Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-12
BY KIRK c. MILLER.

MONT DORE. PUY-DE-D ONE,
France. January S.--When our Uncle
Sam is at play he plays with as much
vigor as he fights when he Is at war.
and if you wish to know something
OF the latter, you can apply at Ber-
norton now lie being conducted. But
this Is not to be yarn of war nor
strife nor fleldpieces nor empIace-
ments. but simply story of play
how our Uncle Samuel and well over
a million of his nephews are reapipg
the harvest of those recent struggles
which everybody who was present is
willing and trying to forget as rapid
ly as possible.
That Uncle Sam Is a thorough sport,
however. whether he is effecting a
barrage with his artillery pieces hub
to-hub on the Meuse-Argonne front
or skiing among some of those peaks
OF central-southern France, is being
apprehended by those survivors of the
casualty list who now are marking
time In the American expeditionary
forces while the peace conferees are
wearing out qualities of gilt and
plush of Louis XVI handicraft over q,
Versailles. This is the longest Bit
Of marking time that the boys over
seas have done--almost the only bit,
In factor it's been mostly double
time heretofore to keep apace with
the Hun emigration laws: a common
law OF Germany. tedious spell too,
this present marking time. as 1t is
the preceding order to that final one
which will be executed across the
Auantic-and maybe the men won't
snap that command when 1t is ulti-
mately given.
Uncle Sam Pays All Bills.
Meanwhile. every week that passes
finds substantial quota of the
strength of the American personnel
in F-ance Off on it's much coveted
vacation, and here is where the good
old uncle is showing the color of
the sporting blood which gives him
that rudy complexion; you know the
outstanding characteristics which the
cartoonists at home love to apply to
tho reverend old gentleman with
nnal dab of the rouget Here in the
American expeditionary forces when
you have done four months you
are entitled to seven days play at
the expense of your uncle; most
everybody here and at home knows
that But everybody doesn't know
that when the fighting was going on
the government didn't snatch you out
OF the front line just to send you off
to Nice or Bordeaux or Monte Carlo
on weeks vacation. If your seven
day play happened to fall due just
about the morning your CO. had
planned to give Heinie a surprise
party in the form of several thousand
tons of high explosives you didn't
get your furlough until after Heinie
got his surprise. and perhaps you
didn't get 1t at all. Who knows?
80 when IL O'Clock of the 18th day
OF the 18th month licked off every
body in khaki who hadn't kicked off
In the meantime began to long for the
promised vacation: and there was A
stack or accumulated vacations in the
A. e. F. that would make Eiffel tower
resemble an ant hill on March after
noon. The congestion in leaves Of
absence was not due to any defect in
the system for furloughs adopted by
the Army. but more to the fact that
tho men didn't want nor ask for them
while there still was fighting to be
done. Typical of the American when
he has task to do, is it not? Well,
he's just that way in a fight!
Sitting con Top of World"
But now in the long winter of our
discomfort, as an eminent author once
described this season of short days
your American soldier in France is
relaxing from the arduous struggle
which is not yet dry in the pages of
history, and, indeed, he is sitting on
the top of the world-as they say in
the Army, he is living the life OF
Reilly" whomever Reilly was. And
why? Because the kind old uncle is
busy as a sniper making good his va
cation promise and is weekly sending
tratnloads, special trainloads, of his
fighters to Europe's ranking resorts:
historic. scenic and health resorts.
and is maintaining the khaki boys at
the finest hotels and providing the
best and highest caliber of entertain
En- PEASANT let It be noted that the
AUXILIARY organizations In France
which did so much for the men during
the dark days just passed are doub-
ling their efforts to keep them at
ease" during the endless wait before
home going. At the vacation centers
the American soldiers do not pine for
4 feature which expert amusement
providers, money and transportation
conditfons can possibly bring to them.
This story will not SAVIOR OF the
press agent. perhaps Y is mem