The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-17

that he would shoot right through the head the first man who left his posi- tion, who shot down a man for run ming back-it was stark, physical fear of Houston that was holding Jim in his place. Jim knew that; he could not deny it. He was planning whetL.r he could shoot Houston before Hous- ton killed him when he turned. If the shells were killing every one why weren't they killing that wooden legged fiend who made a man lie still to be murdered.
 "Oh, God, kill himr' Jim prayed ''Kill him, and let me go!'
 Hold your places and watch the river! The range will be battle sight when you first will sec anything. Put down the leaf of your sight. When you see them take aim-with the leaf down-and fire slowly" Houston was going from man to man and looking at the rifles He had examined Jim's also.
 "Watch the riverv' l
 Jim was watching the river-that is he was staring fixedly out of the slit between his cotton bale and the, win dow. But instead of seeing out he seemed to be looking into a close, con fined room in which flame was burn ing. It was a bluish yellow flame at the end of a pipe, and he knew that the flame was himself. Its burning was his life. As the shells burst in the room they blew the flame down and down so that it almost went out; then slowly the flame strengthened and burn ed yellow till another shell came and blew it almost out again. He follow ed the flame, gasping, fascinated each time it blew fiat If it blew out he knew he was dead. For many min utes-how many Jim did not know the hallucination held him; he saw nothing else. Then the flame and the , pipe and all was gone, and he knew that he saw boats taking form in the haze over. the river. Besides the shells bursting about, him he heard again the gun which had fired from behind N 94, and Houston's fingers fixed the sight of his rifle and Houston's voice commanded hin, to fire ti
 He fired as they were firing from the other windows and all up and down the river front-rides, machine guns, artillery; they all were going. There boat sank; but, oh, the shells! The gun behind was not firing any more. Qt.
 "Aim ahead of the boats or at the front of them. Pick out one boat and shoot at that; don't shift from boat to boat! Keep on one and fire slowly, slowly! Sight your rifles. Aim, aim, aim, men; then fire! Aim at the front of the boats!'
 That meant the boats were coming on. The shells! They were smother ing the guns on this side; they were killing all the rest of the riflemen on both sides of N .94. There couldn't be any question of it, and the boats were coming on. Jim and those few men about him who hadn't been killed yet were the only ones firing at the boats. They were fighting all those men alone.
 "Fix bayonets!"
 Company F could not do that. Though the first boats from the smoke were dashing to the docks before N 94; though the shell fire from across the river had stopped now that the regents men were landing; though they were rushing N 94 with boat load after boatload of yelling men. Company r could not move to meet them. Company F had held under fire. Winslow and his sergeants some how had held his men behind the bales of the first floor of N 94; above, it had been Houston.
 (Tp Be Cuntiuued.1