My bunkie is peevish, and I'm out of tune; The Capting's a grouch whenever we hike; If we don't get into this muss pretty soon, We fellers are likely to go on a strike! We signed for a scrap, not a tea or a nap, Or to wait, And to wait, And to wait-- Till it's _through!_ WE'RE ALL RIGHT HERE! What's th' meanin' of the look you see in soldiers' eyes? Some of them you thought would kick an' stall around an' howl; But just listen (if they'll talk) an' hear, to your surprise, A lot of laughs, a lot o' tales--but never once a growl! Business man and bell hop, Farmer boy and clerk; Easy-going spendthrifts, Men that have to work; Firemen and brokers, Chauffeurs still "in gear"; The army is the melting pot-- We're all right here! Desk men and road men, Men who sweep the street; Coal men and plumbers (If they have good feet); Showmen and film stars, All have mislaid fear. Funny crowd; but we should fret-- We're all right here! Keen men and dull men, Razor-edged or dumb, High-grade and low-grade, Some, plain medium; Feet upon the drill-ground, Hearts all beating high; _You_ are glad that you are here, And so, old top, _am I!_ That's the meaning of the call; ev'ry man is proud He is in the common cause, with a bunch of men Fighting for democracy, lined up with this crowd-- God! It's pretty nifty _just to be a man again!_ REPRISAL Sister Susie's sittin' knittin' Sweaters, wristlets, scarfs, an' socks; She ain't "sewin' shirts for soldiers" 'Cause she got so many knocks From th' papers 'bout her sewin'-- Now she's knittin' pounds of yarn Into things to send away.... Well, I don't care, Don't care a darn! Hasn't knit no scarf or sweater, Hasn't made no socks for me; Little brother, he can rustle For himself alone, you see! Maw is on the Help Committee, Paw is drillin' with th' Guard; Brother's soldierin'--and sister's Knittin' fast An' awful hard! No, they won't pay me no 'tention, So I'm goin' to run away, Join th' army as a--as a Bellboy, may be, without pay. Then I'll get a scarf an' sweater And some socks, soon as I go, From some _other_ feller's sister That I do not Even _know_. THE SOUL OF SERGEANT TODD "I wasn't so much of a soldier," said the soul of Sergeant Todd, (Fumbling at his medal, that statement sounded odd.) "I wasn't so much of a fighter, but when they came, and came, Yelling and shooting, I just got mad, and I reckon I did the same. Into my trench they piled--just boys-- Making a most outlandish noise." A Corporal's soul beside him nodded and mustered a smile: "You handled a dozen at once," he said; "they didn't come single file. If you wasn't 'much of a soldier,' or shirked in your duty--well, say, What sort of a chance have other men got when tested on Judgment Day? You fought them all, you did; and when They quit, you started in again!"