Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1918-07-11
WOMEN With
DOUGHBOYS IN
THE TRENCHES
By uuited Press.l

tBy Uuited PresS.)
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE, June IS. By Mail}- All
along that part of the line they re
still talking about the party at the
front with women to it" which the boys
of the tn staged The til figures ii
put one over on all the other regiments
in a social way. and what's more the
other regiments have to admit it.
1t came about this way
The boys appreciated the doughnuts
the Salvation Army sisters had been
making for them when all the fellows
We're in the trenches, and also the work
the Y. M. C A. women We're doing to
make war more pleasant
So one company decided to put on a
show back in the woods to entertain the
women. Then another company wanted
to join in. and another, until pretty
soon five companies had brought forth
talent, and they called it vaudeville"
Back in a certain thick woods they
found an open space about as large as
a big theater, and about the same
shape. AT one end they put up stage
under some trees, and blankets make
good enough curtains, when moved
back and forth on wire. The flowers
and branches made fine scenery, and
the ground was as good an orchestra
pit as you ever saw when the regiment
al band took its place in it.
No Reserved Seats
Doughboys from the front who could
be spared were allowed to come back
to the woods the night before so the
poches would mt see any troop move
ment, and before the show began they
sprang from every bush and tree, and
folded their legs under them on Ma
lures unreserved seat, the ground.
The committee in charge had detail.
ed one group to scare up" piano
They got one no one knows where,
except they--it had German name on
1t, and II turned out tip.top American
music when the rag time kid from G
company sat down to "syncopate.'
So everyone was happy and asked no
questions, but just wished he could
waltz up to one of ladies' and say,
This is our dance, isn't it?" Which
would have started riot sure, If any.
one had done 1t. because there were
only seven girls to fifteen hundred
boys. Anyway there wasn't any ball
room.
And just before the program started
with Hawaiian songs by the stringed
quartet, somebody looked up and saw
an American sausage" balloon direct.
" overhead. The observer wasn't invit-
ed, they say, but he was looking
down half the time and toward Ger
IiisiIiy the uti1eI= haif5 and it d silfe
bet he didn't miss much of the pro,
gram.
Quite a Program
They had skits, and boxing, and
songs, and band music, and as the
star feature brought on Lady Evelyn, 8
the HularHula dancer Everybody
{ thought Lady Evelyn really was
lady, with her mincing steps and bal
let movements, until some one pulled
off the wig and the boys recognized
the assistant cook in B company
5T Somebody said they couldn't stage a
doughboy show to which women could
come and still have 1t funny. But they
showed skeptical ones, and everybody
\ had to laugh with the fun and be SER
i0us with the 'homesicky songs which
= were popular and there wasn't a single
4 sunsanitary" feature to the program
AS the chaplain said, after they'd
called on the Holy joe for 4 talk,
everything passed the censor. Nobody
Acussed q single "cuss' word and
I the colonel. said In the bully speech he
made at the end OF the performance, he
couldn't tell them how proud he was
ssOf them because they'd been in the
renches a long time and every dough-
boy was absolutely clean.
l Good Finale
Along toward the end OF the stunts
I they heard machine gun firing, and
everyone looked up through the branch
{ IS to see Yankee plane diving into d
cautiously fleeing German plane. 1t was
! almost too appropriate to be real, this
n American aviator towering over to
& ward of prying boches.
Che American artillerymen some.
where in the woods turned loose with
their evening salyo for the boches. and
with a loatri otic song from the regi
lnental band, Il III was 4 finish that left
every one Til and cheerful. Then the;
ffcers entertained their feminine
guests With d dinner, topped by straw
s berry silort AXE. first ever seen at the
s. front II III said. Reports have 1t /, three.
officers walked is miles ina baek to
get those ST rawberries in d Village be-
Il hind the lines which goes to show
4 that officers as well as doughboys app
preciate doug hnuts and pies and kind,
snesses.
ssE After that they HAD a band concert
until darlz fter which ii was safe to- 60
Il home to dug outs and ruins without
f oping bocles seeing things, and
everyone did So with the feeling that
The chap who sang was right hen he
adersd asa grand finale to the picnic
AT old HON sieky song. !, The End
IS il Perfect Day
~ No NON lSsE, 4.
CfIAR 4ES B pT1fscoL