Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1919-02-21
THE PROVOST GUARD.
New York Times.)

The figure of the silent provost
guard is familiar sight in New
York. AT Times Square, at railway
terminals, at Herald Square, along
broadway from Twcnty-third Street
to Columbus circle, the guard of two
armed with gun and club, stands the
watch But what are these men
Watching? That was the question put
to some of them.
We'll, now, we don't do much"
one of them observed, "just kee, our
eyes open SOS to see nothing wrong
happens. What do | mean, nothing
wrong happens? Well, the soldier is
no different from any other man. and
he gets INTO trouble just like any 9TH
er man. If the trouble is just human
we give him Il lift and just send him
along, but if he needs more than that
kind OF lift, he gets ride in the
wagon.
Now, last night, big, fine, strap
ping Canadian fellow came along car
ryirg load. 1t was 4 pretty big
load and he didn't carry it very well.
lie kept on shifting his weight. That
amt Il nice sight. People don't get
the right idea of the army when they
see that. One Canadian drunk, all
Canadians Dunk. You know the way
things are passed around. Well, /
went over to that fellow. Come along
Buddy said to him. Come along
where? he asked. Then he saw me
through the mist and got plum scar
ed. i Say, Teller, you amt gonna
pinch me, are you? I've got 10 make
train up TO Canada
It's all right, Buddy | told him.
You're with Friends" and | took
him to IL room, put him on bench,
and he went off to sleep. He grinned
at NC. You know how a man grins
when he's caught with the goods. And
walked over to the train with him
and saw that he got on all right.
THAT was all. There wasn't any
tears or hnndshakes or promises not
to do it again. That fellow just went
oil and | just s.ood around waiting
for somebody else that needed attend
ing to. We have good many cases
like that A man gets lit up and ali
he needs is to sleep it off. We give
him the chance TO do that. When he
wakes up he wont be caught in the
same hole again.
Sometimes we rci man that aint
just that kind. We get fellow who's
posing as n hero. Walks about with
CroiX de Guerrc and ribbons and
stripes and everything. We had Il
peach sometime ago. Came along
with four wound stripes, yellow ser
vice stripes and Il chest rs big as a
house. That fellow looked to healthy
to be sporting all those wound stripes.
There was man on guard here who
had been across and know pretty
r:uch about what regiments had seen
fighting there. We strolled over to
this fellow. Natural curiosity, moth
ing more; asked him to tell us all
about it; were rs interested in him as
his grandmother Mt home would be.
well, he came along. He had to,
you know. And we kindly asked him
where he'd got all the decorations.
We were good listeners. What rcgi-
ment were you in?' asked the ser
geant. 'Twenty-sixth,' says the he
ro. HIM, that's NICE says the Ser
geant. What division was that?'
'rwenty-sixth Division. Sir says this
hero, not SO much like hero this
trip. and what company?' TWEEN
ty-siXth company
"Now, that was like taking candy
from a baby. The Sergeant got mad
| could see it, but he kept his feelings
down. He asked again, And where
did you see your fighting?' And
where did you see your fighting
Lord, what Il fool that soldier was!
Came out with the name of some city
in France. That's where the Sergeant
let it out on him. You liar he ripp-
cd at him. There were several words
before liar, so that the man couldn't
make any mistake about the meaning
"Wcll, we got him into the old
wagon and gave him Il ride down to
the chief. Suppose we get fellow
who's an honcst-to-g goodness hero
Well, that's all right. There anin't
no bones broken. We always take him
into back room Or quiet corner and
talk to him. If he's all right he un-
derstands that we've got to do some.
thing TO make sure. He never makes
a fuss about it."
While this boy was talking his
eyes were following the hurrying
figures of khaki and blue. Once he
was interrupted by n private in the
army uniform, asking to be directed
to subway station. Fright around
the corner, Buddy. Right you are
His face lit up in n good natured
grin. Bureau of information, and
everything, you see. These follows
don't know New York. Where do
come from? Ohio. Sorry you're go.
ing. Try those two chaps further
down bit. They may be able to tell
You something.
The tow chaps down bit wore
tried. They were tired and serious
and bored.
mo, nothing ever happens here
Quiet sector. a soldier cut up a sail.
or uptown last night. No, l guess il
was this morning. Happened about
l a. m. But that doesn't happen very