The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-01-04

mightily--hence the enticing Of the artillery
man into poker
"You gunners and the engineers, COM
planned Morton as the four men squatted in
the darkness, are the only ones getting any
fun out of this business. "
No one seemed moved to reply, and Nor
ton pounded one stone against another with
the careless noisiness Of boy.
And it's all the fault Of your guns, "
Morton burst out, dropping the stones
"Those engineers work like navvies, and
get the parallels out far enough SO we can
crawl UP bit and then bang go your
guns, and their guns bang back, and we
crawlin our holes again. Oh its greatl"
Through the decreasing sounds of the
eneny's shells outside Thatcher could be
heard uncoiling his long limbs.
I'm ten DAYS more" he announced, in his
usual even tones, "well have shelled you
fellowsinto Platburg Youwont even have
to fight your way in;'
Morton snortcd with disgust as he poked
his head out to see il the sna 'hing Of shells
had ceased. Na
ways clear" he announced, then as the
other men followed him, he continued
that's Just it; you'll fix it so We can 60 in
without fight and call that warl You
might just as we'll play chess with emil"
To which Thatcher vouchsafed nothing
but superior expression, not even deigning
to notice the fraternal winks Of the Maxims
crew.
AS the men crawled into the bright sun
light, they could see the rest Of the army
going through the same ant-like perform
ancc Morton slipped into the lines Of the
infantry trenches while Thatcher stalkcd
off to the pits where his battery lay.
"Just to fool you people, Morton yelled
after him, "Td like to pull off some wooden
horse trick"
Morton's binoculars swept over the un-
varying aspect Of the debated ground. He
saw the yellow lines Of their own trenches,
dth. fresh "zg-zags' which the engineers
;sri I'sivcn during the night. Before them
stretched broad, fertile plain, which the
cautious enemy had burned clear of stand
ing grain and cover of all sorts. Three
thousand yards away rose the sharp bluff on
whose summit scowled the sturdy little
town, the face Of the bluff SCARED with rifle
pits and dotted with little spots which Nor
ton knew were the posts which supported
the acknowledgements. Back of the bluff,
curving around to meet the sweep of the be-
sieping trenches, Morton knew, was the
arm OF the lake which had enabled the
attacking force to bottle the defenders in
the circle.
Thatchers battery went into action to
his left with sudden roar, and Mortons
glasses followed the curving flight Of the
shells, and marked the accurate bursting of
the shrapnel. He saw the tell-talc rings Of
Blue smoke and knew that the enemy's in
fantry was scattering as he and his compan-
ions had done few moments before, but
, that, when the bombardment stopped, they,
too, would come back.
With grunt Of dissatisfaction he swung
his glasses farther to the right, where the
, nicely ballasted road-bed of the single line
OF railroad ruled off the horizon. Hestudied
il for minute or two, dropped his glasses,
} sworc under his breath, aud looked again
with his neck bent sharply forward. Then
! he put the glasses very slowly into their case
; and slapped his leg three times
"A wooden horse!" he murmured in
tones that jumped; "by Georgel wooden
r horse
| A glance at the landscape and at the
: sprawing, somnoent figures Of his own men
/ assured him that he might move in safety,
and he crawled cautiously to where Thatch-
. ers battery had fallen silent. He found
Thatcher, covered with oil and powder
, stains, working at an elevating-screw with a
: wrench
"I'vc got proposition tc make to you,
he announced.
Thatcher went on with his work. What
: is it?" he inquired listlessly, between jerk,
at the wrench.
Morton sat down on the tail-piece Of a
, gunand deliberately lighted his pipe.
"I'll bet YOU that four hundred he said
that Ieat dinner in Platburg within three
, days--not to count unless you see me dc
it."
Thatcher finished his work and turned
around.
you're crazy he said, wiping hi:
hands on his trousers. "I.said Id get YOU
in in ten days. | won't. Our ammuni'
tons running low"
, "lAll the better responded Mortos
checrfully "And I'm not crazy. | think
can doit It's just plain, sporting prop
| osition, William, with none OF the draw
, backs OF poker, at which | am your master
/, Want to cover?"
: "Oh, all right" replied Thatcher, tone
!. lessly, with sour glance at the small pile o
1 blue cases which marked the limit OF hi
: battery usefulness.
r They shook hands, then Morton added
y IL. ...ftL Lat