Evening star., 1916-03-19


bend. He will relieve him for a few
minutes while he goes back to get his
supper 1t has just been brought w
from the rear.
Back in the first line he walks along
and comes to a trench that again leads
back. Several feet down he stoops
and squeezes through d little opening
AZ the bottom of the trench in the side
Here he sleeps. II is new place
for several days ago d shell tore into
his own dugout. Again chance was
with him. for at that time he was on
watch. but his companion was caught
RE reaches in corner and pulls out
a tin plate and cup. He takes these
and returns to the first line to a place
where pot steams away on the
ground. A crowd of soldiers stand
silently around receiving their evening
mess. His turn comes and his plate
is filled with q boiled mixture of
potatoes and several other vegetables
cooked together He gets chunk of
meat to go with it, He then receives
. tinful of coffee and returns TO his post.
He places the dish and the cup on
a little ledge followed out in the SIDE
OF the ditch and starts his supper.
The food is not bad. He fishes in his
pocket and pulls out chunk of the
hard. coarse bread of the army he re-
ceived in the morning. The bread is
coarse but nutritive and he cuts off
pieces with his knife to make sand
wiches with the meat He ls accus-
toned to do this. but the other soldiers
cut or bite their bread off in chunks
Corot takes an occasional sip of the
red wine from his canteen doled out
with the other rations every day. He
gives most of this away. for he does
not drink it like the other soldiers.
He is not accustomed TO it, and while
his associates say "it puts hair on the
chest" it seems to take something
from his power of resistance. He feels
he needs all his courage.
g ba cat no throw
grenades over. They fall very near
and explode with venomous. hot, tear
ing reports and he can hear the rip
ping of the earth. Once there is an
exceptionally sharp. stinging crash
and he stops eating he suddenly
crouches low. For the instant it seems
as if it has exploded near him IN the
trench. and he thinks that probably
the TING has arrived. But shower
OF rock and earth falls about. on his
helmet and shoulders. and in another
instant he knows he is not hurt he
picks the pieces from MS dlsh anu
continues 10 eat
- =
This evening Corot feels something
like a lack of courage that he will not
admit even 10 himself. He again thinks
of his relief and hopes soon to hear
him coming through the trench. AT
the next watch, he thinks. he will feel
better. He has lost much sleep be-
cause of the recent avy-bombard-
ments-one cannot sleep through it all.
The sun sinks in the direction of
the German trenches. 1t is one or the
nice days allotted once week or SO
at this time of the year. AS 1t goes
down firing ceases. Both sides busy
themselves with supper. Once .Corot
hears low laugh over in the German y
trench. and at another time some one
sings snatch of melody. II IS SO
faint that he cannot make out what IL
is: but he listens attentively as a
diversion.
Suddenly he catches himself indis-
tinctIy whistling under his breath, and
stops. 1t was an American air, a
think of its name. The air sounds
peculiarly strange and out of place
here 1t is quite different from the
melodies of the soldiers
His trained ears detect the approach
of the relief, and he gathers up his
things preparatory to going back
The soldier comes up. His face is COW
cred with thin. scrawny whiskers that
give him the appearance OF an aged
man almost. but he is very young, and
he is smiling.
"Ah. good evening. old comrade.' he
saws. more with the lips than in the
barely audible whisper.
The two shake hands and speak into
each others ears. The relief asks
whether there is any news. and Corot
tells him of the grenades. After a few
more whispers Corot bids his COM
panion goodbye and good luck, and
moves ste<hily back through the
trench. II is becoming dusk.
The man he has just left a the end
OF the trench lives on day by day in a
boyish. carefree manner. He smiles
most of the time and some Of his COM
rades say he is slightly foolish. Long
ago, when he first came to the trenches.
his chief wish was to be suddenly
killed without knowing it. Now, he
believes it will happen.
II has become an obsession with him
and he no longer fears death or seeks
to avoid it. His time will soon come,
he thinks. and he refuses to take his
daily life seriously. Obsessions of this
sort are common among the soldiers
Of the trenches.