Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-08-15
Boys Buy Blouses
for Girls at Home

PARIS, Aug. 16:-When Yankee
Doodle roe to town to buy a bit of
French finery for his loved one across
the wide waters all france loves him
and gives him Of her best, forgetting
that the boy in khaki Is a relative
of the American tourist with gold
dripping hands who was such an easy
mark IN the days before the war.
1t is not all fighting and misery in
France and the sun never shines more
brightly than when an American boy
fares forth to buy q souvenir for his
sweetheart. For there come moments
of lull in the fighting n when the
soldier is at rest he starts thinking
of the girl back home. Then he
blues force him to talk about II. One
young corporal conflded to a Y. M. C.
A. girl canteen worker that he wanted
to buy something for his girl"
"Blouses." she suggested. Cheap
here and quite unlike ours"
What materials" he demanded.
Frightening.
silk. crepe de chine, embroidered
lawn"
A mess sergeant, who had been pre-
tending to read. suddenly emerged
brascnly to demand more details. He
had not admitted that he was home
| sick or had any interest in blouses.
' The corporal IA e~nraptured with the
idea and enlisted the *" girl as his
shopper. -sr
She had a real good time next day
pricing. and examining, in four diff
ferent shops before returning trium-
phantly waving the package. The
corporal seized 1t eagerly, while the
mess sergeant, from a doorway. impa-
tiently demanded to see the blouse.
wait a minute" protested the cor
poral-owner, unwrapping the paper
and drawing out the thin ecru stun
with it's fine embroideries and its little
tassels and crochetted buttons. He
held 1t up gently. r~everently.
"Whatre o SO slow for? Let a
| fellow see it." commanded the SER
geant.
That's the back" explained the
corporal, exhibiting the blouse.
THE back!" scoffed the sergeant.
Eyes, it is. See the collar? Those
tassels are in the back"
| Guess you're right" grudgingiy
admitted the sergeant. Can you beat
1t. See here, Angelo. Like this7"
Angelo speaks no English. She is
a kitchen helper. not lacking in hu-
NOR. She shrugged.
Tres bien. Hier zen al achete un
pour vingt-deux francs"
The sergeant was i~ncredulous con
corning the price OF twenty-five
francs, "all embroidered and every
thing and asked IL she considered
this blouse pretty.
"C'est magniflque ct ce nest pas
cher" replied Angelo.
Where do you get 'em de-
manded the sergeant, while the cor
poral clamored for an hour off to buy
another. Even the cook, al American
from Italy, caught the blouse fever
and was all eagerness hat evening
to have words with the young woman
of the Red Triangle.
II show you," he cried. Buy 1t
myself. Here. you open. my hands
dirty"
From a small box was drawn q
white silk blouse with wide blue col
lar n blue loops and buttons, one to
make any girl happy.
The corporal joyously boosted he
had bought a similar one, of cerise
hue, but the sergeant was depressed.
He sadly exposed his purchase, a
beautiful crepe de chine.
why that's beautiful" exclaimed
the "Y" girl.
But 1t amt silk" mourned the I'M
happy sergeant.
had assured him hat II most assur-
eddy was silk. of a different but equal.
ly desirable kind, M had made thai
non-com superlatively happy. hat be-
ing just another OF the many way IN
which the Y puts heart into oul
fighters.