Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-02-07

beloved to them: Look pleasant,
please" We moved slowly on down
the road. The Japanese shells were
falling on both sides of us, but al
good distance showing plainly that
while the Japanese we're trying to
hunt it out they hadn't found it yet.
We dismounted at point directly
in the rear and about three-quarters
of mile from the village. Then we
advanced on foot, because our horses
would have put us too high in the air,
and in travelling over the field to the
village it was better to keep dom as
low as possible. Over to our LETT a
Russian battery was firing over the
village at the Japanese. Sometimes
1t sent shells between us and the viii
lage. The battery was a little wild.
Twice as we neared the village its
shells, instead of being sent well
overhead, as they should have been,
went blowing along the ground. 1
was more afraid of this battery than
| was of the whole Japanese army.
The Finnish captain swore fiuently
in five languages when one sharpnel
flew over us so close that the wind OF
ii carried our hats off.
The captain turned toward the bat
terry and waved his arms like a wind
mill. Then he bawled choice ex-
pressions in Finnish. Russian, ter
man, French and Scandinavian. We
stood waiting as patiently as possible
for him to get through. Bullets were
pecking us busily all around. PER
sonally | was in favor of proceeding
on our way. Finally bulla plucked
the captain by the coattails and said
it might be as well to continue and to
speak to the battery commander
after we got back SO We went on.
Il did that battery commanoer re-
buke in the scathing language" said
the Finnish captain. Il made his
blood to run cold. He will be the
more careful in the future"
"Zee-wow!"
A shell from the battery plowed
the finest furrow | ever saw straight
across our path. The Finnish cap
tain grew purple In the lace. Only
the earnest pleadings of Bulla Kept
him from runnin over to the battery
| and seeking personal satisfaction
from the commander Hal" shouted
the outraged captain, Il will slap MIN
| on the nose with my glove. WIN
run him through with my sword; !.
1 81 hn1 in hn oil nd mel 4,
him to earth! | will fight him. | VIII
fight him with pistols. with the
broadswords, with his own cannon /
will fight him the duel. Dog, outcast,
pig, hunchuse. robber, murderer, as
sasin that he isl" Me Gained the
Finnish captain and went on. Shells
were bursting in the town ahead of
us and yet 1t seemed like haven OF
refuge compared to being out In that
field with the Japanese on one s..-.
and that crazy battery on the other.
We came up behind the Town where
three or four companies were snug.
gled against what several days OF
sharpnel cross-fire had left of mud
wall, A row OF dead men fiat on
their backs and staring wide-eyed
into the sky, lay few yards away il,
the field A little group of wounded
men were huddled together by the
wall and couple of soldiers were
clumsily tying up their wounds. Col
Lesh was in a little house not Tar
away, | was told Other officers
whom ! asked for were at the other
end Of the town with their men Then
asked for Nicholas didn't know
his other name. He was one III re
finest young fellows had ever met
hrimful and running over with fur
and as brave as a lion. | didn't Know
his other name because II was some
terrible unpronounceable affair with
a ski at the end To me he was
always Nicholas. He spoke ealy a
little nEglish, but in some way we
used to get along and were the best
of friends. He loved Kipling. Al
though he couldn't unde, stano my
renditions of all the bits of Kiplins' ;
poetry could remember until some
officer would translate them into
Russian He would trv to learn
some of the lines that he especially
liked | quoted IL one day ana Nfco-
las liked Is so much that ne vas al
ways repeating IL afterward. II was:
Soldier. soldier, come IRON tho
war.
Did aught take harm TO my true
loveq
Els yin' on the dead with bullet
through his head.
An you'd best TO look for new
love"
Whenever | thought OF Nicolas ms
couplet kept running through my
head. II was only With an effort that
| finally asked an officer. Where IA
| Nicolas?'
Nicolas. All. you will find him
just the other side OF the wall. be-
hind the shrine"
| Then he was all right / must see
him and congratulate him on getting
his much-hoped.for ST. Georges cross.
stumbled over figure lying under
not In sight I went behind the shrine