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Hello!
I just thought that I'd share this account in a book that I'm reading. It's about a practical joke played on one unsuspecting soldier by his buddies. The account is by Pvt. John A. Potter of the 101st Ill. Inf.
One thought...by scouring, does he mean cleaning his gun?
I just thought that I'd share this account in a book that I'm reading. It's about a practical joke played on one unsuspecting soldier by his buddies. The account is by Pvt. John A. Potter of the 101st Ill. Inf.
We had in our mess a man who went by the name of Bob who had in inordinate taste for sweet things. He never could get enough sugar. The army ration was entirely inadequate for his need, hence he was begging, buying or stealing it almost continually. In one of our camping places was found a variety of sand, a good facsimile of the sugar of those times. Jule, another messmate, brought a tin cup full of it and placed it on our humble board at dinner, all being in the secret except Bob, for whom it was designed. He poured out his coffee, and, with a large table spoon, he made a dive into the supposed sugar. One heaping spoonful was energetically stirred in, when he tasted, but it was not sweet. The second and third spoon, fuller than before, found their way into the smoking beverage, when, thinking it very strange it did not sweeten, he took a pinch, in thumb and finger, and inserted it in his opening maw, when he began to spit and sputter to eject it from his mouth. Then Jule, in great indignation, remarked: "Bob, you great hog, I brought that sand up to scour my gun, and you have nearly wasted it all trying to sweeten your coffee with it." Bob innocently remarked he was very sorry; he thought it was sugar, when all the boys roared with laughter.
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