The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-08-09


"As body they are taking chan
COS which the members of no Other
organization are taking. One build
ing they occupied had its roof blown
off by German shell. The Saliva
ton Army folk drsped tent canvas
over the walls ard continued their
work While they were sleeping in
the cellar several more shells struck
the building and smashed all their
equipment up beyond repair. Now
they are continuing their good work
in the cellar of the same house, not
200 yards from our front line trench
es.
"One night / was sitting in the
Salvation Army cellar when shell
hit house next door and killed
three Of our boys as they slept, The
Salvation Army women continued
dishing out hot cocoa and coffee as
if nothing had happened, They are
game, those women, God bless them.
fhey are regular women. of the
same breeds as Abraham Lincoln's
mother and the wiye IS Of our Western
pioneers.
Take it from me- said the officer
lapsing into the slang of his men,
these women are doing almighty
fine work. There are twenty two Of
them here in France. We army men
have given them shell-battered and
castoff field kitchens to work with.
and, oh, man, the doughnuts. the pan
cakes and the pies they turn out.
"One dance hail whicn they trans.
formed into a kitchen was smashed
to smithereens by shells and their
dishes, tables and cook ovens went
galley west. The doughboys bought
them more dishes, got them new
oven-no one afked where-and
built them new tables.
''All these women are up in vii
lagos constantly under fire. They
brave air raids by night and she'll
fire by day and they help the men
clean out debris-flled cellars in order
to open new dGgout huts' as close
to the lines as possible. | know one
group OF women who lived in a dug
out for * days and nights without
seeing tho light Of day except
through cracks in the spllntered eel
lar walls.
THE French climate has hit our
boys hard. 1t is wet and penetrat-
ingly cold Goes right to the mar
row and three suits of underwear is
no protection against it, When the
lads returned from training camp or
the trenches, wet, cold, hungry and
respondent they found welcome in
Hickey's Hut Not patronizing,
holier-than-thou, we knew-we are-do-
g-a-good-work and hope you-dough.
boys-appreciate-it, sort Of a welcome,
but a good. old Salvation Araly-Bcw-
cry Mission welcome such as Tim
knew how to hand out in
the old days, Around a warm fire
with men who spoke their own Ian
guage and who did not prented to be
above them in the social scale the
forgot that they were A.
900 miles from home and that they
sling the lingo
Il saw a group of lads on the
front who had not been
paid in three months standing ours
ing their luck outside certain or,
ganization's canteen They had no
money, therefore they could not buy
The Salvation Army had
been apprised by telegraph that the
were playing in hard luck
Presto! Out from Paris came a truck
loaded with everything to eat and
smoke. The truck was unloaded and
the boys paid for whatever they
wanted with slips of paper signed
with their John Hancocks The Sal
vation Army lassies asked no ques-
tions, but accepted the slips of pa
per as if they were Uncle Sans gold.
That same truck had supply OF CO.
Goa on board went up close to the
front when the cocoa had been dish
cd up hot and steamihg ready to
serve. Twice along the route It was
under heavy she'll fire, but it made
The leeway OF a shattered cottage
wall and there the troops from the
trenches we're served hot drinks.
when that truck arrived one OF
he lads saw a Salvation lassy going
to a well for water. He stood stock
still in his tracks and eyed her from
her French fatigue hat to her rubber
boots. Then
"'Are you an American woman?
he demanded.
She nodded and smiled.
"Then for Gods sake say some
hing he hoarsely entreated. I amt
seen a white woman for three
There is no doubt that the Saliva
ion Army is popular organization
with the soldiers in. France. The las
sizes are friendly but not familiar.
They are working with inferior
equipment and offer no entertain
ment, but the boys who go up to the
of other organizations to
get letter paper often come back to
he Salvation Army huts to do their