The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-09-08

was IullIe- Duty would SEND OJner
men to the firing line: duty would
force him to mix dough while they
battled.
At dawn the German guns opened
fire, grumbling like tired sleeper
awakened too early; then for the first
time In weeks of active campaigning,
Stephen saw a real battle begin. The
commissary wagons were back of
ridge hardly a half mile behind the
line of rife pits. and from the top of
the hill he could see the whole battle
field in the bend of the river
The infantry swarmed into the
trenches, each man working diligently
with his bayonet to "dig himself in
deeper. using planks, branches of
trees, or any other material at hand to
construct overhead coverings as a pro-
lection from shrapnel. group of
staff officers galloped the length of the
lines, then the English batteries went
into action, firing at regular intervals
as they tried out the range.
The cannonading swelled to a
steady pulsing roar that answered the
throb of German howitzers masked in
the hills beyond the river and soon
the black squirt of smoke from high
explosive shells mingled with the
white cotton balls of bursting shrap-
mel
All morning Stephen watched the
Germans attempting to- force their
way across the river
He paused in his work to see an
English battery knock a pontoon
bridge to pieces, and marveled when
the Germans went doggedly to work
to rebuild it, while their guns conceu-
trated a deadly fire on the pieces
which had caused the damage
From both sides he heard the throb-
bling of cannon and'the smashing rifle
volleys-like the sound of hail on a
glass skylight. For miles up and
down the river the battle was in prog
ress, and at every point the German
onslaught was equally determined.
The pontoon bridge was completed
again, and ghost-gray thousands
poured over it.
Cavalry battalions swan their
horses across the stream, and under
kaiser's legions massed themselves
for an attack.
They waited while their artillery
drenched the English position with
shrapnel, then surged out from under
cover in gray hordes. and with a rip
like the tearing of tough cloth, the in
fantry cut loose, the racket swelled by
the wicked snarl of machine-guns
which were spraying the advancing
| lines with steel-jacketed bullets
Into the little village, now deserted
by it's inhabitants, poured a German
column; and as the English shells
pumped down among the houses, thin
plumes of smoke-which thickened
dozen points. But the Germans did
not hesitate.
Through the burning town they
swept, while other columns advanced
on each side, and across the river the
living stream still flowed.
In the fields the solid masses spread
out fanwise and charged up the slope
| toward the trenches. Now they were
at the foot of the hill. and Stephen
could no longer see the ones directly
In front ofNwhere he stood; but on
each side he had good view of their
| onward rush, little flashes of light
! glinting from bayonets fixed for the
charge.
| toll
The ground the Germans passed
over was carpeted with writhing or
motionless figures; but ever they
closed their ranks and went on. The
attack seemed irresistible-their num-
bers hardly diminished
Halfway up the hill the Germans
faltered as an enfilading battery
plowed red burrows through their
ranks; but it was only for moment;
then they pulled themselves together
and surged upward. At the edge of
the hill Stephen saw the English clam
bering out of the trenches and heard
the final volleys that withered the
charging host and, above the thudding
of cannon and the splitting rattle of
rifles, the deep shout of the infantry
as they met steel with steel.
Back down the slope rolled the red
line of battlei
Stephen caught the imperative call
of bugles commanding the English 70
retire to the trenches and watched the
Germans reform and again storm for
ward to the attack, only to be flung
back. A third time they hurled them
selves upon the English, but this time
they were more quickly checked
Another battery had been brought
into position and the gray forces broke
halfway up the hill-broke and re-
coiled in confusion.
yell of victory arose; caps waved
from the British lines, then again the
men burrowed in the holes they had
dug as the storm of shrapnel was re-
sumed
Stephen swung his hat and eheered
too; but secretly he was afiame with
revolt because he could not take an
active part in the fighting. A great,
possibly a decisive, battle was on,
and he was mere spectator.
He realized he should be mixing
dough, for the men in the trenches
would be hungry. They must be fed
SO they could fight again
But even as he turned back to take
up his work there came a shout Men
were running about among the
wagons, horses were being harnessed;
already some of the vehicles were
moving away
For moment Stephen stared be-
wildered; then, after glance toward
the west, he. too. broke into run.
Stephens driver was backing the
traces when he arrived. and started
the team with shout and a swing of
his whip as his comrade leaped to the
| seat of the big oven. The crest of
hill to the west was swarming with