The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-01
A Singular
Find
II Occurred on a Bat
tIefieId In France.
By F. A. mitchell

George Elliott lived south of the Dor
der line separating Canada from the
state OF Maine. George was desperate.
lie was very poor he was in love. and
the country about him was a dead
and alive region wherein IL was hard |
enough for man to pick up living |
for himself, TO say nothing Of posi- /
BILE wife and a family Of children.
II is this kind Of man which. when
war breaks out. furnishes food for |
powder. When a man sees only mis-
cry before him I'm life he looks upon
death as not altogether undesirable.
Besides. TN Il comes he has no re-
/ sponsibility as TO food and clothes.
The government takes care Of him till
he is told TO stand M before an enemy
and be shot down Ills idea of being
shot Is a bullet In vital part that will
end his misery mt once lie doesn't
consider being MANNED and turned
again ON 10 the world in a far worse
fix than before.
One day George went TO see his girl,
Ellen Barry. and told her that he was
going up into Canada to enlist. He re,
minded her that Il was madness for
them 10 think Of marrying aud his go
ing to the war would be as good a way
as any 10 end what was becoming tor
ture. The only response ON Ellen's part
was tears. This made IL all the harder
for George, and. taking her in his
arms. he kissed her, then, releasing
her turned and walked away without
looking back Ellen gazed mournful-
ly after him through her tears till he
had passed out Of sight, then, sobbing
convulsively, went into the house.
A year later Private George Elliott,
who had been enlisted in Canadian
regiment of shurpshoOters, was con
cealed among the branches of n tree
in northern France picking Off the
enemy with his rifle when shell
burst under his perch, When George
came TO himself he was lying in tile
crater or hole made by the explosion
lie tried TO draw up one leg and fail
! ed. Then he tried to move his left
arm and failed ut that. His chcel
was resting on something hard ant
cold, and he managed 10 raise his heat
sufficiently TO see what his rigid pillow
was. IL was iron, manufactured iron
and, Judging from what was uncov
1 cred by the earth. II was sheet iron.
o One who covcts death from dis
lance is not so anxious for II as it ap
: proaches. Georges desire had beef
for sudden taking of without know
. ing what was to happen Now, lynn
In a shell hole IN the ground, neithe
friend nor enemy about he was yer
much concerned lest he die from II
attention. He knew that he had bee
wounded, but how seriously he wa
! ignorant lie made another effort
y draw up hls leg. and this time SUI
" ceeded. 1t had only been benumbet
3 As to his arm, that was In very ba
lie shape. II had been mangled and art'
rial blood was flowing from it. Oh
=. fortunately he had been unconsciou
only few moments, and there wa
u yet time to stop the bleeding. Maxim
70 tourniquet of his handkerchief !
to succeeded in compresslng the oritiC
through which he was bleeding.
Having lain quiet for some time an
feeling DESTROYS TO do something fC
his safety. he sat up and looked abol
him. Being In hole, he could NJ
10 look far. Indeed, the only thing I
n any interest whatever was his met
" pillow. Only one or two square fe,
re were uncovered, and George, tappiT
IL on 1t with the knuckle of his rigl
ne hand, made up his mind that 1t W;
ne thin and there was hollow space b
nd meath II.
M Meanwhile shells were falling al
bursting about him. He had bee
when dropped from the tree In advan'
of the British line, and 1t did not see
Ia to be any nearer him now. Nor did
=. appear that the Germans were al
~ nearer lie had some curiosity
Pm know what was under the iron co
Ia ering, but, wounded as he was, th
:, was impracticable. Having nothing
a. do, he looked up at the tree above hi
-. IL was a peculiar shape, and he notic'
this particularly.
Presently u shell burst so near hi
that 1t shook down some earth fro
the side of the hole he was in and CO
- cred the metal that had interested hi
10 He was sorry for this, because he h
been contemplating an effort to c
anime it more thoroughly. But he W
% very weak and would not likely ha
~ succeeded. Soon after this he hea
" men tramping, the word Of commaI
and his comrades charged past him.
- 1t was not long after this that
= Red Cross people came and, putt
George on a streteher, took him to
10 rear. where he was examined. F
arm had been so badly shattered
a fragment of the shell that the s.
geon attending him decided to ami
. tate it. George sighed. He had CO.
Il to the war to find release from mis'
rth, and misery had been added. He b
lint lost an arm, which would necessit'
his being discharged. Death was
- far from him as 1t had been before
enlisted.
- When George was discharged fr
r the hospital and the army he was t
= that he would be sent back to Cana
: He said nothing, but he thought g