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24 to appear reluctant about getting into real combat service. I merely wished to assure him that I really wanted to go to France and hoped he would see fit to send me. He said grumpily that he would consider it, and the interview was over. Next day the list was made known and my name was included. I learned later that Guthrie had made a similar request; that Sands had not only consented to send Guthrie, but had discussed with him the choice of the others. Guthrie had used his influence to get Thompson, Adams, Price, Jones and me on the list. At a general assembly of the camp Colonel Slocum addressed us. He bade us farewell in a very agreeable way, commending us for having endured so well the hard training to which we had been subjected. He said it had deliberately been made rigorous, in order to weed out the weaklings. He contrasted our group with the average body of regular army recruits and said that no officer, in his opinion had ever commanded a finer regiment- From what I saw later of the enlisted men in the regular army, I know that I must have been a pleasure to handle a group like ours. We were dismissed with ten days' leave Our groups of six made arrangements to go to New York together, and I went home to Ashland City. I had a financial problem to meet. I had little money, and none of the equipment necessary for an officer. I did not know what my expenses would be overseas or how regularly I would be paid. I therefore had to face a difficulty similar to that of the three musketeers when they were ordered