-HERE'S "A WOMAN'S
OF AN AMERIC
(This is the first instalment of a d
i Written especially for "Trench and Cai
fp?h? writer. The caadodiBg Inslalin.
Sr "Trench nod Guv")
v. By MTY0
JP^ (Editor of the DaHf Trojan, P?1
gf..' "I don't want to go home,
P I don't want to go home.
For I'm having a wonderful time,"
W;; whined the carwheels aa we hnrried
T homeward. Here I waa, Just becoming
?|gjv reconciled to being a Woman all my
life, when along came the army and
T;-! upset my equilibrium. I don't like
being upset. It's painful. I wish
I were bora to be a soldier. Being
5?.'. a girl isn't half bed if you're aa lucky
as I, hat If 1 had my life to live over
js I should certainly dpply to headtf
. quarters for a man's commission in
W: the army.
. , Yes, alter being threatened at the
K point of a gan and being .requested
to leave Camp Kearney threq times
'with more force than elegance, I
like the army, army camps and army
life. And I realize that, as one
sergeant remarked to me, a soldier's
jfc : life is no dream, either, unless It he
a nightmare. Neither K. P. nor M.
>*' P. can be called Joyfal experiences.
?*'/ ' But still I like it. Uniforms are very
E '* becoming.
& -v ^ "Not a Dm Was Heard"
We rode the fourteen miles from
m*' city to camp that first morning in a
3"' ' Ford. Just before we reached camp
we saw a road gang in the newest of
S.. blae overalls digging what looked
m-Z like. an irrigation ditch, and work \
ing as if the boss ware away and they
fSS', knew It. I admit I was surprised to
Wt 'see they were soldiers. In overalls?
- and digging! Where, oh where,wore
~ . the brass buttons, the gold braid, the
swords and guns? There wasn't even
^ a band, that Indispensable accom,
panlment of the army, to cheer the
boys to victory over the rocky
ground. One ideal shattered, I
thought with disappointment. Bst
V; the sun still shone and the Ford
p-rgmbled on.
g" Over on the left appeared rows
jand rows of khakl-colored tents sod
long, low buildings that looked like
Eg- cow sheds. Since the rest of the
ggyfc. ground was a sagebrosh desert it
took imagination to decide that that
ihJi . iBM?t hn the mmn. Here the road
i turned and a man In uniform came
pout of the real eatate office on the
tract to atop us. I was just going to
l$ell him that we did not want to buy
any land or take up a claim when he
asked to see my pass.
As we entered, a number of ambulances
and some artillery passed
out. Everybody was laughing and
.talking. They didn't take it at all
seriously. They might have been going
on a picnic instead of to the artillery.
range. Then as we rode along
I found out that the Bhcds were what
you call mess halls, but they looked
Irouite neat to me. Everyone slept
Jin. tents, and I surely felt sorry for
them,' freezing In winter and mosquitoed
"In- summer, but an officer told
me ^ttiat they are planning to build
wooden barracks. Tents are too expensive,
lasting a year.
Every now and then we passed an
orderly galloping down the street
and cutting comers better than our
Ford could. Yonder was a soldier
strolling along with apparently not
p care in the world and ready to flirt
fBjji? iiyua nv pi uTuuot.iv/u ?b ?...
%t&~ we came to the downtown district
W and stopped at the T. M. C. A. Ad reVinlnistration
building, - where we
found my host, the local Trench and
% Camp editor, under a pile of debris,
PP. reading a carload of poems contrib?rr
uted by various company poets. Most
3* * Of them sang the praises of the girls
B^Jliey left behind them. Second in
Jfopularlty were the odes to the best
Sjjjp Known member of the House of HoJBS
henZbllern. The editor crawled forth.
> straightened to his full height and
ft peered down at me from under his
green eyeshade. He would be ready
a short while. Until then I might
wait here, or over at the Hostess
House. I went to the Hoetess House.
