El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-09-22
The HeralRs
Daily Short StOry

I alone without money or food, 1t makes
my blood boil While / stand mere
Of no earthly use to anybody, she Is
perhaps starving to death at home
and when I think that j am not "a
come home until am crippled or SICK
then I wish / had those men here who
are responsible for this foolish war
I would like to see them freeze 70
death IN this hole and suffer as l nave
suffered"
He sobbed like a child, and we all
gathered around him, listening to MS
curses against the authorities. sud
denly we heard a loud brutal voice
What the devil is going on here? Corr
poral what Is the matter with Inal
MANI
1T is Jacob. captain. He is sick.7
sick! He is drunk When We ger
back, you viii see that he gets IS
hours in the guard house"
Jacob got his 4S hours, and when
he came out he was paler and more
melancholy than before.
In the meantime frost mad set IN,
1t was the beginning or the dreadIol
winter which those who lived throus q
It shall never forget. In spite OF the
roaring fire in the big fireplace OF our
quarters, We shiVsFed with cold Wnere
we lay on the floor, trying IN VAIN 70
sleep. Jacob was next TO me. ana
I could hear his teeth chatter ana deel
his thin body tremble under the ragged
blanket
The day before Christmas snow COW
cred the whole plain around WITTY
and as ft was our day Of rest We
promised ourselves to spend Christmas
eve around the blazing fire our COOK
haF got hold Of some flour ana prom
ised US pancakes. About O'CLOCK We
were Ia full activity, making the bat
ter smoking our pipes, when the ser
geant entered the room Every body IS
to pack his haversack and be ready
10 10 minutes; all posts are TO be Gov
cred. orders from the general IN
We growIed and cursed, but 'obeyed
orders because there was nothing else
to do. We packed up in hurry, leaV-
ing the batter in front OF the coy IRE,
and went out into the cold. Ranks
were quickly formed and in the dark
night we stumbled along across the
snow covered plain. 1t was no longer
showing the sky soon became quite
clear and IT. was olting colo. " men ~. ~
got near the fort the sentrles were
posted and the rest Of the battalion
sought shelter I'm a wooden shed can
still see the place the Recovered, ST.
lent river, the starlit sky and the men
huddled together in dense mass az
the door Of the shed. On me edge OF
a boat, frozen up in the ice, sat a
sailor from Brittany all by nlInselL
singing a melancholy tune, mere "es
something indescribably hopeless IN
this air In the silent Christmas night
Jacob was even more sad and silent
than usual AS an addition TO his pun
lsDulenL OF ac 4o4I6 ne AAa4 DCGAA 6-tl--
four hours sentry duty, ana II was ms
turn Towards midnight the corporal
called for number eight. II was Jacobs
number He Obeyed without blinking
and was posted far out in hole dug
20 or 80 PAGES outside the trenches.
''BrFrrI said the corporal and sWal-
lowed a glass Of rum 1T IS rotten
night for the sentries."
The sun arose Christmas morning IN
a mass Of pink clouds. The white
plains put on a lilac cOlored hue and
looked wonderfully beautiful The
reveIIle was sounded In camp, the artil-
lery men In the fort stood up and
stamped their feet. The men brought
water from the Seine and we saw them
return bent under the weight OF the
heavy buckets. In spite Of the bit
terly cold night and our melancholy
thoughts there was something bracing
about this awakening TO the sunshine.
A cannon roared from Bucetre and
a shell screamed through the air above
our heads. Our bugler blew his horn,
which rang out clearly in the crisp
air. Assembly, The whole battalion
lined UP in two ranks along the
trenches and our names were called,
When the turn came to our squad and
the corporal called Jacob" no one an
swered. Jacob" the captain repeated,
furious. Then first did we discover
in his hole" the corporal suggested.
We ran out there. The corporal was
right He was IN the hole; his face
was blue, his eyes were closed and he
was clutching his rife, which was COW
cred with hosrfrost
Poor Jacob had frozen to death az
his post