The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-01-27
NEW GAME ALONG THE RHINE.
by DAMON RUNyON,

with the American Army of occu-
patton. Cohienz. Jan 25.-~tAuthor' g
note--The story which follows has bee n
r"posin@ for several weeks in the CEN
sor's pocket and has been withheld by
him from Immediate transmission-for
what reason We know not We have
liked 10 think II was because ne loved
I" take IL TO he'd with him OF an even
ing to read himself to sleep
THIS impression was dispelled TO
some extent today, however, by the
condition OF the manuscript when IL
was restored to Us with permission to
send il along, 1t was as sadly creased
as bank note from the pocket OF Tad
ltorgan. giving rise to the new theory
that the censor had retained the docu-
ment because 1t sottened his seat for
him what time he occupied a hard
hottomed chair when he's ruthlessly
stabbine TO the heart the literary en-
deavors Of war correspondents
Anyway here's the story just as il
VAS at the beginning. We had wor-
ried no little about it's stoppagc. not
because of it's intrinsic merit but be-
cause II clorged our hitherto pristine
record OF not yet having had a nara
ticn abated by the sensor1
Aside from a little African golf few
indoor sports there hasn't been much
u'ib6 WIN ~ hAhAlf diversion SINCE the
Americans hit the Rhine. The foot
ball season is over Its too cold for
base ball, Some body forgot to bring
the tennis raccuets along. So sport
has been pretty dead around here
untH yesterday when some of the
French dropped in and gave VS. dem
expiration OF new pastme which is
said TO be most popular IN the French
sector around Mayence. II Is also said
tho British are fairly adopt at II in
Cologne and that the Eelgtans in AK
Les Ratns are really expert The
Americans had heard OF IT, but had
never seen It.
! The game Is played with a cane or
sword and German civilians hat
! The idea is to knock OF the Germans
hat II the German fails to salute the
eolors.
Alg~rians start IT.
battalion Of French Algeria
troops from the famous fighting corns
came here by boat recently to be re-
viewed by General Dickman and the
French General ManCin Quite a dele
cation Of German civilians lined the
espla ada along the Rhine river front
as the troops landed with their pic
turcspue rcd -fexzed band playing and
hugles hlarirg. IN the crowd were n
! lot Of French officers and numerous
Americans, including both officers and
enlisted men
AS the French cniors went past. the
hands Of all the soldiers few to their
caps in salute. The German civilians
stood silently watching Suddenly.
hihgoo' III went a German hat in the
air. A French officer had reached out
with his cane and deftiy ficked i of
the astontshed Germans head Zip,
Went another German cady into the
ozone and toward the right field wall
Of the Rhine. Zip More German
keIiy's hit the breeze.
our soldiers at first were vastly sur
prised at the lid shower They couldn't
understand what made the hats fly
When they discovered the motive pow
ers they became greatly interested, but
also Intensely critical. after the char
acteristio manner of Americans to-
ward any game they do not play They
commented on the technique of some
OF the Frenchmen as It appealed to
them. not realizing that they were see
ing the hest hat-knockers~o in all
Rhenish Prussia.
There's one fellow there who's