The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1916-12-29

|
the movements of the Bulgarian troops
which had been driven from that
Serbian city.
1t is II As a. m. and he is late for the
officers mess which is located near the
open door of a courtyard, in the same
street where stands the house of your
correspondent.
Lieutenant Puviani arrives late ct
the mess. This hardness is not neces-
sary considering that he has nothing
to do from morning till night, but 1T
gives him certain air of being
''slave of duty" which he cultivates.
SO Lieutenant Puviani walks along
with firm and measured step toward
the mess. Behold him in Via L, be-
hold him in Via A, two steps from his
goal. The street is quiet as though
lulled to sleep in the heat Of summer
afternoon.
Suddenly, at the end of the street,
hundred yards In front of him, he hears
a sinister whistling, an explosion, ter
rife noise. Pieces of wall, beams,
broken glass rain upon the street, while
great cloud, first reddish, then whit
ish, rises into the sky.
Lieutenant Puviani looks at the
stricken house and utters a cry. In
one jump he reaches the mess, where
all the officers of the battalion are
lunching and talking about the shell,
(which must have fallen very near"
and with a sentence causes them to
start to their feet.
Lieutenant Zanghieri's house has
fallen I'M"
The officers leave the mess and run
toward the spot where lies perhaps the
body Of their brother officer
Chapter lll-What Really Occurred.
"After his marriage he acquired the
habit of daily work"
At the word marriage" a dull, far
away boom, half obliterated by dis
lance. One hears thousands like it
every day; today none have been
heard and this is the only reason why
the ear distinguishes this. At the word
|
customary noise. The whistle of shell
begins shriller and again sinks as the
shell passes over. When 1t explodes
near you 1t seems to stop at its shrill-
est point, as If to collect its forces in
a great howl of rage, which Is the ex-
plosiOn. But the shell of which speak
differs from all the others. The low
tone, the shrill tone, ever nearer. ever
nearer, nearer, near-here it isl NV
pen stops at the word daily" in ey.
pectation of the horrible thing The
house receives a shock that makes II
tremble to its foundation, there comes
an immense roar as of hundred can.
non firing together. The plaster falls
from the ceiling everywhere In the
room, which fills with white powder
while hail of fragments strikes the
shutters. Something caves in with 8
great rumble. Everything rattles
trembles, jolts and seems to fall down
ward into chaos, into an inferno Of
broken things. Then silence.
The word work" is traced hastily
| oihoSl liiSSiulSt ny the nervous hand
! write across the sheet: I'll AS, shell
, on my house." Then l go to the win
dow and throw it open. Two militor,
| policemen and four or five soldiers mr.,
looking up, showing round eyes, an,
: pale, almost idiotic, faces.
! At the left 1 see my dear colleague
; coming toward me. One of them or
riyes on bicycle, the others on foot
, They too, are pale, and look at M
r silently, as though l were ghost.
An entire corner of the house M
fallen in, but 1t is an uninhablted co,
3 ner.
: what are you doing up there
$ shouts Lieutenant Fusco, the adiuton
: major of the battalion. "The upne
:, floor Is on fire."
e Really 1t is false alarm; II is onI
r the dust of fallen ceiling. This doe
t not keep me from hurrying down /
i my colleagues, happy In the escar
e from danger, and even more so fro,
t having read on their faces affectionot
e solidarity for their friend. This soti
3 faction is worth at least a 12-InC
8 shell, especially when it shows itse
IS as well-bred as that whose untIme
end have described.