June 28, 1949 (8 pages)

NEVADA CITY NUGGET Tuesday, June 28, 1949305 Broad Street, Nevada City—Telephone 36 -A legal newspaper, as defined by statute ROBERT H. and DONALD W. WRAY, Publishers KENNETH W. WRAY. Editor and Advertising Manager Member California Newspaper Publishers Association Published every Tuesday and Friday at Nevada City, California, and entered as matter of the second class in the postoffice at Nevada City under Act of Congress, March 3, 1879. : SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year outside county (in advance) -..-.-------------+2-+ee-eeeeeeee ee $3.00 ‘One year in county (in advance) -.--..-----------------eeeceeeeeeeeeeeeteeness 2.50 Four months (in advance) ...-2-------------0--eceeeeeenenec esses ecseceeecenee One month (in advance) COUNT.YOUR-BLESSINGS WEEK We tmve so many hundreds of special ““weeks’’ during . the year—everything from National-Canned-Goods Week to Get-Rid-of-Your-Corns Week—that it’s time we added another: Count-Your-Bléessings Week. In this world of ours, especially in our own country and community, there are innumerable good things which make living brighter, more convenient, more comfortable and pleasant. Yet, for the most part we just take them for granted and go on kicking about the things we dislike. We have automobiles, radios, television, movies, banks, \gas and electric service, newspapers, retail stores, restaurants, postal service, police and fire protection. When we want to pay our bills (as we sometimes do) we don’t have to run around to each creditor and pay . him cash; we have only to draw a check, and mail it and it and Uncle Sam and the bank do the rest. This latter service alone saves not only the wear and tear on our cars, our time and our tempers, but it eliminates the need of carrying large sums of money around for the benefit . of footpads and pickpockets. Really, we don’t know how well off we are. But we ought to pause at least once a year and realize it. So we suggest a Count-Your-Blessings Week. How about it? \ ROAD TO STATEISM Many voices are being raised against the vast pattern of paternalism that evolves more and more each day on the Washington scene. But no voice in years has spoken with more telling effect than that of James F. Byrnes, who recently decried the march toward stateism in his speech at Washington and Lee university. Now, in most instances, critics of the ‘Fair Deal’’ brand of socialism are accused by its advocates of being “‘re-actionaries”. But they'd have a hard time making that name stick in the case of Mr. Byrnes. Byrnes, you will recall, was a New Dealer, a close associate of Franklin Roosevelt, and is said to have inspired much of the New Deal legislation. In other words, he was one of the principal architects in the type of government we have had since 1933. Yet, not even he can stomach the extent to which the Truman Administration is endeavoring to push the nation toward socialism. He points out that if some of the new programs proposed by the President were to be adopted every citizen ‘‘will soon be an economic slave pulling an oar in the galley of the state’’. These words, remember, are not those of some business leader who ‘‘stubbornly”” insists that the government should not control every phase of our lives. They come instead from a man who is very much what even the free-spenders would call a “‘liberal’’. SENSE AND SAFETY Safety is largely a matter of common sense. That applies on the Fourth of July weekend as well as at any other time. Common sense leads one to drive at a reasonable speed, to observe traffic signals, avoid drowsiness at the wheel, keep the car in good mechanical condition, and not to mix even ONE drink with driving. Common sense also prevents one from swimming alone, or attempting to swim farther than he is reasonably capable of doing, or from going into the water immediately after a heayy meal. There needn’t be any 300 or 400 accidental deaths over this weekend. The anticipated toll can be cut virtually to the vanishing point through the exercise of due precautions by all. If a trip is worth making, then it’s worth a little extra time and care to see that you and your family—and the other fellow too— get a chance to enjoy it and to take other trips in the future. IS IT ENGLISH? A U. S. district court judge with a sensitive ear for English has made a notice of some of the way that attorneys slaughter the language. Here’s one gem: “In these cases such as these, in so far as my sworn duty, . shall prosecute these cases to the last breath of my dying body which I am prosecuting only for the sake of justice and not for vengeance’. Court adjourned! A-ONE-DOG TOWN? Some towns are accused of being a one-horse town. Nevada City can’t be accused of being a one-dog town. All that is necessary to refute such a charge is a stroll down Broad street observing the doorway corners and posts of the business houses.