Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1915-01-27

4 voice.
The colonel Of the 12Sth had not
| looked for immediate resistance. He
had told Fracasse's men to occupy the
knoll expeditiOusly. But by the com.
mon impulse OF military training. no
less than in answer to the whistles
call. In face of the whitening fire they
dropped to earth at the base OF a
knoll. where Hugo threw himself
down at full length In his place In line
next to Peterkin.
Fire pOintblank at the crest in
front or you! I saw a couple OF men
standing up there!" called Fracasse.
Fire last! That's the way to keep
down their fire-pointblank, tell you,
You're firing into the sky / want to
see more dust kicked up. Fire fast!
Wen have them out OF there soon!
They're only an outpost"
Hugo was firing vaguely, like a man
In a dream. Pilzer was shooting to
Kill. His eye had the steely CLEAN
OF his rife sight and the liver patch
on his cheek was a deeper hue as he
sought to avenge Eugene's death.
Drowned by the racket of their own
fire. not even Peterkin was hearing
the whish-whish OF the bullets from
Dellarme's company now. He did not
know het the blacksmith's son, who
was the fourth man from him, lay with
his chin on his rifle stock and q tiny
trickle of blood from n hole IL his
forehead running down the bridge OF
his nose
Young Deiiarme. new to his cap
tain's rank. watching the plain
through his glasses, saw the move
ment Of mounted officers to the rear
OF the 128th as "a reason for summon
ing his men.
Creep up! Don't show yourselves!
creep up carefully-carefully! he
Kept repeating as they crawled for
ward on their stomachs And no one
Is to lire until the command comes"
Hugging the cover of the ridge OF
fresh earth which they had thrown up
the previous night. they watched the
white posts. Stransky, who had been
ruminatfvely silent all the morning.
was i'm his place. but he was not look
ing at the enemy. Cautiously, to avoid
repfmanh. he raised his head to en-
able him to glance along the line. All
the faces seemed drawn and clayish.
They don't want to fight. They're
Just here because they're ordered here
and haven't the character to defy au-
thority," he thought 1.-The leaven is
working! Ny time is comine."
For Deliarme the minute had come
when all his trimming was to be put to
test. The figures on the other side of
tho white posts were rising. He was to
prove by Gae way he directed a COM
pany of infantry in action whether or
not he was worthy Of his captains
rank. He smiled cheeriIy In order
that he might watch how each man
used his rifle. he drew back OF the line.
hts slim body erect as he rested on
one knee. his head level with the
other heads while he fingered his
whistle. The instant that Eugene
Aronson spraag over the white post
a blast from the whistle began the
war.
1t was signal. too for Stransky
to play the part he had planned; to
make the speech of his life. His six
feet of stature shot to its feet with
a 5ackin-the-box abruptness, under
the impulse of a mighty and reckless
passion.
Men, stop firing!" he howled thun-
derousiV. Stop firing on your broth
ers! Like you, they are only the
rdtwns or the ruling clasa, who keep
as all pawns ia order that they may
nave champagne and caviare. Com
rades. It'll lead you, Comrades. wen
take white flag and go down to meet
our comrades and wen find that they
think as we do! I'll lead youi"
The appeal was drowned in the
cracking OF the rifles working as regu-
larry as neutrality-suspicious. in a fac
eoTy. Every soldier was seeing only
his sight and the running figures un-
der 1t. Mechanically and autnmatical
H. training had been projected into
action. anticipation into realization. A
spectator might AS well have called to
a man in hundred-yard dash TO stou
running, To an Oarsman In a race to
fump OUT OF his shell.
The company sergeant sprang for
Stransky with an oath Bot Stransky
Was In no mood to submit He felled
tho sergeant with blow and. reck
iessiy defiant. stared at DeIIarrne
while the men. steadily firing. were
still obiiVIOus OF the scene. The SER
geant stunned, rose to his knees and
reached for his revolver. Dellarme.
bent over TO keep his head below the
crest. had already drawn his az he
FASTENED toward them.
viii YOU get DOWN. VIII you take
your place with your rine?" demanded
DelLrme
Stransky laughed thunderously in
soorn. lie was handsome. titanic. and
barbara. with his huge shoulders
stretching his blouse. which fell looso.