Evening star., 1916-03-19

& 0E is known among his COM
ILL panions in tn trenches as
now left of the original men of his
regiment. veterans of the first line. and
among these he is respected as a brave
man. Like the others. he bears on his
face the hard stamp of long months of
sparring with death.
He is 4 New Yorker by BIRTH aged
twenty-eight, and a university gradu-
ate. He has a quiet, studious nature.
and when off duty back of the trenches
he usuallv snends bis time in ra.6i,r
na s,o,o,,;
~
OF French parentage. he left a thrifty
business back home at the call of
n,ohi1i,.tion rr,,.od :, -. g.. 49,
"''o'' al ''i>eu ~ s'"ee ior Tue
first time and swore allegiance to the
republic 1t was done through an in
,ernreter for h. u,s ,,,h,. 90 s,o,,.
i was ~ SpeaN
more than Few words of the Ian
guage. He was taken into the regular
army as a Frencbman
Now a1ter months he Will never
forget, he is stationed at the most dan
cerous of nositions oivan 70 so,disrs
- ~.
te ms iii'e' II Is al the emu Oh
long, winding ditch running out from
his own trenches toward tho cerm,nv
AS he stands out his watches there
taenr, .,ar, ,nd ,;.ori In, -,
'"u . VII" ms
comrades In back and the enemy di-
rectly in front, it is the consuming am
hition of hale , aoza,, 49,, e.. O..
VI Hi uoAeh men lew ieet
away TO XIII him, has been so for
weeks. and for weeks he has missed
de.tb h,. inoh.s =, ~ ,..,,,. ,,,;s-!,o,-
as '"e ueaois ih'Ssiles
efash anu tear around MN.
For weeks fighting at this point has
been hot and terrific There has been
little trench running overground bat
tling. but the incessant bomba riding of
each others trenches to prevent the
soldiers from fortifying themselves too
strongly is sapping the life of the
troops. The soldiers say il could hard
l. be worse
IT cannot be long now, Corot thinks
before something will strike his ditcb
His chief hone is to he slightly wound
ed for this he knows is The best tha,
can happen to him as he tal-eS mn HI
watch he wonders whether this time il
will come. He has so wondered each
time for countless days hack
His ditch is ono Of sevaraI d,,, hAr.
aud there. deserted when tbeS arc
discovered or blown nm There 10 no
covering over il such sS 10 occ,s;on
ElIN 1Ounu over the frSt line back.
Thick CLAW mud ,x,ee deen ol,,ee III,
ne 1eeis me strain OF the six hours
tinIal expectancv and listens
II is his duty TO listen for sound in
me tfenen right ahead-for converse
noise mai sometimes r,,ns aIp,'
trench when troops are brought up
oe1ore an attack. He has exceptional
20 ~, is ~, ~ 10 e,se,. uisoovefeu e
the nost 'o'
or one occ.sio, h. ro,,t
sbor,,v .f,sr ,his S,
,srr;ed hal an nrdar ha nad s Ins.a nc
German oticer eiTs Tha car,1,s,,a
we're nrenarinp 70 cor,a oyer w;thom,
the customary artillery bombardment
q, the Eranch ,rsnchas tJis - 49,,
we're warned. orders vent bacL to the
batteries and i'm a few r,inu,es tbe
French guns were Winning o,,t life in
the enemy's trenches The attack was
stalled.
Grenades today have been breaking
nearer the ditch than at other times
They are bursting all around him and
he hopes there win soon be orders TO
dig new ditch. for he believes the
Germans have learned of his position
II shell should fan into his trench
he hopes he may escape with an in
jury that will not prevent him from
making his way back through the
darkness proba blv. past the debris to
hIs trenches.
',
He mas uhe 10 thihh oi many thlhss
as he stands there II brings relief
iu q ,,...,r, ,,d On he roouon,,,
'hihhs OF nome ana wonders .Whe'her
they would recognize him. He has
changed much in annesrance He
. KNOWS ana leeis tnat the sappihs
strain Of the long months has left its
marks. He is ''poilu' now. hairy
man, with little beard. and there is
irregular growth of scraggly hair
over pale and hollow cheeks
For the past several DAYS the Ger
mans have been sending over missiles
that resemble overyround mines. but
the French do nor know exactIy what
they are and there Is much coniec-
,urs Tbsy be.r ,bsn, Ieays iittie
nr,ars a. ,ha a,har ,rancba. bear
,h.n, h;. ,ha ao,,,I - III go -,
~. t1 oui," nu I'm or. az"
"HeI 'o"aFu theli before thes Ian iiito
,he,r own tehches. Inc OBSTRUCTION
Is Mucous ana nobody Is ieft 10 ten
me talt- ineE cannot ue the ORDINARY
inf4es. the rfench reason iof theF are
Tar more tefioIe' ana so 'Hey are III
quandar
'orot hears them occasiohai! ron
past ms end OF the ditch WIN low
p1nns noise IKE mat OF dls-