The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1918-07-10
BY CLARENCE q. HOLLAND.

IueN JUST sat. lHty uiuh Z '"'N' 49,
didn't smoke. they didn't cuss. You
could reach out your finger and touch
the gloom that exuded from them.
They weren't bunkies or DOMINATES or
intimates Of any sort, but they had
both gotten up with a gloom and had
Inevitably sought each other out. 1t
was just before mess call.
A little man with a wrlnkled face
aud cane and a uniform and eyes
that twinkled, watched John and BIZ
at their occupation of being homesick,
aud he sidled up to them. Pretty soon
he was sitting on an end Of their
bench-and they didn't notice him any
more than IL he had been an extra
cootie.
"The -th have got the best ball
team in France" he said positively,
apropos of nothing.
"Huh," said Bill Jones.
"They can clean up anything In
France. I've been down there week,
and that outfit Is class"
"Huh," said Jack Stevens.
"Oficers keep 'em busy. Say, where
you fromr'
michigan" said Bill.
"New York." said Jack.
"Met some New York and Michigan
men with the TIL" said the little man
casually.
"WhoT" said Bill and Jack at once.
The little man named half dozen.
with their towns Bill knew some and
Jack knew some, and before they re-
allied II they were in the middle of
conversation about Detroit and Utica
and Lansing and Long Island, and
politics and the -th regiment.
''Mess CALL" said the little man.
Saint hungry" said Bill.
"Don't want to eat" said Jack.
DispeIIing the Gloom.
"Reminds me Of Tom Judkins Of
Pontiac" said the little man. always
getting off his feed. Know Pontiac"
he asked of the Michigan man.
"Played football there"
"Judkins used to play"
"What yearT
"About fourteen"
"Bet I played against him."
And so on and so on, talking about
the home localities and the home folks
and giving the boys a chance to men
ton towns and streets that lay close
to their hearts. You could see them
straighten up; you could see their
eyes brighten: you could feel differ
ence In the air that surrounded them.
Bill stood up.
"Guess I'll 20 feed" he said, and
banged Jack on the back.
"Pretty hungry myself" said Jack.
"Gimme light before you CO." said
the little man. without enthusiasm.
One Of the boys held match over his
pipe and then both strolled off to the
mess tent with a bad case of home
sickness operated on skillfully and re-
moved without pain-remOved by
man they had never seen before, but
who would always find welcome In
their locality thereafter-just why,
they would never be able to tell you
And they didn't know, nor would
II have mattered If they had, that the
little man in uniform, wearing Red
Triangle, was that imposing and awe
Inspiring dignitary known as Bishop
of the Church of England back In
America.
That's his job in France, just talking
to the fellows. He has put In months
at 1t. Sometimes of a Sunday, or In
the evening he breaches, but mostly he
Just wanders around looking for cases
=. ..la MI no inlyn anH toIE-
ing them back to the cheerfulness and
enthusiasm which is the quality that
is almost the outstanding characteris-
tic of the A. r. F. in France.
important Job With Army.
Curing or heading off inconsistencies
Is an important job in an army three
thousand miles from home. Officers,
from the new second lieutenant up,
will tell us that an army which sits
on benches and bottles up gloom is
not an army that will fight. They say
any man Is liable to an attack, but
they say. too, that the number and vio-
lence of attacks Is amazingly few
when one considers the circumstances.
Judge galloway Of New York said
the other night, "The job Of the Y. NJ.
G. A. here Is not so much with the
morals of the army as with the mo-
rale."
The judge claims to know. For
mouths he has been travelling around
France from camp to camp, night after
night, almost without rest or relief,
talking to the boys about France. His
job has been to interest the fellows
in the country where they are guests
and welcome guests.
The army declares that the "Y" has
bitten off "a large contract. Officer af-
ter officer whom you meet on the
streets of Paris will tell you how I'm
portant he believes the "Y" is to the
effectiveness OF our military-and then
he will point out where the "Y" is fall.
Ing down In his estimation. Almost
everybody you meet can tell you where
the ''Y" or the commissary or the Red
Crosa mr. this that and the other Is