Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-11-11

grinncd and bowed and smiled ant
spaghetti and monkeys ,and hanC
organs-all expectant that the dis
charge would be forthcoming in &
pair of minutes.
That company commander, veteran
of many years service in the United
States army, to whom the signing OF
the armistice didn't mean a thing
since he was a regular who. realized
that he couldn't get along half so well
out of the army as in it, wasn't in
any too good a humor as it was, and
somehow he completely lost control
of himself.
| Yes, We - - wops," ".he roared.
Ye want to go home do yeZ? Yez
think since the show is over I'm going
to git busy and butt into Baker and
have him leave you go right now with
n pretty discharge and lots of money
and then kiss all of yer dirty beans
and pat we on the back md send ye
home today to ye muddersswid note
| telling her dat each of you won de
war. Like hell, ye want tp4go home.
Git out O. here ant if hear another
word from Little Italy, I'll make every
blamed one of you look like the
monkeys ye make dance only yez will
be doin' the dancin' and yez won't be
worried wild de music. Git outn"
And Little Italy's representatives
stood before him, not understanding
word he said and wondering whether
he was praising them for the sacrifice
they made in going to war or saying
something complimentary about the
pope of Rome. They just didn't savvy
ut all.
Finally a lad was found who could
speak some Italian and he interpreted
the commanders ultimatum. Those
wops turned pale beneath their dark
skins. Their smiling faces began to
resemble that of a child on circus day
when it looks like rain and then
headed by Casper Palermo and An
tonic Scarvari, they hiked 1t back to
the tents of Little Italy. 1t was moro
than three months afterwards before
the last OF Little Italy left Camp
Sewer. -
Pretty Tough on Soae.
While it was a glad dayafor most
officers and men, it was at the same
time a sad day for some--this nth of
November past. There were. lin the
army at Sewer some men who as Of
1lcers made more money and lived
easier than they had ever lived be-
fore, and they realized t1at the end
of the thing meant their going back to
the old order. There were some en-
listed men who felt the same way
about it; but not nearly so many
among them as there were among Of
fcers. More than one officer told me
his disappointment because the war
was over. | have in mind the case Of
a certain captain. Il was a travelling
salesman for a novelty house before
the fireworks" he said to me that
Cay. II drew s25 a week. With this
job my monthly income is around
$500 a month. 1t is going to be tough
to go back TO that S25 and the only
thing | see to do is to stall as much as
possible in discharging my men and
Going what | am required tC do in
order to hold on He held on nearly
three months longcr-at least six
weeks more than was necessary. He
should worry. Sam waited until now
to kick about expenditures.
But that November day saw the
crash of the great machine that was
training. Beg and threaten, do as
they would, officers could get little out
of their men after that. They sol
diered" for fair. Effort was made to
drill them harder than ever but it just
ed, especially the medical men because
the flu came along about that time and
they caught the dickens because there
we're around 1000 cases of the malady
in all, while more than 800 poor fellows
who lived to see the end, were bumped
off with it before they got chance
to get home and talk over camp life
with the home folks. But almost
everybody else just "soldiered."
At the time the curtain dropped !
was publicity director for the quarter
master corps. 1t was my job to write
newspaper stories and moving picture
slides and placards and all that sort
Of thing calling attention to the fact
that the army wasn't wasting a thing
and was doing what it could to con-
tribute little more sugar and meal
and other stuff to the folks at home
who were pnching their plates. The
stuff that / wrote and almost every
newspaper in the south fell for some Of
it, was true so far rs my knowledge
of the subject about which 7 was
writing, went. But my knowledge
didn't go far and | didn't want it to,
because | had an idea then and am
firmly convinced now ut least a fourth
Of the foOdStuff and half OF everything
else that was sent to every camp as
provisions and supplies was wasted.
Literature Wasn't Popular,
The commanding officer came over
to my office one day and told me he
wanted me TO devote my energies