The Irish standard., 1919-02-22
A Accommodation

to give me paper and envelopes. He
told me to go upstairs and 1 might ind
the man sought. l went. The first
Office at whose door I knocked was
silent. l tried the handle. Locked.
So was the door to the next room.
But the door leading to the third room
was slightly ajar, and walked in and
looked about
An American woman in a uniform,
stood near the window, reading let
ter She looked up. II beg your par
don," said, "but when will the Secre:
tary be in?" She looked me up and
down. l was unshaven, and covered
with mud from the long ride. l had
pair of rubber boots on that were
brown with the clay of Verdun and it's
shattered hills. l suppose 1 didn't
look quite like the soldier on leave
as she had known him. Then she
spoke. Her voice was rich, low, marv.
ellously modulated. and bespoke gen.
erations of culture. II am sure don't
know!" was what she said. told my
tale of woe. I must have writing pap
er. The human situation passed right
below her consciousness. Could she
tell me where the "Y" storehouse for
the city was? She gave helpless
shrug at my persistence. "Im sure 1
don't know she reiterated. "Oh,
beg your pardon for troubling you," 1
said, II thought someone might know"
And l returned to the dispenser of
cigarettes.
He was all sold out now. The line
had dwindled away. Nobody up
stairs" told him. "Can have what's
left of the paper and envelopes?" It
was impossible. I'd have to get an
order from the Secretary. Suppose I
came back at five o'clock. But l had
to leave for the front in half an
hour. I'm very sorry" he said. So
went out and fished out some change
l had left, and bought two boxes of
stationery with it.
Another incident. This one at Amb-
ly-sur-Meuse. An Ambulance pulled
up before the Y. M. G. A. canteen.
The driver and his alternate had been
working all day, evacuating. They
hadn't even stopped for dinner, so
they decided to buy some cookies to
tide over till mess time. The door was
shut. The driver walked up and turned
the knob. The door was opened from
the inside and a "Y" man appeared.
What organization?" he demanded.
Ambulance Section-we want to buy
something to eat," said the driver.
"You ambulance men want every
thing" replied the "Y" man. "Why
lon't you give the men who are in the
ines a chance to buy something?"
And he tried to shut the door. This
'eply was made to men who had been
Irving with wounded more than five
weeks from Septsarges, Dannevoux,
iercourt and Consenvoye, and at
line when French military critics de-
'lared that the most stubborn and
bloody struggle of the entire battle
'ront was to be witnessed within that
sector west of the Meuse! Blind again.
Next, three of our cars were or
Tered to Germany, carrying nurses
rom Toul to Treyes. 1t was after the
of course, and the day after
hat city on the Moselle had been TAX
m over by the 3rd Army A driver
went into the Y. IL. c. A. canteen at
FOUL Base Hospital and purchased
:arton of cigarettes. just outside
Metz, while the train was halted to-
allow a car to cateh up, the driver
opened his carton to get a cigarette.
ou8 fell card with words printed up.
DIX it to this effect:
These cigarettes ape not to be sold.
They are for free distribution. Dona-
,iOm of Mrs. -, and woman's
name and address was written under
he print. Evidently the "Y" stock
had been lax!
At Commercy the other night, we
had show. 1t was given under the
auspices of the Y. NE. C. A. and as
postwar activities have been pretty
for the soldier over here,
there was veritable multitude on
hand when the doors were opened.
AS usual, it was pouring rain. l be-
Lieve it rains more in France than it
did when Noah embarked At any
rate the theatre with it's lights and
warmth looked decidedly enticing and
side of about ten minutes the place
was jammed, packed to the doors, and
more than fifty doughboys were un-
able to get in. Appeared then "Y''
man. He shoed the squatters out of
the doorway, so that he might close
it. 1--WE have to close the doors so
that the. picture may be seen. There
will be another show in an hour, just