The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-05-25
KlcHIkEs AND TIE MAJ

y FRANK FILsos.

N'~@~lF1N 49,
LAauasnas RyerDffs trn szEr-s
enrs cs aastSs wzB &C Et1se1a1r'-4 tssz4
fgr q few EzEtes - fcrD% ~ -
asrx16 Hs Lag EESz 1.s Lace sFt ~
ths Little rfEsSter mhtr1 - 1sd 1zE
wfth has swar1. wsatAng acr E1s cszz
mznd ID exxrgs- On e1shsr ES1e ct
kinA b. cpua1 See his arAG Ndrg 10T1-
zaAD rxaa4nx @r1 ndsnstAzg SNe lsE1r
snASzn sf tAesr rA@eE
se WzE sYt1g zna1c . Sa11emcnt
Ill re npAE@A Ths hs&Fy s1aslls from
she xn1s rlGr@1 pTsr Asn i1ceasazzaT-
Manzssd wszn t1eAe scszn1s came tn1r
81 the smzilsF artillery 1sfyiHg
Errsexh ghax sst his seesh CT a1ss-
An6 ~t1h skess. but ble1Elzg - j
Wess. pza f5e ho0t n rte 1uibesE
now orsrAezd. z1E soE besl1e Eiza.
o,eessscnslsy vzrse,1 viii = Eyurz q
1ust "a . hulssr struek TIE ground
Ryfrufr. besng Al Imaginative BOT,
lad zntdEl rzesd ths stRnnizg horT1rE
q hzztle. he knew that i EoGA rs
qrtfs ali 4 HAAS Fssolst5o1 70 face
fhera Etnl. be ezz1s ot . military
fzrnisT. and he rad bellsTsd that
pkez ria tlr3s Gaze. he Eoni1 Lot b
grOFe1 rzztizx
Bet thsa zesEzl exrer1encs Ese zzDrs
Terrifying fhsa anything he had eFer
oonceirsd "A he Izy there- helsasss
t0nsesouz that Ese1 we're boxing 70
hfzn fOr lez6erzhiD. be felt his blood
turning % wztsr- He vas shaking,
be fsst TIE sweat stream cOE1 hiF
. fzce.
He had imagined battle q men.
bst this Ezs battle d Ezchines-
X vas machines that we're Toniting
CIT fhzl hail Of bullets. that fgry Ot
shells. Machines, whleh had caught
him n their internal snare and we're
bent on his dessraction- And the eD-
suy xss not anywhere IN sight
s16denly q shrill Ehiktls blew. II
vas the signal for the attack Ry-
croft lsaped 10 hig feet. with the az
tOmztism born Of his camp training.
The nsn had sprung up On either eide
q. him The hoot Of the bullets vas
terrible Il seemed miracle that be
had escaped thus far.
He saw men begin to drop on either
side The sergeant, NEXT TO him, flung
Up his rife, spun round, and collapsed
upon his face. Stories began to recEr
to the lieutenants mind. He had heard
that men always spun round that
way when shot through the brain. lie
saw the blood uEcE rAe sergeanrs
head
His knees would hardly bear him.
\ He heard his voice shouting com
mands TO his men, and did not rscog
4 nszs 1t for his own, or know how 1t
Issued from his lips. He did not
\ know what be mas saying, and list,
ened for the words Forward, boysl
he was shouting.
He halted and crouched low. The
line had swept into an exposed angle
among the trees, and all the fire Of
1 the enemy was concentrated here. i
was hard to go forward. was becon
4 ing impossible. The men were lyins
Il iown again, kneeling. firing. The fig
ares Of the officers and ncncomf
1 we're seen, urging them TO rise. Bui
| every man who stood upon his feet
| wfthered under that internal bullei
stream. Rycroft saw the captain &c
/ down. The machines were winninf
the victory.
And a sitting rage against this des
4 tiny rose ia his heart and choked hif
throat. He sprang to his feet and
shook his fist In the direction OF ths
cannon.
Forward, boys," he screamed. thii
time with intent and not automatical
ly. He began TO run forward, his
knees quite steady now.
He heard the whole line rise to itf
feet and follow him. He realized thai
his anger had communicated itself tc
his followers. The same spirit hae
] seized upon the entire company. and
gDread from company to company
throughout the regiment
Az he ran he began to see the en-
envy for the first time He saw long
lines of figures leap from theii
trenches 10 Itpei tnS db-o~h@ @-N "~
became aware, too, that the shells
had ceased. The lines were too close
together, and the hostile gunners
could fire no longer for fear Of hurt
Ing their own melI
Tt vas bullet against bayonet now.
Il was bayonet against bayonet The
attackers were upon the trenches OF
the enemy. The machines had ceased
10 act It was the men behind the
machines now. and these we're pow
srless.
Suddenly Rycroft realized that He
saw that the same moral force and
will-power were there, as on the foot
BAH field, as at Crecy and Waterloo.
The machine was, by itself. an Inn
potent, dead thing. 1t was only the
man that counted.
He was mixed with the melee. He
was in the heart of the stabbing as
sault Bayonet crossed bayonet. lie