Evening journal., 1915-03-19

outlets OF the enemy.
We marched a few miles more that
afternoon and at last found ourselves
in deserted little town. Our path
had been strewn with relics. French
caps, French knapsacks, broken
French rifles. French graves 1 found
myself wondering why we saw no
German relics. ] began to under
stand what evil things could happen
TO us as well as to the Germans. We
were going to kill Germans. but in the
meantime what were they going 20
do 70 us? / was an average man,
straight from the sidewalks of Frisco.
and what was happening TO my mind
could have happened TO the mind of
any man ! know. We could hear
shooting now: distant rumbing. Our
nerves were strung tense.
Were to cross the canal on the lit
tie bridge and go to the farmhouse"
said an orderly. But you must cross
the bridge one at a time so you don't
draw the German fire."
There were thirty-two of us in my
party / was the third to cross the
bridge As ! ran I could hardly be-
lieve that I, from orderly San Fran
cisco, was running from bullets: was
running from being killed; that was
this man who was entering war.
In the farmyard we found grave
marked by a wooden cross. II was
next 10 the dung heap, but, on the
cross had been marked the name
"Jooch Heinemann,' and other let
tering bore the praise of French SOL
diers for the bravery Of the German
lieutenant who rested here
As We stood there we heard a ter
rife whistling in the air; a huge shell
hit the earth behind us.
Suddenly all fortitude departed. On
the march no one of us would have
admitted to another that he would ever
run. But now, with one accord. we
were all willing and anxious 10 run
somewhere.
Let's go over to the barn." several
shouted
We started for il when we heard
another whistling, and the old barn
was broken into huge splinters before
our eyes.
Where do you fellows want to 60
top the words came fran a little SER
geant who came up behind us. He
didn't seem the least excited. He was
accustomed to shell fire.
We told him we were heading for
the barn. you're right he said.
"Shells never strike twice I'm the same
place Always go where the last shell
hit and youll be safe"
At last they got us into another
barn in a nearby town and told us
we could sleep there. Every now and
then, in the town. we heard what we
thought we're rifle explosions. We
thought these sounds came from the
French sharpshOoters in the house
Later we learned they were German
explosive bullets.
We piled into the barn and were
soon asleep. But, in the morning
two of us were dead from bullets
which had come through crevices
during the night We didn't have
TO bury them, we were told that
other men would take care of that
part.
/ think It all dawned on us then
how valueless a dead body is, wheth-
er its your own or another's. Il
wasn't long before we had lost all
sentiment about the dead. At first.
! for instance. we were shocked to
know that, in the trench, It is the
duty OF the cook and his orderlies to
bury the dead every morning after
he has got the big kettle OF noon-day
soup to boiling. He has about five
hours free while the soup is cook
I ing. But we became accustomed
to the plan after a time. and even
took pride in watching the growth OF
our little cemetery besides the soup
kitchen. We were proud that it grew
faster than the other cemeteries
around us. This morning as we left
our two dead comrades there and
started away toward the front there
were days before us i'm which we
would learn how to see a friend die
without knowing grief; how to look
on the dead body of a mate without
an emotion how TO let a man pass out
of our lives in an instant and never
think of him again or mention his
name: how to wear his clothes
/ without remembering him.
The time was to come when we
would not even joke about the dead
I when IL became a part of the days
events as traffic is to the citizens al
San Francisco. We we're to know
( how to keep our heart strings from
attaching themselves TO any living
thing for fear Of loosing il. did
not even dare to love one of the
trench dogs.
We climbed a hill bordering the
canal. Az the summit was a trench
which We entered. It wound away
like a crooked street. II led US into
a maze Of criss-cross sunken paths
For two miles we were led through
this pigs in clover" puzzle when
suddenly we came into the front