The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-04-07

| waiting for the whistle Of their home
going boats.
/ 4 suppose you amt got any straight
dope on when we get away from
!, here? II always their first wistful
question Of the 7. NJ. c. A. workers
/ Little groups OF American soldiers
congregate on the banks Of the Rhine
i and eye the forests and castles on the
other side with a mixture OF curiosity
and ennu1.
Gosh, bet there isn't steam fur
mace IN the Whole lot" A first divis-
Ion sergeant summed up the gener i
feeling about them the other day. He
glanced proudly at the red numeral
on his arm We got over there first
Of ALL he said. II wouldn't take a mill
lion dollars for all that we've seen
and done In France. uBt I'd sou the
rest Of my time away from the United
States to anyone for fifteen cents"
There were no takers.
The great statue where the rive
meet. the boys regard with open hos
ttlity, because its name is Wilhelm.
They explore all its crannies to the
very top and returning to it's base. tell
frankly what they think of it. An old
German. overhearing one of them dis
respectfully request It to come off
the perch.' one afternoon lately stop
ped to protest:
I'd iss nodder kaiser he said. I'd
IL der Emperor Wilhelm. He was q
4 goot man.
Nobody said anything to the old
German. directly. They couldn't. IL
they had wanted to. because the mo
ifraternization with the populace'' rule
Is being strictly enforced these later
days in coblenz. The 7. N. c. A.
warns against It daily. A too friendly
good morning may land you In the
guardhouse ii you say it to the wrong
person. But they answered him by
the roundabout method Of speaking >
| each other.
Same family. anyhow. they dis
posed OF the subject.
Back In France plans were never
made for even Q day ahead. Here tho
American soldiers center their CONVEX
satton upon what they are going to
do when they set back to the United
States 1t IL the leading topic at the
II. huts.
i T hope We go soon." said . red
haired private ON the streets of Cob
lenz the other day. IT gotta quit this
fooling. and get down to serious
things"
i Serious things?' someone asked.
i Sure. I'm circus clown at home,'
explained the red haired private with
out q smile.
His name was ''Rsds shipley, and
he had been star feature with Bar
mum & Bailey's circus. But in 1917
he enlisted with the 163rd ambulance
company, and soon after he was sent
to france. the first American clown
in the fight When he gets back to the
tanbark. there win probably always
lurl<, under the layers OF white sine
ana behind the painted grin. Reds
memory Of his ambulance days at sew
eral American fronts. But he isn't
letting that bother him much now
While he waits to get away from the
foclery OF warfare back to the Serious
business OF clowning, he puts in his
spare time IN training amateur cir
Gus performers for 7. NJ. c. A. enter
tainments for the soldiers over here
in Germany. He is turning out clowns
by the wholesale from the members
| OF the A. 3. F.-they are good mater
iaI to work with. he explains.
The Rainbow Diviaion took on . new
Joke with their new emblem. That
isn't quite accurate. either. for the Joke
was oef1amy ola enough. but their
adoption Of II happened In Germany.
| we're tho Fine Tree Diviaion now.
| .ney een you "hen they meet an
| <Ainof1ca On tne pt1eet. AnoW why
were the Fine free Dlvleion!
Why are you the Pine Tree Ddv1s-
lon you ask.
Because we never have any leaves"
dozen OF them answer in chorus.