New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-14
BETWEEN THE LINES
By Wilfrid Wilson Gibson


lay
Between the opposing fires. but could not tell
On which hand were his friends; and either
way .
For him TO turn was chancy-bullet and shell
Wbistling and shrieking over him, as tho
glare -.
or searchlights secured the darkness to Dliho
day.
lie scrambled to his hands and knees ascare.
Dragging his wounded foot through puddled
clay,
And tumbled in a hole she'll had scooped
At random in n turnip-ield between
The unseen trenches where the foes lay
cooped
Through that unending battle Of unseen
Deadlocked league stretching armies; and
quite spent
He rolled upon his back within the pit
And lay secure. thinking Of all it meant
His lying in that little hole, sore hit,
But living, while across the starry sky
Shrapnel and shell went screechlng over;
head
/ OF all it meant that he, Tom Dodd, should lie
Among the Belgian turnips, while ms
# it were he, indeed who'd climbed each
night.
Tagged with the days work, up the narrow
stair,
And siipt his clothes of in the candle-light,
Too tired TO fold them neatly on chair
The way his mother'd taught him too dog
tired
After the long days serving in the shop,
Inquirng what each customer required,
Politely talking weather, Mt to drop
How things turned out-the chancesl You'd
just got
To take your luck In life, you couldn't change
Your luck.
And 80 here he was lying shot
Who lust six months ago had thought to
spend
His days behind counter. Still, per-
And now, God only knew how he would end!
He'd like to know how many of the chaps
Had won back to the trench alive, when he
Had fallen wounded and been left for dead,
II any!
This was different, certainly,
From selling knots Of tape and reels of
thread
And knots of tape and reels OF thread and
knots
/ or tame and reels Of thread and knots OF tape,
Day in, day out, and answering "Have you
COTS"
And 90 you keeps" till there seemed no
escape
From everlasting serving in shop.
lnqurng what each customer required,
1 Politely talking weather, fit to drop,
With swollen ankles, tired.
But he was tired
| Now. Every bone was aching, and had ached
For fourteen days and nights in that wet
trench
Just duller when he slept than when he
walked
Crouching for shelter from the steady drench
OF she'll and shrapnel.
That old trench, it seemed
Almost like home to him. He'd slept and fed
And sung and smoked in it, while shrapnel
And shells went whining harmless overhead
Quiet now
/ Had fallen on the night. On either hand
The guns were quiet. Cool upon his brow
The Quiet darkness brooded, as he scanned
The starry sky. He'd never seen before
So many stars Although, OF course, he'd
That there were stars, somehow before the
war
He'd never realized them-so thicksown,
Millions and millions. Serving in the shop,
Stars didn't count for much; and then at
nights
Stroling the pavements, dull and 1T to drop,
You didn't see much but the city lights.
He'd never in his life seen so much sky
As he'd seen this last fortnight 1t was
queer
The things war taught you. He'd mind to
try
To count the stars-they shone so bright and
clear.
One, two, three, four . All, God but
he was tired.
Five six, seven, eight.
Yes: il was number eight.
And what was the next thing that she re-
quired?
TOO bad of customers to come so late,
At closing time) Again within the shop
lie handled knots Of tape and reels of thread,
Politely talking weather, fit to drop. .
When once again the whole sky overhead
Flared blind with searchlights, and the shrie.
of she'll
And scream Of shrspnel reused him. Drowsily
lie stared about him wondering. Then he fell
Into deep dreamless slumber.
He could see
Two dark eyes pcaping at him, ere he knew
lie was awake and it again day
An August morning burning 10 clear blue.
The frightened rabbit scuttled
Far away,
A sound Of firing Up there, in the
sky
Big dragon-hies hung lowering Snow
balls burst
About them.
Flies and snowbailsl With a cry
lie crouched TO watch the armen pass-the
That he'd seen under FIRE. Lord, that was
pluck
Shells bursting all about them-and what
\ nerve,
They took their chance, and trusted to their
luck
At such a dizzy height TO dip and swerve,
Dodpinp the ghell-fre