IN FRANCE

Grey River Argus, 27 August 1917, Page 4

IN FRANCE

ARRIVAL OF THE AMERICAN TROOPS. America's troops are already at homo on French soil. One hour after they had landed from the transports they had some tents pitched The ' Y.M.O.A. shelter was- in operation; with fifty American khaki-clad warriors writing . home 'about their safe trip, while an American phonograph ground out the music "Home Sweet Home" - . . • All of the American troops who have so far ' arrived are now landed in camp. Army officers of the ! United States contingent, no less than of the French and British armies, expressed the liveliest satisfaction at the . businesslike fashion in which the •undertaking of disembarking the . , tT oops was accomplished, j : The moment the first- transport j was sighted . the army V.M.C.A. hur.riodly put up a tent — on the very dock ofl! which the men later, landed. There Iv/cie chairs and tables and writing | ■paper and pens — and! water. It was a ! popular place instantly. [| The Americans hurried to "got ac- ' jquainted" just as • soon ■as the detachments were dismissed ashore. One bronzed Clevelander, a new recruit, accosted a . Gorman prisoner working in the streets. The "enemy prisoners '.' had - been watching the landing with farseeing eyes. The Cleveland boy spoke a few brief phrases to him. 111 German. ' ■ . . "You're an American," the German responded. ' ' You 're not coming here to fight greasers now. You'll find this is different." And he went up the street. A big husky American negro, one of the stevedores on the transport fleet, and an enlisted worker, thought he had found a friend when he espiedT the black face of a French colonial. He went up immediately, his face parted in a smile of greeting, and spouting away how "glad he was to 'so another nigger." But the French colonial who spoke j only French,, didn't understand the dusky, and voluble person who had accosted him. He muttered a few phrases in French, looked a little ■ frightened and tried to slip by. "That's the ignorantest nigger i ever saw in my life," disgustedly remarked the American negro to a solIdier passing by. This port city turned out en masse | to greet and cheer the Americans.