The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-06-24

end of a trench. These men remained
motionless so long before one of them
moved that we began to think thew
were dead. Their comrades were all
hidden in bomb proof trench, which
from any angle was invisible at a dis
lance of few yards. Several more
officers came out of the house and
chatted with US. or uncOncernedly read
newspapers which we distributed and
made not the slightest break in their
conversation when a shrapnel burst
directly over our heads with ear split
ting nearness.
THE OTHER MAN
The feeling which the French SOL
diers on the fring-line have for the
Germans is very different from the
bitterness which one finds in civilian
population of France. We have heard
more than one French solder say in
voice tinged with admiration, An, lis
sont des bons soldats!" At the front
and in the trenches one gets down to
basic principles and realizes that the
other man is fellow human being and
not something with horns and a forked
tail The French soldier is grimlv de-
termined to go through the war to the
bitter end and to accept nothing short
of complete victory, but at the same
time he realizes that this mutual slau-
ghter is indeed a sorry business.
Il shall never forget the face of
serious French territorial soldier of 40
with whom | spoke today. He was one
of burying squad on the scene of the
charge of the African brigade near
Soizy aux Bots. Nine hundred dead
were being buried in one big trench,
and as | came to inspect it my ter
ritorial and comrade were about to
pick up a dead German who lay face
down in a muddy field, with arms out
streatched. A hundred others Law
close about us. | offered the territorial
cigaretts, and as he took one he lndicat
ed the field about US with a. sweep of
his arm and said sadly:
IF Guilliaume could have foreseen all
this. do you think that he. one man,
would have begun this war; and he
looked down at the dead German who
lay at his feet, with an expression full
of sorrow and brotherIy compassion. "
ONE LOAF AMONG so MANY.
1--WE watched an orderly who entered
the church with a single loaf of bread
which had just been sc cured and which
was TO be divided among several hun
dred wounded. He used a great knife.
as if he hoped to make up for the small
ness of the supply by the largeness of
the implement. Slowly and with sober
care he cut slice after slice, each one so
thin that the light shone through it.
Every head was turned toward him and
each burning pair OF eyes was fixed up-
on the precious bread with an express
sion of animal dumbness which remind
ed one of the intent eyes of hungry
dog as it watches hoped-for morsel
AS he advanced. step by step, the
wounded stretched up shriveled hands,
or propped themselves on one elbow to
make more appealing gestures, their
faces all contorted by the pains the
movement caused them. They made
no sound, for their attention was too
intently fixed upon that bread One.
however, who had been overlooked.
burst into screams and wailings until
the mistake had been properly remedi-
ed"
The dying are frightful sights, and
parts of them are often already morti-
fed as they lie in the straw, entirely
occupied with breathing. They breathe
eternally little short breath, hundred
or hundred and ten to the minute,
like Fsome sort of pump. They wish
passionately not to die. and yet they
know with desperate certainty that
they are going to die. They lie down
there in tinv little black hell of their
own and fight with all their might and
maine feeling that they will die IN
stantly If they skip one little short
breath. Il was going to say that they
fight with all their soul and body. but
they no longer really possess either of
these.) They have no time to speak.
or listen, or move, or be helped, as
every particle of energy must be used
for the next respiration. A Jumbled
heap lies in the straw covered with a
blanket to keep off the flies. An at
tendant looks at its side in search of
the futtering little pulsation of breath.
If it is there, he, is living; if all is
still it is dead, and they carry it out
and dump it in the hall with the other
bodies.
''BETwEEN THE LINES.
Following its twistings and turnings
this strip of land is 45O miles in length.
1t lies wrapped in uncanny solitude, for
in all its length there moves no living
creature 1t changes from beet fields