Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-16
Dssciai Correspondence Of The star.

PaVCis oSiiNahSASs 6VhtA8t ~
the great barn OF our Army sales COM
missefy at Tours
Plump and rudy. stali-fed. flourish.
lug and blooming. but modest. self
sefaslne, with downcast eyes and
humble boyish ways, he kept out OF
the way OF customers--easygoin
American officers and testing dough-
boys He kept out of the way still
more when q French officer OF the
mission passed up to the desk to pur-
chase sugar, cigars, cream chocolates
or scented soap--straight. reserved
impassive. with no pardoning tolera-
ton in those eyes.
The poor, lone prisoner boy raked
mp scraps of paper, knelt. picked bits.
made piles of scraps OF paper, slow,
thankful and laborlous. The happy
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES French, BTU.
.sh--carelessly rip open package AFTER
package. The German boy picked up
the scraps Of paper.
An American guard observed his
toll. He saw large punches of other
.onely prisoners rolling pickle bars
els, shifting cases, toting bags three
20 each one-man Job. all humble
cheerful. accomplishing, obsequious.
he messed on the independent French
ways Of the town.
Say. Heinie." he said. pityinglyf
you go eat now
The guard meant rest" but the
Two words are synonymous with Gers
man prisoners BEHIND and th the rem naGnn
tn
.,obbling cheese and stick candy--the
While gently hammering French two
Tranc pieces into thin. fiat silver
Yates ttlney use the commissarys
1lammers>, From this his s silver r.n ~ ef
,,end and solder into keepsake rings,
a slightly rounded ffty-centime piece
being added for seal or chaton. tits
gainst French law to mutilate Inc
coin, but they're .prisoners). The
guards buy keepsake rings out or
kindness. The output is formidable.
.Heinie, you go eat now9
It's the word for all permissions-1
TO rest. to wait TIL the truck comes,
10 knock off TIL IL stops raining
OH. don't bother me; I'm busy!
When a German prisoner Is resting.
he Is eating; and when he Is eating,
i've IL making keepsake rings or other
rifles which command cash. WIN
kneaded bread crumbs they fashion
artificial flowers, which, painted up
With water colors, harden to the APP
oearance of porcelain. until three
damp days in succession soften them
10 formless mess.
And always cheerful, timid, smiling
md ready. They get the American
soldiers ration. including candy and
obacco. and good pocket money pay
or their work. Prisoners in foreign
land!
Six American buck privates in
soreign land U refer to Coblentz)
-rere coming back to France on leave
II a railroad car. How should they not
De impressed by the clean German
cities. not war-ravaged IKE French
uins of the front or muddy and neg
ected like towns of the rear, where
all has been sacrificed to driving out
the hoche. irruptins. burning, THEW
ng, killing. And the German civilians
of those clean and smiling German
cities treat our soldier boys Just
grand.
German civilians? They are all CIV
ilians. In Coblez the returning
German soldiers are given twenty
four hours by their superiors to get
INTO civilian clothes and all public
places are full of young civilians
speaking English, chatting about
america. Darn it. Wilfred. listen! he
was three years in Buffalo"
In CODleH1 eating pldteS anu SHOPS,
where the boys order food, all agree
that they get cheaper and better
than in France. with the exception of
bread and a shortage of potatoes; but
better and cheaper meats. fruits, but.
ter, cheese, wine. beer and so on in pro-
fusion" (Yet we know that many
German civilians, like many French.
are hard put to it for eats at high
prices).
! quote exact words.
The American soldiers have orders
not to be familiar with the civilian
German population. but it is very
difficult to repulse their advances"
According to a genial French LORI
rainer of Paris--Louis Forest-a new
German formula is in full practice;
We make ourselves Systematically
sympathetic"
According to our innocent boys,
1.-The women are better dressed than
French women, with the exception
that even the smartest have thin
wooden soles on their shoes"
So, coming out of Coblenz, to spend
their leave in the mud and prices of
the French rear, the six doughboys
feelings), appeared irritated and con-
fused by ideas, until one spoke up,
with sudden petulence, as having cut
the Gordian knot OF Gorrying prob.
lens.
Damn it." he said. "Wilfred, the
Germans ought to have taken all
Francer' (The words were said, as
stately.
He did not mean 1t: he had fought