New-York tribune., 1918-06-05
CIackers
By Wilbur Forrest
WITH AMERICAN FORCES COM.
w PRISING A PORTION OF THE

RloINN A PORIlON OF THE
FRENCH ARMY CORPS IN Pr
CARDY, NORTHERN FRANCE.-Y. NJ. c. A.
secretaries working in shelled zones where
they sell cigarettes, chocolate and cakes TO
American soldiers, are laboring under an
embarrassing handicap, which they them.
serves realize but cannot correct.
II the doughboy who has walked two kilo-
metres to buy little supply of smokes and
delicate food from the Y. NJ. C. A man
hasnt the exact change in francs and cen.
Tunes, and the secretary can't extract that
change from the pasteboard change hoy he.
fore him, then the doughbov ;s Cont al,
luck" N' "a
To-day several hundred douchbovs heard
that "sec" had settled down in email
village close up to the battle zone. and thew
began to crave dainties. Some were from
the artillery, others from medical stations
anu silhliar places where an hour or two
away makes little difference-of course.
WIN PERMISSION of an officer Some walked
sooo distances, and incidentally passed
crossroads and other spots where enemy
shells have bad habit of falling. In fact.
sney s., rlsked their lives to say How do YOU
do :" to the "sec."
= ne sec was in a dugout. not because
~ was more comfortable there. but pr.
naI,iy because he didn't want Boebs
'"eii 10 muss up his stock III trade.
So1aiers formed long line outside and
~ ',e steps of the dugout They seemed
no+a Ioaoeo with 5, 10, 30 and so frame
bas ~ aooitlon TO other things the Sec
"aa matches to SELL at the cost nor hox Of
"cIacker,' coin of conner abopt tho .;,.
VI an American half-dollar Evervbodv
~anted matches, and few had "clacker..p
changing bills of various denominations
ana pox of matches with every hill soon
pioouceo dearth OF "clackers." But the
"eihaho y Tor matches continued And the
Sec was up against it.
"e sec was trim little man of about
'oi'y from Missouri, and he had been des-
con oi the church out there. He admitted
as much. He spoke correct English at all
.l''ies' except IN SO far as his constant con.
eace with American doughbovs had uncon.
sciousiy marred this English
ou men, up there!" he called. 'T an
wa'chihg my supply OF 'clackers' slowly dis
appeaf because you fellows all want to buy
iha.ches with 50-franc notes
VOW I've got the goods for everybody,
oup II you haven't got sclackers' vou're going
TO be 'out-a-luck
IN TACT, I'm kinda 'out-a- luck myself,
because I've got to turn !, cash .clackerss
ana All Tor all these goods I am selling n
\ count up short I'll have to pay. Now, yeu
uoys heip me out and come through with
the 'clackers'"
outside of the wonderful amount of good
."a' IS accomplished by the Y. NJ c. A. il
""' zones, the strict business bookkeep-
~ " "S''a'tiaced-hgures policy that forces !.
, " "a secretaries TO refuse the goods
""eh the boys haven't got the "clackers' n
a. '.,ua'lon hard to understand on the pat
OF the soldiers. The secretaries all knos
ehat 1orty million dollars subscribed by the
peopie ~ at home has brought the wonderfui
=, ~ u A. canteens to France. and it SENDS
'"e secs" to the she'll zones with the goods
but the doughboys go over to the salvs'
,'on Army shack somewhere always in TIE
p"''ie zone-and if they haven't "clackef Z
iof doughnut they get the doughnut sny'
way. The Salvation Army seems to keer
DOCKS, but with policy permitting
clacker" scarcity in districts where "cscss
srs are not to be had in quantity. The Z
vi. C. A. policy is dictated not by the see
retaries 1t cost this Missouri Baptist see
retary five francs from his own pocket
Keep the doughboys in matches to-day. AnsS
70 MS generosity he has added an unce3
scious ability to order the congregstion
come through with your 'clackers' whea
passed the collection box soma Tins
future back In the Missouri Bspttsk