“I trust you found that novel interesting,’’ Mrs. Himes remarked hopefully. “The book wasn't so much,” the patron replied, “but that letter someone left in it for a bookmark was a ~— Julu!” . ‘ thes wvvy ves UNRTI F . 7M Stamatis. Ss By Congressman Clair TRUMAN SUGGESTS MINING LAW REVISION The President in signing the ) i . . hewn . . . MESSAGE—A knock on the cabin door. Late evening. Who could be calling? Former neighbors from town with a death message. The passing of an uncle. The son of a pioneer, born on the Mother Lode 88 years ago. * * * By Jim Towne COLFAX—Eight o’clock a.m. and Sunday quiet over the town. No activity except at the bus depot. Hot. Note a largish woman wearing a fur coat! Another with a huge over the arm handbag with an umbrella holder and contents. Looks like a machine gun. Both dames entered the Chicago bus. Another gal dressed in slacks, lacy blouse, floppy hat and sandals, carrying a small portable radio, to Reno. bus. Men dressed as usual. The braver ones taking off their coats. * he * BUS—On way to S. F. Air conditioned. Most passengers asleep. And what postures! Snoring. In the rear an old gal, with a gravel voice, laughs at everything a youngish sport is saying. She would be awake. The oldish laughter sounds so out of place in this coach of youthful sonorous slumbering. * * * SACRAMENTO—Double hot. No zip among the gadding public. Here, too, is Sunday quiet on the streets. Messy station. Two oldsters ‘worried about baggage. As each bus arrives from the south they rush to the baggage desk. They are from Santa Barbara and on way to a convention. Leaving town and note old trees cut down in Capitol Park. What a pity! Understand that a few beauty minded citizens objected to the butchery. The majority didn’t give a hang. Progress, you know. * * * STOCKTON—Three beils for the heat. Have two hour stop over. Phoned friends. No answer. All Sunday gadding no doubt. Perhaps fishing. Lucky guys. Bus station stuffy and impossible for eomfort. To air. conditioned lobby of hotel a few doors from the depot. Cool, clean and comfortable. Nice desk clerk. Helped us with city directory. Note a good looking brunette elevator girl. She has on a pretty pink dress. Good taste. The hotel brings to mind gay and happy convention times. It’s now 2 p.m. Just heard the desk clerk reply to a buzzing, “I think she’s having breakfast!” My, my, and it’s time for afternoon tea. From the dining room comes the clinking tableware: Somewhere a femme voice saying, “Well, I've got my slacks on!” A snappy brunette waitress just whizzed by. The bell-hop is taking liquid refreshments to some one. Ice cold, you know what, advertised on the radio and in the mags. We hate to leave. There’s a lot doing here. : eB ae bd SONORA—Journey’s end. To. ’ air conditioned room. What a relief, This town is progressing by leaps and bounds. A sweet little city in the middle Sierra. A gem of the old southern mines, A lot of pep and snap among the people. The home of the son of the pioneer whose passing called us here. Washington Notes Engle bill providing for another mining assessment moratorium issued a statement which will be of interest to claim holders. He said a signed the moratorium “reluctantly” and that the “shortages which motivated past. suspensions . no longer prevail”. He made it plain tnat there should be a revision of the mining laws. “The basic policies of the mining laws and the interests of the nation dictate that the assessment work requirement be revived as soon as possible in line with the intent of the Act of May 3, 1943. These considerations also indicate the desirability of re-evaluating the adequacy of the $100 figure at which this~ requirement has been set for so long, in the light of the fact that it now represents far less work than it did when it was adopted in 1872. Such related questions as the need for protecting fully the interests of owners of surface rights in lands affected by mining locations, the sufficiency of the legal provisons governing the recording of such locations, and the need for placing the obligation to perform assessment work on a basis where it can be better enforced than at present, also deserve re-examination.” In short, the President suggested at least four different aspects in which the mining laws . should be, {‘re-examined”. He 'took note 'of the fact that the Senate Committee on _ Interior and Insular Affairs is undertaking a study looking to a general , revision of tne