The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-04-07
a Piece Of the Rhine
BY BLANCHE BRACE.

By BLANCHE BRACE.
Coblenz, Germany. Feb. 2o.-(By
Mail ITO see Collenz today is. to be
reminded forcibly Of q certain frivol-
GUS song the American soldiers used to
hum sometimes. as they marched to-
ward the front line trenches back in
France:
We don't want the bacon,
We don't want the bacon,
All we want is a piece OF the Rhine"
They have it, for the time being. at
any rate. The city is given over to
them American soldiers march In
triumphant parade twice every day
through the streets Of Coblenz. while
the German citizens stand still to
watch them. American flags fly from
each of the many little patrol boats
that snort up and down the river. The
boys from the United States look down
from the top Of the huge statue of the
Emperor Wilhelm, where the Aose1le
flows into the Rhine. Acros the river,
the great fortress Of Ehrenbreitstein
has turned khaki-colored with their
uniforms. They even waltz with felt
slippers over their hob-natled boots.
on the hardwood floors OF the room
where Kaiser Bill once slept. in Stol-
zenfels Castle. few miles away. They
attend Y. NJ. G. A. entertainments in
CobIenz' greet fest halle.
They are billeted everywhere. The
best in Germany Is none too good for
the boys Of the United States Here
you find them quartelsd In factory.
there in q theater. Soldiers who
spread their o. D. blankets down In
the mud few weeks aSo are Sleep
ing now in alleged regal beds. some
of them. They have traded their de-
cooting stations for marble bathtuhs,
and their shellholes for castlea- Only
the faithful army s'slum'' has followed
them into their new condition OF
grandeur.
.'Gosh. these beds get On my noives..
complained an East Side private from
New York who wore the p. 8. G.
Last night / even went and dreamed
/ was q kink myself"
did you have q good timer" some
one demanded.
Say, where do you set that stuff
about q good timer" demanded the
III D..
didn't have good time. woke up
plum crying because could never be
boss Of Tammany. that's what kind OF
a good time had. The next night
I spread my blankets on the floor"
None OF the American boys would
want to be king Il It meant stayins
on here permanently. They would
swamp the whole 81 Germany. now
= <fHy.m
foot anywhere back In the United
States. It has been some time since
most Of them marched across the
Rhine. an dthe first thrill of fipding
themselves in Booheland has rather
worn away That blue and red and
white emblem upon their arms. with
its round o and interviewer A. which
signifies that; they belong to ,theV
American Army Of Occupation. still
warns their hearts. Of course. Other
wise, they certainly wouldn't, pay .
perfectly good mark and . hal4 or
about eighteen cents for It. and sew
| it Upon thsir sleeves themselves, a.
they do exception those who ask Y. NJ.
IC. A. women to do 1t for them.
But the American soldiers are 20
adaptable that they become accus-
toned to almost anything In = few
hours. and after that they long to try
something else. Being In Germany
was an old story by the end Of the
third day and sleeping In castles had
lost tt SAVIOR by the second night.
Then they haunted the ~" huts for
home atmosphere.
The excess energy which they no
longer use up In fighting has expended
itself In queer ways up here It led
r. group Of them to hand the kaiser
In effigy-in the village Of Mayen re-
Gently.
There 10 an army rumor that It
caused over 100 of them to explore
beyond the neutrality boundaries clear
to Cologne, bilelting themselves upon
the German people and living upon
the fat OF the land as they went.
There is another story about how .
dozen of them arrived to flnd that
their division had moved on, and de-
cided to take over the German village
while they waited to find out whore
their outfit was. They elected their
own burgomaster, and ran the shops to
suit themselves for a. much as three
days. according to the story.
The truth is. they want to 60 home
They are far more homesick. living
comfortably up here In Germany than
they ever were while they were dodg-
ing bullets In the trenches. They are
willing to stay in Germany as long A.
they are needed here, but they can't
help regarding the time as . period OF
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