Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1919-05-08

mat told OF months Of overseas serv.
ice. And he hated a Stacker and he
hated n Hun and he had no patience
with the mouthy IL; who loved to
carry morbid tales, who loved to hint
at troubles between the Allies. And
a few years before he had lived in
Jeffersonville and he knew every man
and III in 1t and most of the chill
dren. And-he had gone into Ar
gonne Wood and the Mouse Elbow and
the barbed wire hell hal the Germans
had made Of the old Hindenburg Line,
| elbow to elbow with the home tOwl
boys from Jacksonville.
Chance, aided by some design. sent
him to Jefrersonville a the Liberty
Loan drive for the Fifth and the last
of the series was turning into the
home stretch. II was the business Of
Sergeant Colvin, late OF the --th
Machine Gun Battalion, to find what
was ailing the old Hometown folks.
He believed in a frontal attack. The
first man he saw was Gid Brown,
banker and rea. estate man., the head
of the somnolent loan organization. He
waved aside all congratulations and
inquiries and plunged straight in.
What is the matter with this loan
organization of yours, sir?" and there
was 4 snap and click in every word.
"We-ll," began the banker man,
the town doesn't seem to be very
much interested this time"
You we're interested last July,
weren't you?" asked the Sergeant.
Interested when it looked like the
Hun had the Allies DOWN."
"Yes, we did right well then"
Cant this town do anything unless
it is scared into it?' asked The sol
der. you could see this bank in
the hands of a bunch Of Huns last
year and your vaults being cleaned
out. Do you forget that quick? Do
you have to see a bunch Of Germans
on the horizon before your patriotism
begins to work? Now, let's get busy.
Don't you think you could round up a
bunch of the workers this afternoon
and let's get started?'
Sergeant Colvin headed for tie
Post Office. The mail was in and the
crowd was dense in the little lobby.
He couldn't see a poster or a hand
bill. The loan might as well be under
way in Soochow. This town was dead
from the ankles up, he thought to him
self. The postmaster was dimeyed
and non-committal. He fingered it
wasn't his place to make folks sub.
scribe"
1t war then that Sergeant Colvin
took the "bit in his teeth and swung
himself up on he.broad window ledge
and Opened up.
What He Told Them.
81 used to know you ALL" he said,
his voice stilling the hum of CONVEX.
sation in the office, "but that is
neither here nor there. ! could call
every one of you by name. l came
down to this mans town to see what
was the matter with an American
community that is so dead in the
shell that it has forgotten the wal be-
fore the wounds of its own boys have
healed. | wanted to find out what is
the matter with an American COM
munity that is playing right into the
hands of every Hun who is still alive
and full of poison.
Don't you know that this country
isn't out of the woods yet? That
we've got a big job on our hands over
there? That there are over a million
Americans still in France and Ger
many? Don't you know hat you sent
them there to do your work and to
do your fighting and that they did
what they We're sent to do? And
don't you know that this community
has turned its back on its own boys
who died over there and who are
buried three thousand miles from this
little town."
The crowd stirred uneasily. Men
looked at their neighbors. Why, the
thing seemed different now. 1t was
like a voice from the half-forgotten
army talking to them. Had they
Hadn't they made their word
good? Somehow all the Indifference
about the lean didn't seem so fine and
funny as it had a while ago.
Forgotten So Soon
Are you going to desert and forget
those boys over there on the Rhine?'
on the speaker. Are you going
to forget the chaps who died in shell
holes, twisted with the gas-agony, the
boys who were riddled with machine
gun bullets, who died remembering
little place and knowing they
would never see it again? | want to
tell you that they are watching you
from over there, the chaps who have
been relieved. They want to see
II you meant what you told EN- when
they left, that you were back Of 'em
TO the finish. A fellow thinks a lot
about such things when he is 5000
miles from home"