St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-10-17
SOLDIERS VIEW OF WAR.
Travel Far to Meet II and 1t Waits
with Its Carnage and
PathOs.

What a rummy sort O. thing war is!
Travel thousands o. miles to find you've
got quarrel with somebody that's just
such another as yourself, writes Richard
Whiteing In THE Yellow Van in Cen
tury. Great stretches O. salt sea, an
dark nights, an winds howlin' all
around; an there you are push, push,
pushin' on to get at the man you was
fated to kill from your cradle. Good
ness! it seems like havin' row with the
next world. But there you find the quar-
rel waitin' for you. manner O. speakin'
when you land. The flags an the notices
an the music Is all the news you get OF
it at first, an it takes many mile of foot
In heel an toe, before you see an enemy's
face. An not that all at once, mind you.
AT first all you have to put up with, for
long time, is little specks, nigh mile
on: but you know they want to kill you,
an you got to kill them. Pop! pop! an
p'r'aps no one much the worse for it, but
It's rummy all the same. You feel you
could go over an ask 'em what's the
trouble an settle 1t there an then.
CLOSE quarters is the FUNNIEST Of all.
Now you see the eyes O. your man an
the color. in his cheeks, an you got to do
him, or he'll do you OF course. If he's
comm straight for you, you put OF
thinkin' about it till you've laid him out
But If you're dodgin' about. dismounted,
p'r'aps, an sparrin' for an openin', for
the life o. you, you can hardly help sing
in out, Hold on
That sort O. thing came to me one
day.. l was scoutin', advance line, over
rough country, great big stones COPIES,
they call 'em there), when from behind
one of 'em up jumps Teller not ten yards
OF. 1t was such surprise for both Of us
that We clean forgot to shoot. We just
stared each other straight in the face
almost rude, as they used to call it when
was kid. BY -, sir! we knew what
was in each others mind, without word
We'd got to kill at short notice, an we
couldn't begin for shame.
Il dropped mine; his never stirred
from the stone where it was restin'. It's
q fine day. says he, in English, fur the
time O. year.
after that, believe me, I couldn't have
let fly at him If he'd asked me to. All
could manage was: Same to you, rebel;
same to you. How are you gettin' on!'
Pretty fair he said, but could do
with bit O. fresh meat An you don
happen to have such thing as pipe
light?'
Happy to oblige,' an tossed him
box O. blazers. Take half. an kindly re-
turn balance, II you please.
How d. you pick up Twin, : said tho
rebel, when you amt at this work.
"Horses.'
".Iust my line. 'Scuse me, but you're
= trif1e too far ahead of your lot; we're
workin' round your flank
"Just then the bugle sounded for us to-
fall back.
Don't hurry he said; only keep on
your hands an knees. Creep round this
way, an I'll stand a drink.
awful stuff it was; yet, takin' one
thing with another, to0thsome, too.
"1'm Burgersdrop man. says my
mate-for that's what it had come to by
this time. II you happen to be round
that way wher this is over, look me up,
an it'll be your turn to stand treat. If
amt in, don't bother See you p'r'aps
In the next world. Anyway, pass a drop
o. water to one of our wounded, an I'll
cry quits wherever may be-
".Giye us your fist An we gripped
behind the stone. Take my oath, it was
just like sayin' prayers, kneelin' an all.
Then the bugle sang out again, an
we crept back; an that was the last Of
him.
"Rummy-like, If you come to think Of
it. But that's life, if it amt exactly war.
An 1t was war again a moment after,
for passed one or two stif uns on the
way to camp"