The Southern herald., 1915-02-19


The colonel Of the 128th 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 Of you! saw a couple Of men
standing up there!" called Fracasse.
Fire fast! 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 fastl
Well have them out Of there soonl
They're only an outpost"
Hugo was firing vaguely, like man
in 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 that the blacksmiths son, who
was the fourth man from him, lay with
his chin on his rife stock and q tiny
trickle of blood from a hole in his
forehead running down the bridge Of
his nose.
Young Dellarme. 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 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 ire 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
ruminatively silent all the morning.
was In his place, but he was not look
Ing at the enemy. Cautiously, to avoid
a reprimand, 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. THE leaven is
working! My time is coming!"
For Dellarme the minute had come
when all his training was to be put to
test. The figures on the other side Of
the white posts were rising. He was to
prove by the way he directed COM
pany Of infantry in action whether or
not he was worthy Of his captains
rank. He smiled cheerily. In order
that he might watch how each man
used his rife, he drew back of the line,
his 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 sprang over the white post
blast from the whistle began the
war.
1t was q 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
Jack-in-the-box abruptness, under
the impulse of a mighty and reckless
passion.
Men, stop firing!" he howled thun.
derously. stop firing on your broth
ers! Like you, they are only the
pawns Of the ruling class, who keep
US all pawns in order that they may
have champagne and caviare. Com
rades, I'll lead you! Comrades, we'll
take white flag and go down to meet
our comrades and we'll find that they
think as we do! I'll lead you'll"
The appeal was drowned in the
cracking Of the rifles working as regu-
larly as punching-machines in fac
tory. Every soldier was seeing only
his sight and the running figures un-
der 1t. Mechanically and automatical.
ly training had been projected into
action, anticipation into realization. A
spectator might as well have called to
a man in a hundred-yard dash to stop
running, to an oarsman in q race to
Jump out of his SHE'LL
The company sergeant sprang for
Stransky with an oath. But Stransky
was in no mood to submit. He felled
the sergeant with a blow and, reck-
lessly defiant, stared at Dellarme,
while the men, steadily firing, were
still oblivious 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 as he
hastened toward them.
"Will you get DOWN. VIII you take
your place with your rihe?" demanded
Dellarme.
Stransky laughed thunderously in
scorn. He was handsome, titanic, and
barbaric, with his huge shoulders
stretching his blouse which fell loose