mining laws. And, ihe implied that he was granting the moratorium ‘“‘to permit such istudy to proceed in orderly , fashion” and expressed the hope _that such revision as may be necessary will be accomplished without undue delay. There has ben no requirement for mining assessment work~for sixteen of the past eighteen years. Seventeen years with this year’s moratorium. The Bureau of Mines, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of the Budget indicated they would recommend a veto of this year’s moratoruim bill. There is some thought here that they may not have “recommended” very hard but used the bait of another moratorium to expedite the revision of the mining laws which urged. FEE SCHEDULE, JULY 12 portunity to voice their opposition to a new fee schedule on commercial operations in the natonal forests at_a public hearing set for 9:30 am. on July 12 at the regional office of the forest service in San Francisco. . The meeting was agreed to by the forest service following a flood of protests from resort operators who contended the forest service had not properly consulted with them prior to the time the new fees on special use permits went into effect at the first of the year. : The forest service has indicated all phases of the fee schedule will be discussed, including a number of proposals by permittees for downward adjustments. HERE FROM VENEZUELA Mr. and Mrs. Arthur B. Brown and son, Thomas, of Maraciabo, Venezuela, were weekend visitors in Nevada City at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Murchie. Brown is employed by Standard Oil Company in the South American country. They plan to spend the summer in California. they have so long wanted and, Permittees will have an op-. Gow Diceerss Tran Charles Scott Haley ‘Hello, King—by golly, I’m glad to see you. How are you?” ‘ King George—peace be to his memory as a noble gentleman-»promptly seized the hand with an answering grin, and scandalized his frozen-faced equerry by giving it a vigorous shake. My time in London was up all too soon, and it was netessary for me to go back to Lemans and rejoin my outfit. I returned by the same route, and landed in Paris for a good dinner before going down to the Sarthe to rejoin my company. I was weeding the outfit over, preparing for an inspection which was due from General Pershing himself, when one day a colored corporal, Sylvester Seward, came to me. His brown was downcast, and his face screwed up in worry. He was one of my docile Tennessee boys, and had been a corporal from the first time I saw the outfit. “Suh,” he began, ‘““Ah doesn’t believe dat Ah’s goin’ to see do Nunited States eveh, any moah.” ‘Why not, corporal; we’re going to sail in less than a month now.” “Yessuh, but you see, some dem Brownsville boys \ says dey goin’ to slit mah throat an’ drop me ovehboahd as soon as we gets out in de ocean, suh.”’ I knew the three ringleaders of the Brownville replacements, and knew their. tactics. So . suggested to Seward that we walk up to the mess line—which, it happened, was just formed for noon meal—and pick them out. . had Seward get them out of line and bring them over to me. Their eyes were rolling, and they were ready with a lie for anything that might come up. They saluted, however, and . told them to stand. Then, very quietly, ‘I understand you boys are going to throw Corporal Seward overboard one of these nights when we get out to sea.” Business of’ denial, immediately. ‘‘Nossuh, we nevah would do dat—an’ we nevah even done talk about it.” I turned to Seward, and pointed to his gun. Noncoms all carried side arms in those times. ‘Seward, I never did think these boys were much improvement to the company, and I'd be just as glad to go home without them, as they've done nothing but make trouble since they've been with us. Now, when we get aboard ship, if one of these three makes any sort of a pass—or even if you just think he is going to make one, or if you think he is thinking about it—you just shoot him, offhand, and . will see that you don’t even get a court for it. It’s going to be self defense and justifiable homicide. Remember—just shoot them as soon as you please, and get them off our hands, and everything will be all right. Now go gack to your dinner. Poor, peaceful Seward would never think of shooting their eyes at him, I knew there would be no more trouble. In a few days, some fifty thousand of us who were waiting for embarkation, were reviewed by General Pershing. As he came around in front of each company or battallion, the commander would fall in step beside him and a little to the rear. When it came my turn, . was struck by the intensity of his eyes, which seemed to penetrate right through you. He was'a born leader, and a fine figure of a man, but officially, all one wanted to say was, “Yes, sir’ and No, sir’. As he marched round my outfit, I fell in step. ““How long have you been with these troops?” . “Only a few days, sir—have been an detached service. “Well, get them in better shape before you go on shipboard. They look pretty sloppy.”’ Yes, sir.’ And that was all. Sailing orders finally came in the latter part of May, and I said farewell to my kindly hostess and her husband. They asked me to write to them of my safe arrival home. Although neither of them could read, they said they would take the letter to the Marie, and would know. Also, my hostess said, “Many American officers have been billetted in our home in the past six months, and we have speeded them on their way. Everyone has promised to write, and to date not one have we heard a line from.” Therefore, one of the first things that I did on my arrival in the United States was to write them a long letter. They took it to the Mairie, and . had a very nice response from the mayor of the village, some months later. A little thing, but to these kindly, simple folk, it meant much. Arrived at Saint Nazaire, we embarked in a boat about the same size as the one on which we had come over. This time we needed no convoy, as the German wolf pack was, temporarily, a thing of the past. The boys could smoke where they would at night, lights were wide open all over the boat, and everybody was happy with the thought that war was over—for our lifetime, at least. How little we knew of the future—but we were a happy, carefree lot on that voyage home. It had been payday just before we left, and many a crap game and other game of chance was. going on all over the boat. Finally the money drifted into the hands of the few, and we did not have to turn our back any more to the process. Of the colored troops, one of the quietest, a little brown mulatto by the name of Seymour, came to me and banked in the company safe nearly a thousand dollars in French francs, which I exchanged for him on shipboard before the franc could go any lower. I asked him what he was going to do with all that money when he got out of the,army. (to be continued) a kitten in cold blood, but from the way those boys rolled ¢ 3 a ; é : 4 <7 F rd “FR * rd ro od ‘ve a a a b d > ya & ’ wy > \w fp &

NEVADA CITY NUGGET Tuesday, June 28, 1949305 Broad Street, Nevada City—Telephone 36 -A legal newspaper, as defined by statute ROBERT H. and DONALD W. WRAY, Publishers KENNETH W. WRAY. Editor and Advertising Manager Member California Newspaper Publishers Association Published every Tuesday and Friday at Nevada City, California, and entered as matter of the second class in the postoffice at Nevada City under Act of Congress, March 3, 1879. : SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year outside county (in advance) -...-.-------------+2-+ee-eeeeeeee ee $3.00 ‘One year in county (in advance) -.--...-----------------eeeceeeeeeeeeeeeteeness 2.50 Four months (in advance) .....-2-------------0--eceeeeeenenec esses ecseceeecenee One month (in advance) COUNT.YOUR-BLESSINGS WEEK We tmve so many hundreds of special ““weeks’’ during . the year—everything from National-Canned-Goods Week to Get-Rid-of-Your-Corns Week—that it’s time we added another: Count-Your-Bléessings Week. In this world of ours, especially in our own country and community, there are innumerable good things which make living brighter, more convenient, more comfortable and pleasant. Yet, for the most part we just take them for granted and go on kicking about the things we dislike. We have automobiles, radios, television, movies, banks, \gas and electric service, newspapers, retail stores, restaurants, postal service, police and fire protection. When we want to pay our bills (as we sometimes do) we don’t have to run around to each creditor and pay . him cash; we have only to draw a check, and mail it and it and Uncle Sam and the bank do the rest. This latter service alone saves not only the wear and tear on our cars, our time and our tempers, but it eliminates the need of carrying large sums of money around for the benefit . of footpads and pickpockets. Really, we don’t know how well off we are. But we ought to pause at least once a year and realize it. So we suggest a Count-Your-Blessings Week. How about it? \ ROAD TO STATEISM Many voices are being raised against the vast pattern of paternalism that evolves more and more each day on the Washington scene. But no voice in years has spoken with more telling effect than that of James F. Byrnes, who recently decried the march toward stateism in his speech at Washington and Lee university. Now, in