A Little Bit of Home
g The Hostess House was a home, 'in
ppirit if not In fact. But there
anv cMfl thorp either. Men.
v- men everywhere. I never knew
there were so many men in the world
><- . nntll I visited that camp. Several
-nr: were sitting oToaad oa the porch.
Regular summer resort, I decided.
<i?_ -Inside' three ware lounging on a
*' cushioned seat before a hnge log lire
' ?on a hot day. Some were writing
r : at the various tables around the
{$---reera. Two were giving us a viev.
trola concert which varied in selee'i-:
Hons tress "Some Snnday Horning"
5 to Alma Glnck and John McCormack.
A short, wild-looking little man In
EYEVIEW"
AN TRAINING CAMP
estsipUse stuff sbost Camp Keanqr,
p," bp a, Jwa aad ofassmat femiEBt
will appear in Use aest lane of
DDBEKE 's , t .
nrritjr of Southern California.) ?,
petition. The victroU operators retreated
in disgust. Nothing is more
annoying to the sensitive ear, I
judge, than popular music beyond its
third season.
"He does that every time," said
one, so I offered to take the piano
stool the next time he arose to make
a "new" selection.
"Go to it," they said, and I did. I
couldn't play any better than he
could, but they said at least I played
in a different tempo.
Two girls came in, tired but expectant-eved.
He would be there. Thev
had come two hundred miles to see
him. They waited. Finally they Inquired
of one of the men If he could
tell them where to find him. Yes. he
belonged to that regiment. Did he
know George? No, but he could find
out about him.
George was quarantined at the
base hospital.
It wasn't very long before Mr. Editor
arrived and we set forth to view
the Pike "an' everything." On the
left was the postofflce, a large, barnlike
structure; over there the library,
with about ten empty shelves to each
one filled with books (no wonder they
needed a book drive!) and the post
exchange, where one c**n buy anything
except hairpins.
For lunch we were with an ambulance
company that claims Ruth St.
Denis as its godmother. That's another
nice thing about being a soldier;
you get a beautiful and famous
woman as your godmother in addition
to all your other relatives.
Mess Too "Spoony"
Mess was ready. I stood in line
with, the rest of them, my kit out
ready for service. There was just
one trouble with that kit Each part
was too big, especially the spoon. I
don't know what site mouths most
men have, but I might as' well have
tried to feed myself with a coal
shovel as with that spoon. The cup
also was devised with great ingenu
ity. One never knew when the handle
wan going to slip oat of place to
help one lose the contents. The eats
were fine. It was fishday and the
fish was cooked as well as if fhe cook
were the Rltz-Carlton chef. Also
there was plenty of everything?
PLENTY.
We sat on benches like those at a
ftock ranch bunkhoues. There was
no tablecloth, for which I knew the
laundress was thankful. The floor
was covered with sawdust like a circus
ring, so I wasn't surprised when
I looked up to see a man flapping
his arms slowly and carefully, his
head on one side, looking for all the
world like an American eagle.
"Do you usually have a cabaret?"
I asked. . r, - x%
"Oh, that's Ted Shawn," said the
man next to me. "He enlisted in
this company, and his wife, Ruth St
Denis, has adopted the-company. She
gives us our breakfast every Tuesday
morning."
Awfully Scientific
After moss everyone washes bis
own dishes. Army dishwashing is
reduced to a science, worthy of note
in Good Housekeeping. Two pails of
water are set outside the door?one
ononv Via nth or rlMP If vnn pot
little and eat that little fast, you
have the opportunity of washing your
utensils In fairly hot and clean water.
The glutton has his just reward when
his turn comes at the cold and greasy
liquid. *
While I waited I Inspected the
kitchen. One man was cutting up a
flank of beef In an entirely original
manner. 1 asked him sweetly If he
was a professional butcher, but be
glared at me and snapped, "Hardly."
I decided that I liked the other side
of the room best. Men don't seem
to like work in the kitchen, do they?
