New-York tribune., 1919-12-08

that the Russian army was in retreat,
Ihere was an interval Of eighteen
months when he didn't hear a word of
ms family. He thought it was useless,
out he continued to send the weekly
money order.
A letter blotted and cut by several
censors until it was almost meaning
less told him late in 1916 that his
wife and sons were still alive. Then
IN April, 1917, the United States got
into the war. Sam listened to q navy
recruiting man and offered himself
TOR enlistment. First papers, they told
him, weren't sufficient evidence Of
Americanism. Sam, feeling especially
service. He told them he was a good
mechanic, but they found reason to
In January, 1918, when GERMANY wsa
demanding of Bolshevik-mad Russia
that she surrender all rights to Po-
land-and, thought Sam, Konsk-he
went to Seattle and sought work in
the shipyards. He signed up for six
months as riveter. The pay was Sc
at ,the/start. Sam stayed on the pay
roll two months and didn't drive a
rlvet. Then he went to the nearest
local draft board and explained that
he wanted to enlist. They questioned
hlm and examined MIN and put him in
class IA. Meanwhile Sam drilled at
night with the Washington State Guard.
When he jabbed in bayonet drill he
grunted harder and louder than the
others, for he was thinking of his wife
and babies behind the German lines, and
the rest had only a vision of making
the world safe for democracy. So they
made him q home guard corporal, and
after few months he was ordered by
his draft board to report at Camp
Kearny, where he became a member Of
the Sunset Division. That was June,
1918. He sailed from New York July s
for Liverpool on British boat and
was taken to Havre by ferry.
He was sent to La Chappelle with
the rest of the 16Oth Infantry, given
the chevrons of a real corporal, but
kept there on duty in the service of
supply. If General Pershing had known
about Sans grudge against the Ger
mans. why-but then the armistice was
signed November IL, and Sam was
still loading trains. He applied for a
discharge in France, and got it by
signing up fer few months S. O. S.
work after his regiment sailed. He
sewed a red chevron to his blouse
sleeve on July 10, 1919, and started for
Paris.
There he convinced Red Cross
major that he ought to be allowed Tn
join the convoy of Red Cross train
going to Warsaw, and on August 19 he
arrived in Warsaw with something like
$500 in gold and a 500 Liberty bond
of the fourth issue. He found his
brother. wearing a frayed and worn
Russian army uniform and learned
tbot bic u,ifo orJ nh; IJrao x&,o ~, o1;,,o
Then he started for Konsk, a days
journeys by rail. He took off his uni
form and donned a suit of civilian
clothes bought in Paris before he en-
tered the town, because he knew an
American soldier would attract a
crowd and he didn't want to tie de-
ayed. A woman neighbor of his
father-in-law recognized him and
shouted that Pearl Eftel's husband
had come back from the grave.
The wife heard inside the tailor's
little dwelling, but she did not rush
out. Instead she sat down and began
to cry and that is the way Sam found
her. She was only a shadow of The
plump girl he had kissed goodby six
years back and she couldn't talk to
him because every time she tried she
began to sob
They hoped to start for America
Immediately, but it took tow months to
get passports and even then he couldn't
get American, passports for his sons,
but had to be content with Polish pass
ports for them.
Armies of Russia, Austria and Ger
many had occupied Konsk during those
long six years, but none of the things
that had tortured the mind of Sam had
happened to his family. Only they
didn't have enough to eat
They are going to Detroit by way of
Washisgton, .. C. The War Depart
ment has $552 80 in allotment money
that belongs to Mrs. Erte and the boys.