Omaha daily bee., 1915-01-17
The New Army
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Gloucestershire in the south A spy could
not have learned much less.
The battalion halted and moved off
by companies for further evoluuons
One could see they we're more than used
to drill and arms; a hardened, thick
necked, thin-flanked, deep-chested lot,
dealt with quite faithfully by their ser
geants. and altogether abreast of their
work. Why, then, this retience? What
had they to be ashamed of. these big Boil
ton folk without an address? Were they
Germans in disguise? Where was their
orderly-roop2
There were a good many orderly-rooms
in the little old town. most of them in
bye-lanes less than one car wide.
found what wanted, and-this was
north-country all over-a private volun-
teered to steer me to headquarters
through the tricky southern streets. He
was communicative, and told be a good
deal about typhoid incubation and musk
etry practice, which accounted for only
six companies being on parade. But they
could not have been ashamed of that.
Guarding q Railway.
| 1 unearthed their skeleton at last in
"a peaceful, gracious 50O-year-old house
that looked on to lawns and cut hedges
bounded by age-old red brick walls-such
a perfumed and dreaming place as one
would choose for the setting Of some
even pulsed English love-tale to the days
before the war
Officers were billeted in the low-ceiled,
shiny-floored rooms full OF books and
flowers.
"And now 1 asked, when had told
the tale of the uncommunicative cyclist,
what Is the matter with your battalion
They laughed cruelty at me. Mat
terri said they. We're just, off three
months OF guarding railways. After that
,, man wouldn't trust his own mother.
: You don't mean to say our cyclist let
you know where we've come from last?'
mo, they didn't" 1 replied. That
was what worried me. l assumed you'd
all committed murder and had been sent
here to live 1t down"
: Then they told me what guarding
! line really means. How men wake and
, walk, with only express troop trains to
keep them company, all the night long
: on windy embankments or under still
more windy bridges; how they sleep be-
| hind three sleepers appended or a bit of
Il, IL
layers hut; how their food comes to
: them stopping across the square-headed
ties that lie in wait to twist a mans
hnkle after dark; how they stand in
blown coal dust of goods wards trying to
. watch five lines of trucks at once; how
+. fools of all classes poster the lonely
pickets, whose orders are to hold up
= motors for inquiry, and then write silly
letters to the war office about it.
HumOr Nearly Fatal.
How nothing ever happens through the
a long weeks but infallibly would IL the
y patrols were taken off. And they had
- one refreshing story Of q workman whC
II at o'clock in the morning, which is nC
It suspicious hour to jest with Lancashire
/ took short cut to his work by duckinG
: under some goods wagons and wher
challenged by the sentry replied, postur
ing on oil tours, boo, I'm a German!
Whereat the upright sentry fired, un
fortunately missed him, and then CAV
him the butt across his ass head, so tina
his humor, and very nearly his life, ter
minated,
After which the sentry was seldom see
to smile. but frequently heard to muir
muir, "Ah should hev slipped T. baggone
into him"
Pride and Prejudice
$50 you see," said the officers i'm con
clusion, you mustn't be surprised tina
our men wouldn't tell you much"
IT begin to ses." said. How many o
you are coal and how many cotton?"
, '"Two-thirds coal and one-third cottor
roughly 1t keeps the men dealy keen
An operative isn't going to give up Will
pitman goes on; and very much vic
| versa"
That's class prejudice" said L
Its most useful" said they. The OF
ficers themselves seemed to be lntereste
in coal or cotton. and had known thei
men intimately on the civil side. II you
orderly room sergeant or your quarter
ly master has been your trusted head oler
r. or foreman for ten or twelve years, an
II eight out OF a dozen sergeants hav
y. controlled pitmen and machinists, abov
at and below ground, and 80 per cent Q
a those pitmen and machnists are private
in the companies. your regiment work
ur with something OF the precision OF a bi
~ business
ON Tale Worth Hearing.
to It was all new talk to me. for / had nc
en- yet met a Northern territorial battalio
M with the strong pride OF it's strong tow
ny behind II. Where were they when IN
ne war came? How had they equippe
~ themselves? / wanted TO hear the tall
in It was worth listening TO as told wit
IN, nOrth-country JOY of life and the doing
-. things In that soft down-country hous
as OF untroubled centuries. Like everyon
gh else. they were expecting anything BIZ
tb war. Hadn't even begun their annui
he camp. Then the thing came, and Bolto
Ike rose as one man and woman 20 fit out Il
=. battalion.
Ii There was a lady who wanted a fairl
ed large sum OF money for the mems extr
10 footwear. She set aside a morning
collect H. and inside the hour came hon