most instances, critics of the ‘Fair Deal’’ brand of socialism are accused by its advocates of being “‘re-actionaries”. But they'd have a hard time making that name stick in the case of Mr. Byrnes. Byrnes, you will recall, was a New Dealer, a close associate of Franklin Roosevelt, and is said to have inspired much of the New Deal legislation. In other words, he was one of the principal architects in the type of government we have had since 1933. Yet, not even he can stomach the extent to which the Truman Administration is endeavoring to push the nation toward socialism. He points out that if some of the new programs proposed by the President were to be adopted every citizen ‘‘will soon be an economic slave pulling an oar in the galley of the state’’. These words, remember, are not those of some business leader who ‘‘stubbornly”” insists that the government should not control every phase of our lives. They come instead from a man who is very much what even the free-spenders would call a “‘liberal’’. SENSE AND SAFETY Safety is largely a matter of common sense. That applies on the Fourth of July weekend as well as at any other time. Common sense leads one to drive at a reasonable speed, to observe traffic signals, avoid drowsiness at the wheel, keep the car in good mechanical condition, and not to mix even ONE drink with driving. Common sense also prevents one from swimming alone, or attempting to swim farther than he is reasonably capable of doing, or from going into the water immediately after a heayy meal. There needn’t be any 300 or 400 accidental deaths over this weekend. The anticipated toll can be cut virtually to the vanishing point through the exercise of due precautions by all. If a trip is worth making, then it’s worth a little extra time and care to see that you and your family—and the other fellow too— get a chance to enjoy it and to take other trips in the future. IS IT ENGLISH? A U. S. district court judge with a sensitive ear for English has made a notice of some of the way that attorneys slaughter the language. Here’s one gem: “In these cases such as these, in so far as my sworn duty, . shall prosecute these cases to the last breath of my dying body which I am prosecuting only for the sake of justice and not for vengeance’. Court adjourned! A-ONE-DOG TOWN? Some towns are accused of being a one-horse town. Nevada City can’t be accused of being a one-dog town. All that is necessary to refute such a charge is a stroll down Broad street observing the doorway corners and posts of the business houses.“I trust you found that novel interesting,’’ Mrs. Himes remarked hopefully. “The book wasn't so much,” the patron replied, “but that letter someone left in it for a bookmark was a ~— Julu!” . ‘ thes wvvy ves UNRTI F . 7M Stamatis. Ss By Congressman Clair TRUMAN SUGGESTS MINING LAW REVISION The President in signing the ) i . . hewn . . . MESSAGE—A knock on the cabin door. Late evening. Who could be calling? Former neighbors from town with a death message. The passing of an uncle. The son of a pioneer, born on the Mother Lode 88 years ago. * * * By Jim Towne COLFAX—Eight o’clock a.m. and Sunday quiet over the town. No activity except at the bus depot. Hot. Note a largish woman wearing a fur coat! Another with a huge over the arm handbag with an umbrella holder and contents. Looks like a machine gun. Both dames entered the Chicago bus. Another gal dressed in slacks, lacy blouse, floppy hat and sandals, carrying a small portable radio, to Reno. bus. Men dressed as usual. The braver ones taking off their coats. * he * BUS—On way to S. F. Air conditioned. Most passengers asleep. And what postures! Snoring. In the rear an old gal, with a gravel voice, laughs at everything a youngish sport is saying. She would be awake. The oldish laughter sounds so out of place in this coach of youthful sonorous slumbering. * * * SACRAMENTO—Double hot. No zip among the gadding public. Here, too, is Sunday quiet on the streets. Messy station. Two oldsters ‘worried about baggage. As each bus arrives from the south they rush to the baggage desk. They are from Santa Barbara and on way to a convention. Leaving town and note old trees cut down in Capitol Park. What a pity! Understand that a few beauty minded citizens objected to the butchery. The majority didn’t give a hang. Progress, you know. * * * STOCKTON—Three beils for the heat. Have two hour stop over. Phoned friends. No answer. All Sunday gadding no doubt. Perhaps fishing. Lucky guys. Bus station stuffy and impossible for eomfort. To air. conditioned lobby of hotel a few doors from the depot. Cool, clean and comfortable. Nice desk clerk. Helped us with city directory. Note a