Now personally 1 should feel more at
home there than on the parade
ground. .Two
soldiers came In, dragging an
unwilling comrade between them.
The sergeant began an Inquisition.
"Whafs wrong with you?" he
asked.
#a?!miA " IMlOWOrflil hlfl
"uu* .. .. ? ?? ?
brother* in K. P. for him.
^ "Did yer get permlshlon?"
The culprit nodded his head in
aseeni. ,'j
"Yes, MR," snarled the non-com.,
and begun a short but concentrated
lecture on the afterlife of naughty
little boys who run away from K. P.
After seeing Ug, strong men cooking,
washing dishes, washing clothes,
scrubbing Poors. pheHag potatoes and
onions, I can see some adrantages in
marrying a soldier?if one mnst
marry. -. ^
lnp camp
RECOMENDCD
f=opi th e
CAVALRY.
U. S. Men in "Scratch Army"
Congratulated and Thanked
UUUt-rai V/4ICJ a o\.i aim biuij
already has won a place in enduring
military history. It is no small gratification
to the people of tills country
to know that America played a
large part in that "stop-gap" achievement
of this "scratch army."
General Rawlinaon, of the British
army, has written a letter to "the
commanding 'officer of an American
regiment" who took charge of the
U. S. engineer troops, cooks, orderlies
and railway men and aided Brigadier-General
Carey to hold a portion
}f the British line from March 22 to
27."*
The letter says: "Tho army commander
wishes to record officially hia
appreciation of the excellent work
your regiment has done in "assisting
the British army to resist the enemy's
powerful offensive during the last
ten days. I fully realise it has been
largely due to your assistance -Chat
the enemy has been checked, and I
rely on you to assist us still further
during the few days still to come before
I shall be able to pelieve you in
the line. I consider your work in the
line to ho e-reatlv enhanced by the
fact that for six weeks previous to
taking your place in the front line
your men have been working at such
high pressure, erecting heavy bridges
on the Somme. My best congratulations
and warm thanks to all."
RED CROSS SALUTES
The Red Cross has adopted the
United States Army saluting system
Orders have been issued that Red
Cross workers, upon coming into the
presence of their superior officers In
' the Red Cross organization, must salute.
"The requirements of military
courtesy will be carefully observed,"
says the order, which describes the
American salute as follows:
"The American salute Is made by
raising the right hand smartly till
the tip of the forefinger touches the
lower part of the headdress, or foreSTfcAr
above the right eve. thumb and
fingers extended and joined, palm to
the left, forearm inclined at ahoet -46
degrees, hand and wrist straight; at
the same time look toward the person
sainted, then drop the arm smartly
by the side." J
MAIL IT TO MOTHER
Trench and Camp will be appreciated
by yonr mother. Send this
paper home and continue to send all
yonr other copies home so that yonr
mother may get the news from yonr
camp and rare the papers for yon to
read when yon get back from "Orel
There."
C ' r" " . ' h
(The following letter has come to the
attention of Tktnch akd Camp. It is vjl'ffirt
from a National Guard officer, called
for the second time in a year to give up
his gainful occupation of civil life, to yLgr \Xi
leave his home and his wife and child.
ft is a human document and not the less ^1/j )h #1
interesting in that is has come to light jW
nearly a year after it was written.) I gfyfffl
My dear, >| nJMr.l
Am T VioaoA nnd (h? Hmf IriH. IQfil 7j JM
die this morning and as we waved IBB/ i jj
farewell at the train there was much mJa
that I wanted to say. Rut somehow Ph l| rk j#
I could And no words. This is the B
second time, dear, that we hare faced M jB?jU*J
the possibility of war. It seemed 0 Hrd
i serious when the Mexican trouble B^B / H
threatened. It was serious for us, B
more serious than for many, because Bi W/z/A
we had to give up everything. Who / jM
would have thought that so soon t ii
again the call would come? But I HL i
cannot help feeling glad that it has
come. Somehow I am proud today, \ ^2^3"
prouder than I over have been that
the uniform I wear is that of the flWHr
United States.
