Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-09-10
XIII.
ScOtty the Irrcpressiblc.

One of the most entertaining char
acters I met at the hospital was a
Yank' by the name of Scotty, who
gave me a thrilling account of how a
bunch Of Americans in the Canadian
contingent received the new of the
entrance Of Uncle Sam in the war in
April, 1917.
Scotty had been gassed. but he was
on the high road to recovery when he
and 1 collided. He was formerly an
American telegraph operator-one of
the rowing kind who had tapped the
key to the accompaniment of the
Morse code from Chicago to New
Orleans and from Boston to Frisco.
He was long, lean and lank, with legs
like stills and arms like bean poles,
but his muscles were as of steel. I
found that out when he reached out
Of his cot and grasped my hand. When
he let go my paw I felt as though it
had been mashed in a coffee grinder.
From a S%cotch-Irish ancestry this
buddy had inherited a keen love of
lighting, when h fighting was hard
and fast. He told me in detail the
story of that memorable night when
the news reached The trenches that
the United States was in the war, and
I will repeat, it as accurately as pos
sible.
On a particular evening in April,
1917, Scotty said to his buddy, one
Jack Murdoch Of Albany, N. ":
Jack, this is getting too slow for
me, lying around in this beastly
trench, doing nothing but wallow in
mud and duck shells. I Joined the
Canadian contingent to fight. not to
tester in muck and get rheumatism"
Thine 'parently amt ripe for TAX
ing a swat at the Huns" replied Muir
dock, whiting at his corncob pipe.
"Ripe!" snorted Scotty ~disgustedly.
We'd soon make the boches ripe II
we could get at them with u bayo-
nets"
ooh, layior that stuff" protested
Murdock. don't. grit your teeth at
me that way. I'm not to blame be-
cause you can'f jump into Berlin to-
night and slit the kaiser's throat"
Just then q sergeant hurried into
the trench from a communicating
and his eyes cleaned with excitement.
Boys" he yelled, the biggest news
yet; the United States has declared
war on Germany and Uncle Sam is
| going to ship a big army into France!"
The rangy scotty was on his feet
with a whoop. He grabbed the SER
geant by the shoulders with his knotty
hands and said huskily:
"Say that again, old man. and at
the same time kick me SO that IL I am
dreaming I'll wake up.
The sergeant repeated the joyous
message and at the same time gave
Scotty a dig in the shins with his foot.
"Hurrah!" shouted Scotty. "Old
Uncle Sammy has his dander up at
last" He executed q little war dance
around the trench.
Joy When America Enters Wa.
The news raced up and down the
sector like wildire, and the Canadians
Joined in the joyfest of their Yankee
comrades.
AS fon scotty. he grew more excited
every minute as h import of the It'd
ings sank into his intelligence.
Finally he grabbed a rifle with one
hand and seized al American nag with
the other. His keen gray eyes burned
with the old fighting fire of his Scotch
ancestors.
"Come on, Yanks." he yelled. "ovcr
life IL we didn't r notice on the
boches over yondsr that Uncle Sam
has jumped into the war with both
feet Every blamed n Of you who
has red American blood In his veins,
Yelling ike an Apache, scotty
cleared the handbags with q mighty
bound, and he was followed over by
a hundred-or more Yanks.
A Canadian lieutenant SHOUTED
something about violation Of orders,
but he might 81 well have tried to
carry IN q dialogue with the wind.
Fortune favored the raiders, for
Tiers happened 70 be = break n the
GAHaHELFANy A