out insurance, same as the rest Of
us boys, an then he tole him be could
gamble his blOOmin' block off With the
reSt Of his pay. The corp. gets good
nights sleep now on pay day, cause
what's left of his pay only lasts till
about ten thirty"
us this here Red Cross Man q real !
for-sure officer, HAIR 7s<a
y Rank Of Officer.
well, I dino. He ought to be. We |
call him captain, or lieutenant. and
say sir to i'm. He says he's an off, |
Ger without rank. Says the leather J
puts and green pants. show that he's |
part officer and the rests Irish. The
new fellers don't know whether to |
s'lute or not. He says we can s'lute
the cross If we feel like it, but he don't
care q tinker's hammer whether we |
s'lute him or not. We old vets know !
i'm an s'lute the cross an the man
hats benin it. But officers and pri-
Yates are all the same to him. l seen
i'm talkin' to the G. o. the other day,
IN he wuzn't actin as though heswas
any scared of him. They seemed. to
seem to care whether he's talkin' to
he c.. 0. or a N. c. They all look
like to him. He. takes chow at our
ness sometimes, an tin dishes don't !.
upset his stumik any. The boys like
20 have him, cause he jOshes 'em along
and they forget they'r still in the
States stead .in France where they all
want to be. He can deliver the mer-
too. Last winter when Tom
MasOn's wife and four kids come down
here from Detroit an got sick, the Red
Cross Man got Tom a leave an took
i'm to the burg in his flivver.. Then he
sent Toms wife doc, an some coal,
IN some eats. Reckon he must a. !
helped Tom get : discharge SO he
could support his family, though no.
body knows nothin' for sure. Slim
Dawson thought he did, though, an
asked the Red Cross Man to help him
get off Uncle Sans pay roll. The
Red Cross Man wrote some letters up
@ Sims. home town, an when they
come back, he tole Slim his wife and
Kids wuz sa-drawin' forty-seven fifty
Der and they wuz better off with him
xorkin' for Uncle Sam, an he'd better
tick aroun' and help make Germany
'afe for democracy"
Must have the spondulix an some
,ull, If he's so free with the cash an
Knows so many people everywhere"
He Amt No'"Piut."
'No, he amt no 'plut.' They say he
lon't draw no pay, an he polishes his
Iwn shoes, an in pinch washes his
jwn shirt. But you see, Mike, this
Red Cross Man business is all over the
states. When soldier from Millers-
lille gets word his folks is in bed, he
,oes mopin' aroun' like dog was met
Up with skunk. He's soured on the
whole show, AN all the sugar this man
aoover's saved couldn't sweeten him
lp none. His Off see he's punk an
hey try to work it outer him, but it
,nly makes i'm bunker. They look for
lin to 60 over the hill next. Then the
Red Cross Man hears about it. He