Grand Forks herald., 1918-09-16
The | / |; LONG i. ] ! [ LONG
TRAIL IS REAL
t TO ] YANKEE ! | I Fl; MEN
y. s. Soldiers in Swiss Camp
Have Tug Of ofWarSwith
5. Automobiles
iBy Eloise Robinson.l

Y ssai& xAuSOlaAOUAASSs
{By Elo,se Robtnson.) @1|
Paris. sept. 1.-Two tired. home
sick looking young ofncers /. leaning
back against the wall Of the dugout
with two dirty ragged little French
boys huddled beside them. It was
ten o'clock in the morning, and Fritz
was carrying on an air raid outside.
There was a pop, pop, pop Of anti
aircraft guns and the occasional z-x-z-
z-boom Of q falling bomb, but the men
and tho little boys were paying but
little attention. It was an old story
to them. What they did hear was the
squeaking tune OF the phonograph
There's . long. lohs trail a-wind-
70 the land Of my Dreams"
suppose they were not not thinking
how long 1t or maybe they were. |
First there was the trail through the
woods. bad enough in summer and al
most impassable in winter. and after
that the road through stretches Of
green, country and little French vii
lagos to Paris. s
Then the. train to Bordeaux and
seven or eight or ten days across the
ocean,.
Perhaps q day or two after that in
q railroad train to some place in Ohio
or Michigan or California before they
reached that land Of dreams that
every American boy in France talks
about and sings about and wants TO-
get back to.
They had come over more than a
year ago. as soon as, America came
~. -
been there for longer than that-for
four years as the blue on the collars
showed. They had come across with
the very first Canadians.
At that, they hadn't seen much Of
the war: nothing but the big army
camiohs that came in and out-in
! good weather: But II it were not for
( and back in the rest billets and the
training camps would many times
have gone hungry and very often cold.
For they were the mon who cut all
the wood for the allied armies.
y When they had come to that far
away place on the Swiss border they
had cut down the trees and built
time they had built q recreation hut
with canteen' in one corner.
From somewhere or other they had
( found piano-and not such bad
piano at that. They had hoped that
the z. NJ. G. A. would send workers
up there. But there were only 400
men Of them, and the Red Triangle
needed at places where there were
thousands Of troops, SO they had never
had a real Y. M. G. A.
They had found sign, though, or q
piece Of one, with the triangle still in
tact, and they had hung that up out
side. Perhaps some day it would be
good luck.
outside the Gothas finished their
work, or were chased away before
they had finished 1t. But, az we have
said, the two young officers were not
listening to the bombs, and they were
listening to the phonograph. which
was playing the Long, Long Trair' all
over again. So they Jumped when
they heard q woman's' voice at the
!. door saying,
They gazed dazedly at the grey
eyes and the shining brown hair Of
the face that was laughing at them
from the doorway.
T-I say. you're not a WOMAN,
are you q
II should say you do! But can't
me?" He came across the room and
held out his arm to her.
'Bow will it do II I give you some
! cigarets. instead?" Her hand went
into the pocket Of her uniform and
Z. real American tobacco. 1. "a.
"Gosh ding it!' he exploded,
Z NOW / KNOW you'rela a blooming
ITS a dream don't mind having,
myself" the second soldier remarked
not} Int ~ fSSss 1fH
a. second package Of cigarets cams
4 from the place where the first had
been found.
\, ,.'If I am, It's the first time ever
knew 1t. I've always thought Of my
self as Marguerite Cockett-Dr.
Mawr,. Pennsylvania, later still am
bulance driver for the A. r. F. W..
and now Of the Womens', Bureau OF
4, the T. M: G. A. Am properly in.
s.trodnced?'' r.
but we're glad ther, to sss srs yoo Other. xad
to see her. and the two women who
had come with her. And they sci
4. about to prove 1t. They showed the
visitors around first Of all, because
srs that is what the visitors say they
" s-can1e for.
M. G. IA. could do for this specia
camp out on the Swiss border. The,
were proud to have the girls ses
everything, too, because-well. here'l
part Of the reason why.
Not only all the barracks had beer
but everything they used. They hat
even made their own stoves out o
pieces Of heavy ttn-cfackAr boxe
and such thinss.a The, stoves worket