good looking brunette elevator girl. She has on a pretty pink dress. Good taste. The hotel brings to mind gay and happy convention times. It’s now 2 p.m. Just heard the desk clerk reply to a buzzing, “I think she’s having breakfast!” My, my, and it’s time for afternoon tea. From the dining room comes the clinking tableware: Somewhere a femme voice saying, “Well, I've got my slacks on!” A snappy brunette waitress just whizzed by. The bell-hop is taking liquid refreshments to some one. Ice cold, you know what, advertised on the radio and in the mags. We hate to leave. There’s a lot doing here. : eB ae bd SONORA—Journey’s end. To. ’ air conditioned room. What a relief, This town is progressing by leaps and bounds. A sweet little city in the middle Sierra. A gem of the old southern mines, A lot of pep and snap among the people. The home of the son of the pioneer whose passing called us here. Washington Notes Engle bill providing for another mining assessment moratorium issued a statement which will be of interest to claim holders. He said a signed the moratorium “reluctantly” and that the “shortages which motivated past. suspensions .. no longer prevail”. He made it plain tnat there

should be a revision of the mining laws. “The basic policies of the mining laws and the interests of the nation dictate that the assessment work requirement be revived as soon as possible in line with the intent of the Act of May 3, 1943. These considerations also indicate the desirability of re-evaluating the adequacy of the $100 figure at which this~ requirement has been set for so long, in the light of the fact that it now represents far less work than it did when it was adopted in 1872. Such related questions as the need for protecting fully the interests of owners of surface rights in lands affected by mining locations, the sufficiency of the legal provisons governing the recording of such locations, and the need for placing the obligation to perform assessment work on a basis where it can be better enforced than at present, also deserve re-examination.” In short, the President suggested at least four different aspects in which the mining laws . should be, {‘re-examined”. He 'took note 'of the fact that the Senate Committee on _ Interior and Insular Affairs is undertaking a study looking to a general , revision of tne mining laws. And, ihe implied that he was granting the moratorium ‘“‘to permit such istudy to proceed in orderly , fashion” and expressed the hope _that such revision as may be necessary will be accomplished without undue delay. There has ben no requirement for mining assessment work~for sixteen of the past eighteen years. Seventeen years with this year’s moratorium. The Bureau of Mines, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of the Budget indicated they would recommend a veto of this year’s moratoruim bill. There is some thought here that they may not have “recommended” very hard but used the bait of another moratorium to expedite the revision of the mining laws which urged. FEE SCHEDULE, JULY 12 portunity to voice their opposition to a new fee schedule on commercial operations in the natonal forests at_a public hearing set for 9:30 am. on July 12 at the regional office of the forest service in San Francisco. . The meeting was agreed to by the forest service following a flood of protests from resort operators who contended the forest service had not properly consulted with them prior to the time the new fees on special use permits went into effect at the first of the year. : The forest service has indicated all phases of the fee schedule will be discussed, including a number of proposals by permittees for downward adjustments. HERE FROM VENEZUELA Mr. and Mrs. Arthur B. Brown and son, Thomas, of Maraciabo, Venezuela, were weekend visitors in Nevada City at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Murchie. Brown is employed by Standard Oil Company in the South American country. They plan to spend the summer in California. they have so long wanted and, Permittees will have an op-. Gow Diceerss Tran Charles Scott Haley ‘Hello, King—by golly, I’m glad to see you. How are you?” ‘ King George—peace be to his memory as a noble gentleman-»promptly seized the hand with an answering grin, and scandalized his frozen-faced equerry by giving it a vigorous shake. My time in London was up all too soon, and it was netessary for me to go back to Lemans and rejoin my outfit. I returned by the same route, and landed in Paris for a good dinner before going down to the Sarthe to rejoin my company. I was weeding the outfit over, preparing for an inspection which was due from General Pershing himself, when one day a colored corporal, Sylvester Seward, came to me. His brown was downcast, and his face screwed up in worry. He was one of my docile Tennessee boys, and had been a corporal from the first time I saw the outfit. “Suh,” he began, ‘““Ah doesn’t believe dat Ah’s goin’ to see do Nunited States eveh, any moah.” ‘Why not, corporal; we’re going to sail in less than a month now.” “Yessuh, but you see, some dem Brownsville boys \ says dey goin’ to slit mah throat an’ drop me ovehboahd as soon as we gets out in de ocean, suh.”’ I knew the three ringleaders of the Brownville replacements, and knew their. tactics. So . suggested to Seward that we walk up to the mess line—which, it happened, was just formed for noon meal—and pick them out. . had Seward get them out of line and bring them over to me. Their eyes were rolling, and they were ready with a lie for anything that might come up. They saluted, however, and . told them to stand. Then, very quietly, ‘I understand you boys are going to throw Corporal Seward overboard one of these nights when we get out to sea.” Business of’ denial, immediately. ‘‘Nossuh, we nevah would do dat—an’ we nevah even done talk about it.” I turned to Seward, and pointed to his gun. Noncoms all carried side arms in those times. ‘Seward, I never did think these boys were much improvement to the company, and I'd be just as glad to go home without them, as they've done nothing but make trouble since they've been with us. Now, when we get aboard ship, if one of these three makes any sort of a pass—or even if you just think he is going to make one, or if you think he is thinking about it—you just shoot him, offhand, and . will see that you don’t even get a court for it. It’s going to be self defense and justifiable homicide. Remember—just shoot them as soon as you please, and get them off our hands, and everything will be all right. Now go gack to your dinner. Poor, peaceful Seward would never think of shooting their eyes at him, I knew there would be no more trouble. In a few days, some fifty thousand of us who were waiting for embarkation, were reviewed by General Pershing. As he came around in front of each company or battallion, the commander would fall in step beside him and a little to the rear. When it came my turn, . was struck by the intensity of his eyes, which seemed to penetrate right through you. He was'a born leader, and a fine figure of a man, but officially, all one wanted to say was, “Yes, sir’ and No, sir’. As he marched round my outfit, I fell in step. ““How long have you been with these troops?” . “Only a few days, sir—have been an detached service. “Well, get them in better shape before you go on shipboard. They look pretty sloppy.”’ Yes, sir.’ And that was all. Sailing orders finally came in the latter part of May, and I said farewell to my kindly hostess and her husband. They asked me to write to them of my safe arrival home. Although neither of them could read, they said they would take the letter to the Marie, and would know. Also, my hostess said, “Many American officers have been billetted in our home in the past six months, and we have speeded them on their way. Everyone has promised to write, and to date not one have we heard a line from.” Therefore, one of the first things that I did on my arrival in the United States was to write them a long letter. They took it to the Mairie, and . had a very nice response from the mayor of the village, some months later. A little thing, but to these kindly, simple folk, it meant much. Arrived at Saint Nazaire, we embarked in a boat about the same size as the one on which we had come over. This time we needed no convoy, as the German wolf pack was, temporarily, a thing of the past. The boys could smoke where they would at night, lights were wide open all over the boat, and everybody was happy with the thought that war was over—for our lifetime, at least. How little we knew of the future—but we were a happy, carefree lot on that voyage home. It had been payday just before we left, and many a crap game and other game of chance was. going on all over the boat. Finally the money drifted into the hands of the few, and we did not have to turn our back any more to the process. Of the colored troops, one of the quietest, a little brown mulatto by the name of Seymour, came to me and banked in the company safe nearly a thousand dollars in French francs, which I exchanged for him on shipboard before the franc could go any lower. I asked him what he was going to do with all that money when he got out of the,army. (to be continued) a kitten in cold blood, but from the way those boys rolled ¢ 3 a ; é : 4 <7 F rd “FR * rd ro od ‘ve a a a b d > ya & ’ wy > \w fp &