Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-19

IL was during the furious attacks OF
Ypres Hundreds of thousands of Ger
mans met hundreds of thousands Of
French. English and Belgtans: tens oil
thousands of men in both armies were
killed or mutiiated. and there wa:
nothing gained or lost Whatever oil
! romance there may have been In wal
during past ages was denied those who
participated IN this latter day strug
gle The leader, instead of waving his
sword and calling on his men To fol
low him. either marched dogGedly
against the machinery of death that
had been perfected under the tnfu-
ence OF developed civilization or
stood waiting to be cut down by the
same marvellous coDtrivances.
Curious, is it not that the same In
genuity which produced the printing
press brought forth the rapid fire gun
For weeks Lieutenant Adolpb Tire
Iawney. a young Englishman who had
left home to enter the great contest
as a soldier, faced death, not in bat
tie, but in a succession of battles, the
one following the other in rapid sue
cession. 1t had become simply an &C
| tive waiting for death. Why the bolts
had not already taken him be did not
| know.
There was one reason why Trelaw-
ney did not cling to life with the te-
nacity of other men The younger son
of a British peer. a match had been
made for him with a girl Of bis own
social standing. He had but just re-
turned from the honeymoon when the
war broke out. At the same time
secret had been impaired to him. A
woman who had wanted but had lost
him took revenge upon him by telling
him that his bride, at the instigation
OF her parents, had broken With a man
whom she loved to marry him.
Trelawney was In London at the
time, and. holding a commission in the
army. he Joined his regiment without
seeing his bride before leaving for
France. Several weeks passed, dur
ing which the letters he received from
her were all that husband could wish.
But they were turned to bitterness by
the belief that they were forgeries of
feeling. The young officer glanced
through them, then tore them into bits.
After one of the unsuccessful at
tempts of the Germans to break the
British lines a force sailed forth In
pursuit. 4 number of jackies from
the feet had been landed and took part
in the fight. occupying a position on
the flank of Trelawney's regiment
The enemy were followed for awhile;
then they turned and drove back the
allies 1t was during this struggle
that the missile fate had prepared for
1relawney struck him. He was left
on a field where neither allies nor Ger
mans could give him succor, for by
this time both sides were back in their
trenches and any one standing on the
field would be target for a thousand
rifles.
Trelawney was knocked senseless.
When he came TO himself he lay ina
pool of his own blood. His head rested
on the dead body of a sergeant of his
regiment. and a leg of a nridshipman
was thrown over his own person. His !
head being thus raised. the lieutenant |
could see the heaps of dead and dying |
about him. They reminded him of |
swaths OF grain that had been cut by |
a scythe.
Feeling something tickling the back
of his hand. he looked and saw an
ant crawling over it
"Singularr' he muttered This in
sect with a brain to plan. inba biting
the same world as humans, but far
different sphere, is no more concerned |
In this death storm which has passed
over it than that dead leaf blown along
by the wind"
The leg OF the midshipman was bur
1ensome. and Trelawney made a move
20 get rid of it. He was una bic to do
50. but his effort brought a low moan
from the sailor. Then be opened his
eyes and looked TreiGwney in the
ACE.
Where are you hit?' asked Trelaw-
ley.
The sailor put his hand to his right
iide. =
Luckily it's not the left You'll prob
lbly come out ali right. 1 think I'm :
lone for"
The two lay there near each other
or period which seemed to both in
The midshipman held his
wn while the lieutenant grew weaker {
Il say" said the latter, I'm Ireiaw-
icy of the -th infantry. If vou get I
mt OF this and back TO England lind
ny wife and tell her about me / shall
robably be burned. and she won't (
now what has become of me- You f
an say positively that Tn dead for y
know shall be dead pretty soon I
nd say that if there is any man who 5
ill make her happy rs her husband g
is my wish that she marry him with Il
ut waiting for proof that she is
'idow" Il
IN do II If ! get back" was the re- Il
~. but neither of us will do that" d
This brief dialogue was spoken with b
iiiculty. especially by Treiawney Il
fter the midshipman had made the IL
-omise. with much effort he raised II
mself on an elbow TO get view of a
lie surroundings.
There's q truce" be said THEY'RE n