The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-10-15
By William Hamilton Osborne,
of the Authors League.

SIX hundred men, 4 new urdlt
contigent. were marching by on
their way to the dentention quarters
their first destination is Camp
Lewis. Washington, one OF the
largest. national army cantonments
in the country,
Look. said /. to the Y man
beside me- "at the little runt with
that bunch. Is he mascot-or
how did he get in:'
"Thc little runt:' queried the Y
man "where"
/ pointed on, the little runt. He
seemed TO me distinctly underSizcd,
The Y man laughed.
DO YOU" he queried, "consider
yourself little runt? You are five
feet or so. That little runt is just
about your size.
no" | explained. The y man
laughed again.
Come on" he said, "well go
down to the detention camp and
see.
We followed the contingent down
the street. They fetched up at the
detention quarters, the Depot
Brigade. We soon found the little
runt" and sized him up. He wasn't
little or a runt after all-he was
five feet ten.
There wa, a reason for his seem
ing small His companions ran TO
six feet. six feet one, six feet three
and live.
All Hen
4 contingent OF lean. rawboned,
picturesque graceful far-weNtern
men. IIe-Men. Cowpunchers,
lumberiacks, strong rangy outdoor
men OF the west.
What do these men think How
have they lived What are their
principles-what have been their
habits: What's their record-who
are they. anyway
Therein lies the charm OF this
great far western camp. Camp
Lewis is the one national army can
tonment OF the far west. 1t IS IN
government reservation OF 10000
acres, a green wilderness OF Christ
mas trees.
The men training at this camp are
drawn from Alaska, Wyoming,
Washington. Oregon, California,
Utah. Ihado. Montana and Nevada.
There are men such as the easterner
sees only once in awhile, one at a
time, or in groups OF two or three
men who. seen on the Great White
WAY are to be stared at, wondered
at.
They are men who seem to have
stepped bodily out OF the big fiction
stories of the west. Each man IS
of his own kind. Collectively they
the as different from their eastern
neighbors as the east is from the
west: collectively they tinged with
the roughness and ruggedness of the
great northwest-yet individually
they differ from each other.
We looked this new contingent
over. the y man and !. With
unerring judgement he sized them
up for me. He can pick out a man,
at sight he can tell the difference
between a man from California and
man from Utah, We went back,
this man and myself to head
quarters.
Demanded Baseball News.
Thi, time there was little runt,
five feet nine perhaps. at head
quarters. making trouble. He
wanted the news OF the big baseball
game. the second game OF the world
series at Chicago. He wanted ii
bad. He was a private soldier
The headquarter, staff OF the y
lust at that iuncture consisted OF
four men. One had been president
OF a state university. one superln-
tendent OF a street railway in Denver,
one a county treasurer and editor
OF daily paper, one general
passenger agent in Portland OF a
big transcontnental railway.
They were not has-beens. these
men. They had dropped active,
well paying Jobs to join the Y;
they were men OF big standing in
their various communities practical
men. the whole four.
But. a runt OF private wanted
to know the outcome OF the second
world series game. These big men
spent an hour getting the score
Meanwhile sat outside with the
little runt He had been a book
keeper in a big lumber camp. then
he had studied law and the draft
caught him hall way through his
studies.
"Of course" said to him. this
camp really is a city OF forty or fifty
thou sand men. OF course. YOU
ought to get the news OF the big
games
Sure we ought to get it" he
said. well get it. never fear. They'll
get it for MS, never fear That's
what they're here for those y
fellows"
"To get YOU news OF the big
game: :" ! said.
TO get Us anything. in reason.
that we want" he said. that's their
business. That's what they're here
for.
No" | said
Look here said this smart
aleck. You're from the east we'll
say. You're city man. anyway.
What's been your idea OF the Y. NJ.