The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-03-10

are ten people in at = franc a head.
the banker holds out two francs and
the winner gets eight.
ii is really quite exciting, as you
may get all but one number covered
and be roofing for a certain number
close as that and sweat over a num-
Der for ten minutes somebody else
gets his first Sergeant Wells de-
scribed the game as one where the
winner "'ollers 'ouse ard the rest
oilers ELL
Some of the nlcknamss for the diff
ferent numbers remind one of the
slang OF the crap shooter. For in
stance, "Kelly's eye" means one.
"Clickety click" is IS. Top OF the
house" is 80. Other games are
crown and anchor" which is a dice
game, and .'pont oon," which is a card
game similar TO twenty or
''seyen and a half" Most OF these
are mildly discouraged by the au-
thorities. house" being the exception.
But I'm any estaminet in q billet town
you'll find one or all OF them in pro-
press all the time. The winner
usually spends his winnings for beer,
so the money all goes the same way,
game or no game.
When there are no games on there
is usually a sings going. We had
a merry young nuisance in our platoon
named RoIfe who had voice like
frog and who used to insist upon
s. .ging on all occasions. Rolfie would
climb on the table in the estaminet
and sing numerous unprtntaole verses
of his own standby entitled "Oh,
What Merry Plyce Is Hengland.
The only redeeming feature of this
song was tho chorus. which every
body would roar out and which went
like this:
Cheer We beggars. cheer
Britannia rules the wave.
Ard times, short times
Neverll come gyne-
Shoutin' out at tn top o We lungs;
D. the German army
Oh. wot lovely plyce ig Hensiand'
Our ten DAYS en- repos at Petite
Saens came to an end ell too soon,
on the last day we lined UP for
our official "ba with '
Petite saens was a coal mining
town. The miners were still operat-
ed. but only AT nisht-this to avoid
Smelling from the Boche long dis
lance artillery which are fully cap
abIe 10 sending shells and hitting the
nrark At eighteen miles, The water
systen, OF the town depends upon the
pumping apparatus OF the mines,
/ Every morning early. before the pres
sure was of. all hands would turn
out for n general "sluicing" under
the hydrants, We were as clean as
could be and fairly free of "coottes"
hy,] nGHsfa1 rpf
tape demanded that we go through an
authorized securing.
SOAP Bath Without Water.
on the last day we lined up for this
at dawn before an old warehouse
which had been fitted with crude
showers. We were turned in twenty
IN a batch and were given four min
utes 10 soap ourselves all over and
rinse off I was In the last lot and
had inst lathered up good and plenty
when the water went dead. II YOU
want 10 reach tire acme Of sickness
try this stunt j felt like the inside
of mucilage bottle for week
After the oneisl publication we
were given clean underw ear. And
then there was howl. The fresh
undertakings had been boiled and ster-
ilized. but the immortal cooty had
come through unscathed and in all its
vigor Sergeant Wells raised pathe-
tic wall;
"Bnmme eyes mytis' 7 got more'n
/ 200 now an this supposed tn be a
bloomin clean shirt Why, the
blfnkfn' things as cooty as a cookoo
now. an me Just a-gt~Tn rid o the
hloomin' chats on me old un. strike
/ me pink II II haint a bleedn' crime!
/ Someone ought TO write to John Bull
about IT."
/ John Bull is the English paper OF
that name published by Horatio Bot
tomley. which u&ekes a specially OF
{ publishing complaints from soldiers
and generally criticising the conduct
OF army affairs
Well, we got through the bath and
the next day were on our way. This
time II was up the line to another
sector, My one taste OF trench action
had made me keen for more excite
ment and in spite of the comfortable
time at Petite Saens, ( was glad Ia
go, ] was yet to know the real hor-
rors and hardships OF modern war
fare. ] lokcd back upon Petite Saens
as sort of heaven.
Next Week--''At Viray Ridge"
/ Apology-This has been a dull
chapter without action. But / have
enjoyed writing it, War is not al
murder and sudden death And II /:
rather a relief to one who has beer
through 1T all TO tell OF rest in bsllets
However next week we shall, IL you
+, like. go to Vimy Ridge and tell Of
blood and mire and exploding mine,
and crucihxion.
CORPORAL HOLMES