The sun., 1916-12-03

rainy. With the beginning of autumn
IL rains most OF the time. Seen In
distinctly are buildings round about
Jagged things here and there. a flame
from a match or a candle over the
shadow of the buildings could be seen
for miles.
The two look up over the tops OF
the houses in the direction of the
sound. 1t seems the noise has in
creased. The thousands Of reports
and explosions blend into a din, like
countless giant tick-tacks at work in
unison and the buildings and the
ground about them shake. Where
they look flashes glare into the night.
Then where their eyes are fastened
In the blackness a single line Of fire
rises into the sky. reaches a great
height and while still rising suddenly
breaks into a great hall OF greenish
light. High in the heavens 1t stops.
floats along and looks like an immense
star.
Beneath 1t in the CHASTITY glare Is
seen the outline OF a hill that towers
up at the end OF town. II Is hard to
believe that here Is one Of the hottest
places along the lines. In a few Sec
onds the flare goes out. But before 1t
disappears another similar fire streak
shoots upward and also bursts into
light. 1t Is followed by half n dozen
others an instant later. There are
other colors now, blue. white and red,
but the prevalent color il green.
| Among them are seen the fireballs or
the Germans. Instead OF floating
along in the sky they remain In mo-
| ton and almost come to earth again
before they go out.
with the added light the town shows
up ghostlike and l~ifeless. The move
ments Of the shadows cast by tho
buildings do strange things with tho
eye. 1t is difficult to think this Is
really "A part OF the world.
The rockets. continue TO burst high
in the air and while the din beats into
the town and hurts the a suddenly
above all INT a sharp. splitting
crash. 1t is in the rear OF where the
woman and boy stand. So rending II
is that the two start suddenly and
clutch at each other.
The sound was from the battery In
the sector on the other side Of the
town. The two have heard the same
noise now for over Two years, but 90
sharp Is it hat It startles.
1t Is followed by two more reports
in rapid succession. Instantly follow
ing each time Is another sound, which
because OF its sharpness penetrates
above the dina peculiar tearing
swish. like the ripping OF heavy silk
that rends through the sky and in an
other second Is lost. Apart from the
noise over on the hill the educated cal
of the can distinguish an in
slant later sharp crashes. They are
the shells of the battery exploding or
the German trenches.
She has marked this battery fol
many months. In 1t is her son. Tha'
l. why. Every now and then Il
changes In position, but she ha.
learned to know 1t by the sound OF III
shells; they are Of the 80 nm calibre
and as they tear through the air they
make a sound peculiarly their own
She n%ervously awaits the sound o.
shells from German batteries in repl,
in efforts TO silence It. But there Il
nothing.
As suddenly ms the noise began 1
stops. There is nothing but severa
cracks OF rifles. the sharper. serriet
beating of the machine guns. n flna
single crack or two, and again Is 81
lcnce. A lone rocket ball dies out II
the sky, sending down spark strings
another one rises, bursts starlike, goe
out also and with the silence come
%blackness again.
The two stand there n while longc,
silent and listening. There Is onl
, quiet. Then the battery in the othe
sector suddenly cracks out This tim
) the swish of the shell through the SIX
5 fills all. the explosion OF it is distinctl
J heard on the hill, its fash Is seen, the
] quiet once more.
1T sounded like an attack" tn
I woman say after so much fightin
! lately their nerves are on end" sh
adds, land they are quick &c rcspon
even when they imagine things"
s They seek the warmth of the cose
3 room again. When the door Ia 80
Y curcly closed they turn up the light,
They sit by the fire a while longt
Y and are ready to go 10 bed, whan thei
q IL another noise, Il shrill, unearthl
shrek, silence for an instant, and