Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-08-31

into the Frenchman now-not II sim
gle ono. All, If | were not so old!"
All the automobile machinicians-
all who know how to tinker with
motor-when they have spent some
time at the front. dream of becom-
ing aviators. The thing which tl.ey
drive disgusts them, because it can
not leave the earth.
And when the hawk-likc machine
had reached the hight of its flight,
determined in advance To the second,
it inclined its body with cold and
cruel precision, pointed its beak, the
muzzle Of its mitrailleuse, toward the
doomed sparrow aud began to fire.
The other also continued to fire, but
at random, and to no purpose, head
lesssy, like bird squawking from
fear
All ut once the French machine
ceased firing and took again to plan
ing deliberate, silent, sinister, and
certain, like the hawk which waits
and watches. 1t had accomplished its
work. 1t had only now to wait. That
it knew.
The big German dragon-hy tilted
desperately and, on tho right side, the
double wing suddenly broke One could
hear nothing; it was too high up. 1t
broke in horrible silence. Undoubtedly
the pilot attempted to restore the ma
chimes balance. for the frame tilted
on the other side, the double wing
broke. One saw the vast pinions come
together like closing fan. And the
machine fell-fell like n stone. No;
rather like poor, wounded bird
crippled by gunshot wound
The Major thought no more of re-
turning to headquarters. He said to
the chauffeur: "Did you see where it
fell? Can you track it DOWN."
"In the woods, in the woods!" cried
the chauffeur, turning his crank. "Cer-
tainly can find it,"
He drove like mailman. Reaching
a crossroads in the forest he stopp-
ed.
at is in there. We must get out"
he said, pointing to spot in behind
the big weather-browned trees.
Some soldiers, too, coming from
one knew not where, ran ahead of
them and showed the way.
Thru the walt of interlaced branch
es the dead aeroplane had bored a
passage like the track of n huge me-
teor. One of the two men who had
flown in it-probably the mechanician
had disappeared under the motor,
which had plowed deep into the earth
They loosened this heavy mass and
it fell sidewise on the ground.
"Cover it up!" cried n soldier, put
ting his hands over his eyes. "Cov-
it up!"
The mechanician had had his two
thighs scverd as if by some huge
AK, by the weight of the motor. The
trunk of his body was only gaping
frightful, pulpy mass, with a heart
exposed which still beat. Some one
threw cloak over the corpse.
And the other one," said a SOL
der, "there were two"
They found the body of the other
German some feet away. The branch
es had caught him in falling and torn
him from his seat. One saw his breast
rise and fall like forge bellows.
Then he expired. The soldiers drew
out their knives. They wanted to di-
vide among them the buttons on his
uniform.
"These men died bravely," said the
major. Respect their remains!"
And because he had shoulder straps
on they obeyed him.
How cold 1T is" exclaimed one of
the soldiers.
And their teeth began to chatter
there in the presence of the dead.
"And what became of our flier?"
asked one, in order to break the spell
cast by death.
"He has not yet come down" an
sewerd comrade. Maybe he thought
there was another job for him to do"
The. next day, having decided to
pass the night in the cantonment, the
major saw the aviator return. The
victor of the evening before left his
machine in the fields and came into
the hospital to warm his hands. He
was a child, hardly nineteen years
old, with. checks as downy as peach
and innocent eyes.
well" said the major, "you
brought one down yesterday, didn't
your"
"oh," he answered carelcssly, sit
was my twelfth"
And he warmed his stiffened fin
gers nonchalantly over the stove.