The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1920-07-21

which they had been expressly ban.
ished by the "Amerikaner' for their
own safety, playing games involving
much singing and q sort Of chant,
"Ein, zwei, drei, vier." Occasionally,
they broke into q weird and fearful
English, overheard at the horse line
during grooming hours, or chorused
strictly phonetic renderings Of "K-K-
K-Kat" One little girl of 8 or z, cher
ishing a deep admiration for our colo
mel, waylaid him each morning on his
way to mess, to call out shyly and in
her most winning tone, "Hello, chick
EN-" and then rush, overcome, to shell.
ter. History does not reveal the iden-
ttty Of the sponsor for this pretty COM
plfment, but It is rumored that the
child was often see conversing with
a private who had languished overlong
In the guardhouse. The colonel went
his way, serene and unruffled. After
all, what is n adoring feminine voice
In the life Of a colonel?
American Town Major.
Life on the main street was always
full of interest. There was, for in
stance, the daily parade Of the burgo-
master and the American town major.
Here was one member of the army of
occupation who had every right in the
world to have his disposition perma-
nently soured with the assurance that
no other wearer of the American uni
form could honestly put the familiar
question, How do you get that wayi"
He was responsible for the good be-
havior Of Germans and Americans
aHke-the restriction Of liquor sales
to the men (Which meant that
schnapps was verhOten) ; the closing Of
the Gasthofre at an early hour and the
enforcement Of the rule against fra
ternizing Tin .public9. He administered
the system Of fines for dirty, streets
and yards. 1t was a hard life, but who
can say that he was not we'll repaid
by the sight Of the local bankers wife
p~ainstakingly brushing away the
street refuse from before her house
each day at the end of a stormy siege
Of weepings, p~rotestations and small
f1nes?. I was privileged to &C.
company the little gray burgomeister
and the lanky young town major, a cit
fzen from Alabama, on their daily tour
of inspection.
This village. of approximately 1000
soulsshad lost something v e so Of its
men in the war, vet what resentment
there might have been against the
Yankee c%onqueror was too well con-
cealed to command respect.
Soldiers Become Socialists.
All the soldiers who really got to the
front came home Socialists. "Our
girls are crazy. They believe the
Americans will marry us. That is not
SO, is it? In Germany everyone laughed
during the war when they heard how
many little German babies were born
in France. Perhaps there will be lit
tie American babies in this town." l
fastened to protest that she had an
entirely wrong idea of the American
soldier. She shrugged her shoulders
with a cynical laugh. who knows,
frauleinchen? It is too soon to tell"
Not far up the road was the main
spring of the village, a g6od-sized pot
terry works. presided ove by three pros
porous, rotund and well-groomed broth
ers, in the neighborhood Of 80. Chill
dren worked in their factory, not
many, it is true, but enough to ban
ish. ~preconceived notions of Germany's
elaborate care for her common people.
In this pottery works were designed
|Nnd manufactured hundreds Of souve-
mir plates for the American and finally
also for the British army. The plates
were circled with a gold laurel wreath
and in the center appeared In formal
design the individual purchasers
name, his regiment, division emblem
and the insignia Of the army Of occu.
| patton, the date Of the divisions en-
try into the war, its victorious en-
gagements and November IL, 1913.
The tale of Germany's humiliation was
thus voluntarily served out to her enc
mics with no thought apparently, be-
| yond the harvest of marks reaped.
Visitors were always cordially vel
coined to the warehouse where long
lofts were lined with shelves full Of
stems and simple potteries These"
the herr smilingly explained In French,
twill 60 to America when the peace
treaty Is signed. We sell a great deal
Of our goods In America"
Spring has come round again. It
smiles upon a distraught Germany.
Perhaps the fears Of the burgomelster
were we'll grounded when he groaned
over the 6olshevistic m~utterings Of his
people and prayed that the American
soldiers might never be called away.
The town crier, red Of nose and.
warped az to teeth, still rings his bell.
perhaps to announce nothing more Sc
rious than that children have been.
throwing stones atsthe horses OF Amer
lean officers. This must be stopped at.
once y the parents will be severely
punishsd. Byorderso8 the bursomati
ter" ss. b