Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-01

marching with their packs. They are
tail and proper men Some of those I
passed were young giants of six feet.
Two and three-long, lean fellows with
oronzed hatchet faces and a tough, hard
look
II Is easy to tell them by glance as
americans. though not easy TO say why
Apart from their uniforms with stiff
collar and canvas gaiters-I notice
many OF them are taking to puttees--
tnere is something in these faces under
slouch hats that Is different from our
English faces, different from Canadian
races, quite different from Australians
ana New zealanders, though in their
dress and style they are most like those
Ansaes. They are clean-shaven like our
lads and many of them belong in every
fiber of their being to the Arglo-Saxon
race, but there is something in their
facial expression and set of eyes and
cut of jaw which makes them a new
and unmistakable type on these roads
Of France.~.
i passed a long column of marching
men. They were pretty we'll baked after
the hard hot march and their packs were
heavy. loaded with full kit. but they
came along with swing, with rifles
slung and heads up ana keen eyes look
Ing out of the white mask of dust
through which the sweat ran in little
channels and dikes They seemed to
have every old thing in their packs.
which are much longer than ours. end
noticed, in addition to an extra pair
of field boots slung outside. with water
bottles, shovels and tinplates. some had
private and particular property which
they carried on this pilgrims progress.
One Carries Guitar
One of them had a guitar tied to his
pack, another a banjo and another
violin case. Obviously they were on the
move with all their belongings and not
merely on a march for the sake OF
little exercise on hot afternoon
came Pcross another lot on a mar
row road through a French wood, one
of those great woods which are haunted
in their glades by many old memories
of history when English knights rode
out to meet champions of French
chivalry. It is a strange thing to find
young knights of the new world there
now. They were having halt after
long marching and lay with their packs
as pillows on each side Of the road
way, with the sunlight striking through
the leaves.
Above them were BIRDS singing on the
boughs while they lay smoking and gos-
slipping, or just lying back staring uI
through the leaves at the blue sky above
| in day dream which took them back
perhaps, to some little home in Penn
sylvania or Georgia or Tennessee.
have seen our English boys in the sum
mers and winters of this war lying like
that on each side of the read In France
as brown as autumn leaves. but no
until a year ago did I ever guess
should see an Americana battalion rest
ing under the same trees with the samt
look of youth and hardihood after the
routine of the day.
! American soldiers stand about in tht
high streets of the French villages
which, l am told, is a habit of theirs
at home. watching passers-by and ex
changing ideas. Yesterday ! met crowds
of them like that, leaning up agains
the whitewashed walls of French cot
tages or waiting in long rows~'with
their "dixies" for their evening meal
And in an estaminet ! heard two Amer
lean officers graphing with the difficult
ties Of the French tongue.
Bon is Bully
'Merci means thank you," said one
of them, "and bien bien means yer!
much. and bon means bully for you.
guess that takes one pretty far" Ant
an English officer at my table was ex
changing English slang for American
old lamps for new-and was ver'
pleased with a few nuggets, such a
'"Twenty-three. skiddoo," and "We'v
got the blinkers off now" and That
the stuff to give them" and "Pur
ivory" and Hes gone bughouse.
Nothing could be more comradely tina
the way in which the British and Amer
ican soldiers chum up with each othel
and all saw yesterday over the w.d
district is certain proof that when W
have held the enemy during the next fe'
months his chance of final victory wi
be dead, for american armies fightin
with ours and the French must prevail
,,nIess fate is ara INST us