Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-11-24

a horrible gasp. a gurgle, but no other
sound. The man, run through the
neck, fell without his finger contract
ing so as to fire his revolver.
"Derrin!' a mans voice was calling,
obviously for the man whom Jim had
Just killed. "Derrin!"
The man who called-he wore the
same uniform with the chevrons of a
sergeant-was coming down the stairs.
Jim aimed his revolver pitilessly and
shot the sergeant through the head
The man crumpled and rolled down to
the hall. Jim retreated into a coat
closet and waited. No one came.
In a locked room above, the door OF
which he broke down, Jim found -four
girls overcome by escaping gas. They
were attempting to kill themselves.
One of the girls was Beatrice Logan
whom he tried to revive. Summonine
the five men who had been travelling
with him, they returned to the house
where they repulsed an attack of the
regents soldiers, killing five of them.
Even as he worked owe the half un'
conscious Beatrice she struggled
against him.
'It's-it's you'll" she murmured al
last "You-you were'-
'Yes, it's l." Jim assured.
."Then-then where am IY'
Gradually he got the sense to her
"We came and found you, n we
have killed them all who were here
we have killed them!'
"Killed theml'' she cried. KILLED
them! You have killed the soldiers
here! oh, our poor people! oh, helI
our poor peoplev
Later Jim led his party and the
girls to safety.
Jim became a captain and vowed
that his part of the battle line would
be held next time.
He was going to shoot his men II
they faltered. Far, far better to shoot
them and fall in the battle line than to
abandon more women and children tc
the invader.
Along with the infantrymen of his
company there were men who, when
they had had horses, had been caval
rymen. Mart Ware was among them
The company was quite nondescript,
but all had been under fire before, sc
they were stationed at a vital point In
the first line trenches above Cayuga
lake.
The lake was miles longer than pre-
viously, all the valley on the north be
ing flooded. Jim's section of front was
just beyond the flood. There were
two more trenches behind him-three
little lines of bitches, each with a mar
every yard or so-just those three lit
tie lines between invasion, as Jim had
seen during these recent days, and
security and sanctity for honor, life
and possessions. Jim talked to his
men frankly before the battle began.
Every man was to stand and fight as
long as he had strength. If the order
came to leave the trenches and adj
vance the company was going to adj
vance or the officers would shoot the
men who failed.
During all the forenoon, for five
hours following the dawn, that sec
ton of trench was shelled. A few of
the men went mad that morning, two
from head wounds which made them
maniacs for the inhuman hour before
they died. Then, during a snow furry
in the afternoon, the shrapnel ceased
and the assault came-the charge of
of yelling, white coated fig
ures-and the American guns could
not even make a gap in their line. 1t
was all up to the men in the first
line trenches. They were ordered, aft
er they had emptied their rifles useless
ly into that charging line of thousands,
to jump up in front of the trench and
face them with bayonets.
Only Jim Ashby, the captain of a
company, kept his word. Wild, fran
tic as the madmen, he struck at the
men who crouched and wouldn't get
up; he dropped one, shot another, and
the men beyond that one jumped out
of his way and fought. Another balk-
ed and defied the captain. Jim scream
ed at him, struck him and shut his eyes
as his revolver went off at the blow.
He leaped up in front of the trench;
an opposing bayonet entered his body
and bore him back, and he tumbled.
into the trench upon the body of the
soldier of his command whom he had
just shot.
More bodies piled above him; then
the battle was far beyond. Jim Ashby,
captain of volunteers, moved his head
and, after a struggle, was able to
touch with his lips the brow of the
boy he had shot. The bullet had gone
through his head, and death had been
instant.
"Mart!" Captain Ashby whispered.
"Mart!''
Some time after the cold and the
snow had stopped the bleeding of
Jim's wound and his coat was all stiff
with frozen blood men of the regents
ambulance corps bore him to a church
at Auhurn where rows Of cots renlacad