The War Romance of the Salvation ArmyHill, Grace Livingston
History
The War Romance of the Salvation Army
Hill, Grace Livingston
World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Salvation Army
She was tired and the boy looked eager, so she decided to accept his
offer. He was very insistent that she go away and rest, so she slipped
in behind a screen to lie down, but peeped out to watch how he was
getting on. She saw him turn over the first doughnuts all right and
drain them, but he almost burned his fingers trying to eat one before
it was fairly out of the fat; and then she understood why he had been
so anxious for her to “_go away_” and rest.
Often the boys would come to the lassies and say: “Say, Cap, I can help
you. Loan me an apron.” And soon they would be all flour from their
chin to their toes.
They would come about four o’clock to find out what time the doughnuts
would be ready for serving, and the girls usually said six o’clock so
that they would be able to fry enough to supply all the regiment. But
the men would start to line up at half-past four, knowing that they
could not be served until six, so eager were they for these delicacies.
When six o’clock came each man would get three doughnuts and a cup of
delicious coffee or chocolate. A great many doughnut cutters were worn
out as the days went by and the boys frequently had to get a new cutter
made. Sometimes they would take the top of quite a large-sized can or
anything tin that they could lay hands on from which to make it. One
boy found the top of an extra large sized baking powder tin and took it
to have a smaller cutter soldered in the centre. Sometimes they used
the top of the shaving soap box for this. When he got back to the hut
the cook exclaimed in dismay: “Why, but it’s too big!”
“Oh, that’s all right,” said the doughboy nonchalantly.
“That’ll be all the better for us. We’ll get more doughnut. You always
give us three anyway, you know. The size don’t count.”
They were always scheming to get more pie and more doughnuts and would
stand in line for hours for a second helping. One day the Salvation
Army woman grew indignant over a noticeably red-headed boy who had had
three helpings and was lining up for a fourth. She stood majestically
at the head of the line and pointed straight at him: “You! With the red
head down there! Get out of the line!”
“She’s got my number all right!” said the red-headed one, grinning
sheepishly as he dropped back.
The town of Raulecourt was often shelled, but one morning just before
daybreak the enemy started in to shell it in earnest. Word came that
the girls had better leave as it was very dangerous to remain, but the
girls thought otherwise and refused to leave. One might have thought
they considered that they were real soldiers, and the fate of the day
depended upon them. And perhaps more depended upon them than they knew.
However that was they stayed, having been through such experiences
before. For the older woman, however, it was a first experience. She
took it calmly enough, going about her business as if she, too, were an
old soldier.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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