Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-09

ever did that wasn't tiresome," said
one soldier as we entered the Aug
ustana gymnasium to await the
banquet.
Certainly" ventured his com.
panion, but you weren't marching,
you were drifting in the air, rather,
amid flowers and cheers.
Here In the gymnasium the
meeting of soldiers and loved ones
took place. Everybody realized that
the last march was over. Their
faces wore an expression Of Anal
relief and satisfaction at having
done their duty. Many remarked
that this was the time that they
had looked forward to ever since
they were called out, but 1t vas
nothing new to the rests everybody
felt the same way, They received
their final welcome at the handa OF
a welcome committee headed by
Mayor H, NJ, Schriver of Rock Is
land, where the brawny hands that
had gFappled wieh'-war and reach
ed heme, peace with victory, clasp
ed the warm, grateful hands OF
those who had looked well after the
home land and now were glad to
accept back the sons of their OWL
sell,
And now for the banquet. If any
l'ene wanted to find out how much
we appreciated the banquet, he had
only to look at the plates of the
soldiers when they were through
one case of total emptiness told the
tale completely of what had taken
place on that plate. The women
and girls who prepared and served
that banquet have the esteem and
thanks of every soldier there. They
| proved that although their j0t
wasn't to fight but to make yeu fl
to fight, they could do that as wei
as Batterp F''s job was done lover
| there"
Several musical selections by the
Nightingale quartet tuned ouI
| 'tummies" to the proper appetite
and helped account for the clean
platters and the battle between
Private Buck" and King Chicken
came to an end, King Chicken COM
| pietely annihilated.
The following made up the quar-
| teti Floyd Wilson, Fal Woods, Mrs
May Richards Casey and. Mrs. Mae
Marshall. Every soldier knows
them now.
How You Coin to Keep Them
Down on the Farm?" proved quite q
hit. Everybody Immediately recog-
HiZed it as one of those songs thai
are very popular in the A. E. F.
But here a discussion arose. Al
! though we had heard that Seng time
and again in France and Germany
it never quite entered most of OuI
minds whether or not it would be
hard to keep US down en- the farm
after we've seen Paris. Most eff US
have seen Paris, and it was some
! city, but there was one thing about
Paris as we'll as all of those other
cities over there-its too far from
| the good old U. S. A.
'They won't have any trouble
keeping me down on the farm
spoke one buck.
The Tri-Gity Musical Society
band also furnished music which
pleased the boys. Some said it was
equal to their own band, AID if any
body could expect them to say any
thing better I don't know what ii
could be-
An incident happened during the
banquet which gave a fitting ex-
ample OF the GOODNESS of the return
ed soldiers. their composuEe which
has resulted from months of in
tensive training and severe orGeals
on the field of battle.
There was a sudden crash as il
a wall we're falling, when brace
between the second and third of the
circular balconies of the gYmnas-
ium. in which we're seated relatives
and friends looking down upon the
soldiers, pulled loose from its hold
and the east wing of the second
floor sagged down quite bit as il
the entire floor were about to col
lapse from the great weight upon
it. A small panic suddenly broke.
Those Who were Immediately oyer
the sectionyrushed to a, 6rmer part
of the floor and it seemed for a mo
9lent as If there would be STAN
pede.
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