I have wanted this country to enter
the war. I have wanted it know- m
ing all the time that it would mean
separation from you. And I feel in Wwtjtf{mA
my heart that you have wanted it.
We both have an old lineage; and it vfm/^ljfjL
is a proud one. Your family and
mine were united in Revolutionary
days in fighting for freedom and in
protesting against the tyranny of a <
German King. How history repeats ^LC^'^Sx
itself. We are Joined in marriage 1
now and yet the old tie, the tie of V/ffflf////' I
love of right is stronger even than '///J-ft ' I
that; for we give np a life that in our I
marriage has been beautifully, happy .
in order that I may serve the right I Jpjj'J
love and that you may serve it, too. , cUttf
For yours is a patriotic duty. You ^Xm^RB >
will be lonely; so will I. .^iSX
So far as you are concerned, I do j^H
not feel that this separation is for- ^HVBB
ever. 'Even if I do not come back to j^Pv
our home in America, 1 know that W*
we snail meei. ums is a mm count- l \ - -/j
tian with mo. I do not assert it now T jA
in order that you may be buoyed up, f j
for I know that you share this fafth. Ijt* tk J
Our lore is founded upon something
substantial. It has been tried and
tested. You know, dear, how wo I
used to joke about the flfth year of
married life as the most dangerous
, year. And you know what a trial it
was to us. The loss of little Ethel? g? _^J
I scarcely can think of it even now. gs. GjmM
And how one thing followed another! p" /vE
Yet through it all there was some'
thing very sweet in our relationship H
We never doubted each other through
any of the trials of that year; and
each ministered to the other. H^HHkv -Vjj
It seems hard, now that every- lajMl wj
thing would have been such smooth
sailing. But what a glorious privi- |^b|B
lege it is to be among the first to go!
What an opportunity there is for me Jy ?
to serve. I did not join the National |{TrT Im
Guard to serve merejy in peace. I ?
felt that it was an arm of the service j
that could be employed immediately
by the government. I believed in
preparedness. The country would igfF^grj
not have it. We did what we could IxlPAJH
1 in the Guard. It was not much; but
it was the best we could do. KI J { /It
We arc not finished soldiers; no If4 if/'
nno ronli7.es that better than I do. ft If l!
There is much, very much, that I 'x * 11
. have to learn. When we get -on the
other side it will be a case of applying
all my zeal for learning to this *
one thing. I have a responsibility to ^
i the men who are with me; and I ' ^ ?
would never want it said that any one
of them lost his life, or was wounded lV
even, because of something that I FJci
did not know or something that I
had left undone.
They are fine fellows, all those
that are with me. I suppose in the
home of each of them there is a situation
like that in onr home. Each
1 has made some great sacrifice to
serve his country.
. This is a longer letter than I had f
' planned; but there was so much I >
wanted to say. Watch over the kiddie.
Teach him at home before he ?%
goes to school, feach him tp be / /
brave; teach him that if his daddy kA5
1 does not come back he is the man of
the house. Make him love my moraory.
And as early as you can, direct
his thoughts to God and Christ Jesus.
1 If I am not to rejoin you here, teach
him that he and you will rejoin me
dear. Evervthine I
could do I have done. If it does so lltfi
hafcpen that I shall not come back. JMfJr//TT
you "will find fall arrangements made. Riflr/// 't
Open the envelope addressed to you P . 2
which you williind in the safe deposit IIyffJJlvault.
(Jrood-hye. wife of my heart;
know that I shall always think of you
: and that I hope?oh? how I hope?it
; jnay be given us to pick up the ends
of oar life again. God bless and keep W
you. HJDGAK.
I
H. O. 8. at
In Europe food is so scarce it is
sacred. To waste it is sinful.