Williston graphic., 1919-02-13

1ass Six
Gunner Dcpew
CONTINUED from page -
That camp were small-at least for the
prisoners. He was rubbing bis eal
all the time. but finally the thought
seeped through the ivory and he began
to laugh. laughed. too, and the hrst
thing you know he had me doing Il
again-that IL. the Imitation. One
SNOWFALL was enough, ! figured.
used to talk to him quite often
after that. We had no particular
love for each other, but he was gamer
than the other sentries. and he did not
call mo schweinhund every time he saw
me, % we got on very we'll together.
His name must have been Schwartx,
guess, but it sounded like 'Swatts" to
me. 10 Swatts he was. and was
''Chink" to him. % everybody else
called me that.
Que day he asked me IL I could
speak French. and I said yes. Italian ;
yes. Russian; yes. No matter what
language he might have mentioned !
would have said yes, because I could
smell something In the wind. and
was curious. Then he told me that II
I went to the hospital and worked
there. I might get better meals and
would not have to 60 20 far for them.
and that my knowing all the languages
I said I did would help me q great
ways toward getting the Job.
Evidently he had been told to get q
man for the place. because he ap.
pointed me to 1t then and there. He
put me to work right away. We went
over to one Of the barracks, where a
case of sickness had been reported,
and found that the invalid was a big
Barbadoes negro named Jim. q fire.
man from the Voltaire. At one time
Jim must have weighed 25O pounds,
but by this time he was about two
pounds lighter than a straw hat. but
still black and full Of pep. Light as
he was, was no "white hope." and 1t
was all I could do to carry him to the
hospital. Swatts kept right along BE-
hind me. and every time l would stop
to rest, he would poke me with a
broom-the only broom saw in Ger
many-and laugh and point to his ear.
Then I thought 1t was frame-up
and that he was getting even with me,
but was In for 1t then, and the best
/ could do was to 60 through with it.
But was all in when we reached the
hospital. The first thing 1 saw when
we got In the door was another negro.
also from Barbados, and as tall and
thin % Jim had once been short and
fat. This black boy and I made .
great team. but I never knew what
his name was. I always called him
Kate. because night and day he was
whistling the old song, "Kate. Kate,
Meet Ne at the Garden gate" or words
to that effect. have walked up many
. night and heard that whistle just
about at the same place ~ when had
fallen asleep. 1t would not have been
70 bad IL he had known all Of 1t.
took Swatts' broom and cleaned
up. and then asked where the coal or
wood was. This got great laugh. II
was quite humorous to the men who
had shivered there for weeks. maybe.
but to me II was about as funny as q
cry for help. I got wood though. be-
fore I had been there long.
There was Q great big cupboard
that looked more like small house.
built against the wall Of the hospital
barracks in one corner Of the room,
and not far from the stove. Kate was
tho only patient able to be on his feet,
% thought he would have to be my
chief cook and bottle washer for 4
while: and. besides, there was some
thing about him that made him look
pretty valuable. I had not recognized
his whistling yet. 20 Slim looked to be
tho right name for him.
'Slim, what's that big cupboard
torr'' %'stlfs# ~ #oa ss,.. 70 i, ",t.. !. .,
"How'd / know1 >Nuthin' In It,"
'Slim. that would make q fine box
Tor coal or wood. wouldn't itr'
"Um. Whar de coal an wood1",
I'm going out and take observa.
lions. Slim. Take the wheel while I'm
gone. and keep your eye peeled for
U-boats." So sneaked out the door
and began looking around.
II you look at the sketch I have
made, it will not take you long to see
that next to US was q vacated Russian
barracks. And 1t did not take me
much longer to see 1t, too. Back to
the hospital and Slim.
"Slim, what barracks are next to
us7"
Russian burrucks. only dey amt
dere now. Been SICK"
"And you mean to tell me you don't
know where to get wood?"
'Sick men been In dem burrucks."
''Sick men here. aren't there? Let's
Co."
That did the trick. The black boy
would watch from the hospital win
d0ws until he saw the coast was clear,