The Washington herald., 1918-05-28

religion and prayers to himself. In
stinct before q battle. wrote to
the folks to drop In money when
ever they saw anyone with Saliva
ton Army tambourine."
I visited the Salvation Army can
teen. the first. time. on a rainy Sun
day. The mud was ankle deep. The
roads had been jammed with Amer
lean troops more than twenty-four
hours. = The .canteen was In q village
nearly every house in which had
been shattered by shells. There was
an ancient grist mill, the roof OF
which had been blown OF and part
of the walls. A faded canvas had
been strung across the top. 1t was
not exactly waterproof H-.
This was the "canteen," and 1t was
swarming with Americans in olive
drab. You could only see the faces
of those who sat near little tables
where sphttering candles burned.
You had difficulty in avoiding their
sprawIed feet They were wet and
smeared with mud and joyful over
the repast of doughnuts.
/ A slit In the canvas threw a group
in the center in relief. They were
pressed close to a little graphophone.
which was scratching out THE. Yanks
Are Coming" Mr.. and Mrs. +. o.
Burdick. Of Houston. Tex, were In
charge.
Behind a canvas drapery was the
kitchen, so filled with smoke that
it made your eyes water. There
was as much mud inside as outside
due to the constant stream of SOL
diers. The atmosphere was cold
and clammy.
The Misses Gladys and Irene Nc
Intyre, of Mount Vernon, New
York; Stella Young. of Chelsea,
Mass, and Miss Myrtle Huntington
OF South Manchester, Conn. wear
ing frock aprons. helmets and gas
masks-nobody could enter the sec.
tor without said war paraphernalis
were busy as beavers making new
watts of coffee and cocoa, mixing
new dough. shaping doughnuts and
removing them from a young reser-
voir os sizzling liquid lard,
None of US had a wink of sleer
last night" said Mrs. Burdick. you
see. the troops were moving. and q
hot sip and a bite in the wee hours
gave new life and spirit to our SOL
oilers.
They call me Ma Oh, Ethe Joy
of it. They tell me not to overwork,
I'm the oldest woman at the 'front.'
close to sixty, with children of my
own at home. But / wouldn't SWAP
places this minute with the grand
! est lady in the States.
It never knew we had such splel-
did young men at home. had to
come to France to appreciate them
love everyone of them, with q
mothers love. When the hour for
taking the front line comes they
gather around me and say-and
have a hard time to keep back the
tears-I say: Boys. you are all my
sons. Remember what is expected
of Americans. Don't yield an inch
Face your duty like men that you
are Remember your mothers and
your God-but don't for Ma Bur-
dicks sake, take needless chances
Big War Factor.
"You ought to see them 'straighten
up and their eyes flash with fearless
ness and feel the pressure Of their
hands. overwork? Risk? This old,
shattered mill is heaven among such
patriots, for, after all. the big factor
in this war are the men in the
| trenches.
1--WE fried 100 eggs and gave out
, three or four thousand doughnuts and
land knows how many sandwiches and
J pies and cups of coffee. and cocoa.
See, here is a letter just brought In
from the trenches: Dear Ma-Car
you bake US twenty-six pies and send
them up Tuesday night? Any kind
will do. II you can't bake pies cant
you please make $50 .doughnuts. Lei
ut thank you a million times for the
doughnuts the other night. Boys
US thank you a million times for the
That's their captains signature
We send patches up every day. Free!
To be sure. We never charge for any
thing that goes to the men in the
trenches"
Miss Irene Mcintyre said:
Every other day the Germans dror
shells and gas bombs here and we
have to sleep in the dugout. Awfully
cold and damp down there. coughec
all the first night. air seemed sc
close, with the gas. curtains down
After awhile. got used to it, Never
got used to the rats and mice, though
Forever .scampering around. We girls
fear them more than the gas and
shells. actually.
| Soldiers Help Lassies.
Amusing to see how the soldiers
try to repay US. They chop our wood
and haul water and make fires and
wash the dishes. Some of the more
bashful hang around too shy to speak
a word to Ma or US girls. One boy
told me one day that 1t reminded him
Of home to see US SO near. He had
two sisters. He was killed in the
last raid.
That old lady over there lives alone
in that partly demolished chateau
They land all about here in every
bombardment. Think of her life ant
thoughts, poor creature. She Dor.
rows kindling occasionally.
THE driver Of a mule wagon. q
burly Texas SO big and rough that
we girls feared him, showed US be.
fore he left. as have others, that he
had heart Of gold.
He used to fall over himself try.
ing to do US favors. He would chor
heaps Of wood and when he went
away he gave US joint gift, a big
fancy handkerchief that somebody
&. sent him from home. He said he neye,
! would have any use for it and thai
! besides, he never could bear to have
1t too close, anyway, as it was
'steeped In cologne and he neye,
could bear perfumery. Poor Pete. ne
was nothing but an overgrown how,
You get%so love everyone Of then
and shud/er at what's out there"