Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1918-03-28
Eagerness of the Americans to
Get to the Front Is
Always Noted.
MAKE THEMSELVES AT HOME
Get ION the Job" at once and Dis
play a Desire to Learn and to
Be Where the Shells Are
Whizzing.

London.--Many interesting stories
come from France about the keenness
of mind and the eager spirit Of the
American officers arriving at the front.
These officers get "on the job" at once
and display desire to learn and to be
where the shells are whizzihg and the
Huns are to be seen.
The first tendency of the Britishers
Is to be somewhat envious of the elab-
Drate paraphernalia and equipment of
the Americans, but the disposition of
the latter to share everything he has
with his colleagues, be they French or
British, at once puts him on a most
friendly basis.
A British officer, writing In the
Daily News, tells of the arrival of
two of these American officers at
the front. After describing an old
French chateau, "full of gusts Of wind,
Of ghosts and labyrinthine passages"
he says that these two Americans
lugged into the place with trunks and
bags and quickly made themselves at
home.
Make Themselves at Home at Once.
He describes their entrance thus:
"And just then the door creaked
open, and two pleasant faced young
men in khaki, and wearing wide
awake hats with gold and black cord
twined around them, put their heads
In, looked round, babe me a pleasant
good evening, looked at the pile of
boxes, said they supposed this was
where they were coming in, and ex-
| pected, and were quite prepared to put
| up with hardships, and rapidly took
| possession.
'This, then, was the American army
come to stay. These young gentlemen
had Travelled from the other side of
the Atlantic to help out the allies, and
with them had come their belongings
packed in trunks. Thinking, of course
| of the limited number Of beds, l said
How many are there of you? I guess
there are only two coming in here,
one replied. That seemed good enough
end 1 said to myself: This army has
got some transportation. If couple
Of neutenants carry this lot, what
must an army carryT
~ don't regret their coming. They
were nice Americans. They asked {
lot of questions, and in doing Sc
skinned me of my knowledge Of thu
western front. And from those trunk:
they produced pieces of equipment
which made me envious-automatiC
revolvers, marked with q large q. 8
A., and ammunition; glasses, boots
leggings, coats, bats, mess tins, water
bottles, spare tunics, fash lamps
everything, in fact, which makes oul
own officers when on the move lool
like Christmas trees. These young Of
ficers were even more the complete
officer than we profess to be; but al
their decorative effects were slowed
and locked away in trunks. And, look
ing at the proposition fairly ant
sQuarely, / began to like those trunks
Democratic Discipline.
1--WE settled down to work together
These American officers are of the
stamp of the Canadian and Australian
officer-keen, alert, good shots, and en-
dowed with what they themselves cal
democratic discipline One saw thi'
discipline at work. You fellow!
haven't got much Of place to shak,
down in,' one of their servants TOLD
me the morning after he had dumped
his masters kit in my room, and
don't think 1 felt any resentment a
being called fellow.
"These officers had that inevitabl,
eagsrness to hear the guns and see tn,
inside of warfare which one finds II
newly arrived British officers. Ant
there is the same kind of specializing
and guessing as to what is going Il
happen, when it will happen, and tn,
chances of an early 'blighty.' Blu
there is something more. These Amer
lean officers have definite views on tn,
war One of them told me that h