Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-07-20
BRAVE IRISH LAD
TELLS OF CHARGE
SIX MONTHS AGO.
"GOd, III Never Forget the
Night Before the Charge,
AemOn Fadagh Says Then
Tells Story
BY PATRICK ndcGILL.

BY PATRICK McGILL.
We're QUIT for duration now and do
| not care a cuss;
There's beer to spare at dinner time
and alters now for US;
But If our butties still were out in
Flanders raisin' Cain
We'd weather through with them we
knew on bully-beef again;
The old sweats-
The grub it was skimp with the old
sweats-
But If rashuns was small twas the
same for us all,
Same for the ole of the ole sweats.
From Soldier Songs.
canon Fadagh, my Irish mate. placed
his glass on the counter and lit a cigar
cite
'Who would think that ii was six
months ago. he remarked. six months.
Time does fly here. 1t went damned
slow in France-at times"
God, I'll never forget the night be-
| fore the charge" Eamon continued.
you mind the champagne in the billet,
the singin' and the fun. But we were
afraid-a bit-and we did our best to
hide our funk. Poor old Kore sittin' on
the floor, his fingers runnin' over the
| boards and his face-God! 1t was
white 1 felt sorry for him, for every
one of us. / thought of the nights to
come when good beer would go the
rounds of many a cafe and maybe
none of US there to drink it, Anyway,
we'll never drink better beer with bet
ter men again"
cannon paused for a second and flick
1 CHI hts nfQQratta re-
collect the attack on the High Wood
| in the Somme when l found canon ly-
| ing in a shell hole near the German
! lines with a bullet wound in his lung
That he survived II was miracle.
"They were such grand boys, thin
English mates of ours" said canon.
WAR MAKES DIFFERENCE.
you know L never had leaning to-
wards them In civil life. They were
Sassanach, I was Irish-you know your
self. Us Irish people don't make friends
Quick at all But when met thin boys
out In France, when 1 came to know
them, L couldn't do enough for thin.
And GodI, they were all children. III
thew grew a heavy mustache and smoked
pipes IL might have been different. just
think of thin sittin' down in an esta-
minet drinking beer! A robin coulo
drink more Babies, that is what they
were. And poor Kore! He used to put
his uniform on so neat, his puttees with
the proper curve, his trousers creased,
his tunic brushed. One Of the best ana
he's dead"
Eamon. had a blind faith in all his
frienAs. the "old sweats" who fought
with him on many field of death, he
extolled them with pride and champion
ed them with angry vehemence. what
pride was his men complying with their
MANY childish caprices, what genuine
love, what disinterested self-sacrltice!
81 mind the morning of the charge,
canon continued. "Or was 1t the night
afore7 One lost all count. or Time
Kore came down the stairs OF the
billet and he stood beside me at the
door.
:" I'm gIad're coming with US. cannon,
he saws. It's nice to be goin' across
with you
"'But I'm going with section g.
saws to him. The sergeant has detailed
me for No. g.
"'You're not coming with us then,
Eamon he says. God! 1 can hear him
now, and there was such a look in his
YES could have caught him in my
arms at that moment, just as II he'o
been a child, and kissed him.
"I saw him again in the trench Just
before We crossed the top. Twas the
last time. He was sitting all alone in a
corner of tho bay, his head in his hands
| and his elbows on his knees.
AS SHELLS BURST.
| "'IIoU goes IT, KoreP l asked.
| "He looked up and his eyes were wet.
One could see that he was thinkln. The
shells were bursting all around the sec
tor and the bullets were rippin the
sandbags.
| "'You must buck up, Kore,' l says
It'll be all right. Are you coldF +
"He shivered and did not answer.
took out my water bottle. drew the cork
and put 1t to his lips
| "'Have a good pull l says.
| "He had a good pull, and 1 couldn't
helm Iaughin' at him the way he
coughed and sputtered. The bottle had
rum IN it, not waterl He stopped
coughIn' and a new light came into his
eyes.
"'Oh, God, yes" he says. That was
good stuff
| He got quite CHEEKY, lit a cigarette
and hogan talkin' and laughin' just the
same as If he was AT home in England
That was the last I saw of poor kcre
About twenty minutes afterwards
copied my own packet.
| And the corporal, too" said Canon
lalIuding to the n. c. o. who mad charge
of the section. His pride was In the
regiment. in his officers, in his stripes
Every stripe increased the width of his
chest. And his songs and recitations.
always about England and her glory.
never met a man so honest in his be-
lliefs. so full of conviction. 1 would
like to see him again. He was one OF
the best"
canon drained his glass OF beer ana
rose to his feet. The action was
strained. He no longer had the easy
movements of six months ago. A
wound in the lung makes slow recoV-
cry.
Its tellin' on me, matey," he NUT
TERED. I'm not as L used to be. The
man who fred at me almost sent me
vest. / don't feel any malice against
the beggar. What else could ne DO?
One has got to kill or be killed.
What would you do If you met the
herman who fred at your" l asked.
Suppose he came in here now?
-1f6 n