The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1915-01-29

W d-tCI q WAlIOs
mo wonder" replied Fracasse. Mar
tinet though he was. he spoke in grum-
bling loyalty to his soldiers. What |
kind Of spirit Is there in doing the
work of navvies? Spirit! No sol
diers ever fought better-in invasion,
at least. Look at our losses! Spirit!
Westerling drives us in. He thinks
we can climb Niagara Falls! He"
stop! You are talking like an an
archist!" snapped the colonel. How
can the men have spirit when you feel
that way?"
Il shall continue to obey orders and
do my duty, sir!" replied Fracasse.
"And they will, too, or I'll know the
reason why"
There was silence, but at length
the colonel exploded:
Il suppose Westerling knows what
he is doing!" ---.-.
"still we must go on! We must
win!"
eyes, the offensive always wins in
the end. We must 60 on!"
"And once we have the range-yes,
once we've won one vital position-the
men will recover their enthusiasm and
be crying: On to the capital!'"
Right! We were forgetting history.
We were forgetting the volatility of
human nature"
Far up on a peak among the birds
and aeroplanes, in rooted, shell-proof
chamber, with a telephone orderly at
his side, a powerful pair Of field-glasses
and range-fnders at his elbow and
telescope before his eye, Gustave Eel
ler, one time gardener and now acting
colonel of artillery, watched the burst
Of shells over the enemy's lines. While
other men had grown lean on war, he
had taken on enough flesh to fill out
the wrinkles around his eyes that
shone with an artists enjoyment Of
his work. Down under cover Of the
ridge were his guns. the keys of the
instrument that he played by calls
over the wire. Their barking was a
symphony to his ears; errors Of or.
chestration we're errors in aim. He
talked as he watched, his lively fea.
lures reflective Of his impressions.
"Oh, pretty! Right into their tum-
mics! Right in the nose! La, la, la!
But that's off--and SOS that! Tell
Battery Cthey're fifty yards over. Oh
beady-eyed gods and shiny little fishes
two smacks in the same spot!
Humph! Tell Battery G that the
trouble with that gun is worn rihing;
that's why It's going short. Elevate i!
for another hundred yards-but II
ought not to wear out so soon. I'd like
to kick the maker or the inspector. The
fellows in B 81 will accuse US of mat
.tention. It's time to drop a shell or
them to show we're perfectly impartia
in our favors. La, la, la! Oh, wha
a pretty smack! Congratulations"
B 81 was the position of Fracasse''
company and the pretty smack thC
one that broke one mans arm ant
crushed another's head.
&I
The God with us!" song was singu
larly suited to the great, bull voice o
Its composer. born to the red and be
come Captain Stransky in the re-
business of war. It was he who LEI
the thunder of Its verses.
II certainly like that song," he said
Well he might. 1t had made him ia
nous throughout the nation. "There'
Jehovah and birthstone in it. Nov
we'll have our own"
J "But we're always losing positions! !!
complained one of the men. "Littl
by little they are getting possession.
"They say the offensive alway
wins" said another.
Five against threel They coun
on numbers" said Lieutenant ToI
Fragini.
There you go, Tom! Any othe
pessimists or anarchists want to b
heard?" called out Stransky. "Jus
how long, at the present rate, will
take them to get the whole range
There's limit to the number of eve
five millions"
:. Then the telephone in the redout
brought some news. The staff begge
to inform the army that the enemy
casualties In the last three days ha
been two hundred thousandl Immed
ately everybody was talking at ono
In Stransky's parliament, as he SOM
times called that company Of whic
he was, in the final analysis, unlimite
monarch.
"How do they know?"
"Do you think it's fake?"
"That sums up to pretty near mi
lion!"
my God! Think of it--a million!
Were whiting them down."
ut doesn't make any differenc
whether Partow or Lanstron is chic
of staff"
They're paying!"
Paying for our fellows that they'y
killed! Paying for being in th
wrong!"
Stransky, his eyes drawing inwar
In their characteristic slant, was we
! pleased with his company, and th
Fcattered EXPLANATORY badinage kel