The Wahpeton times., 1917-12-06
HuMDRuM LIFE
OF AIR THRILLS
Reads Like Page From Book Of
Fairy Tales.
Tells OF FIGHT WITH HUN
Boy Sees Nothing in His Exploit, But
Is Willing to Spin the Yarn IL Any.
body Cares to Hear lt-PIays Pos.
sum on Fritz and Then Gets Him.
Clouds Help Ambush.

The everyday humdrum life of the
boy airfighters on the western front
reads like page torn from Il book Of
fairy tales. Here is a story of one Of
the dull days as told by rosy-faced
youth of nineteen. He was back in
"Blighty" recovering from machine
gun wound.
"What, you want to write story
about how got this?" He laughed in
embarrassment. 1T was just an ortli-
nary day-no story in it-Americans
vouldn't care to hear it.
"This particular Hun had got old
Regan-sent him down blazing. So we
were after him. He usually came
shopping over our way bout sunup.
Poor old Regan. His old fault was
that he adopted stray dogs.
Anyway. this Hun bird came sail
ing over impudently the other morning
about five. l skipped out to the aero.
drome. All the boys yelling good luck
to me. After that nothing but the roar
of the engine.
NIOuo6 0clp tAynOUSUs
''There were few chunks Of white
cloud-bully for ambush-if the other
fellow doesn't do the ambushing.
"Once before this bird had caught
me with nothing to feed my Lizzie,
my dOmesticated machine gun, and
jolly well chased me right down to
our back door.
Before I got up much I was get.
ting 100 out of her-old engine sing.
ing like cricket. went up 10000
feet, keeping an eye peeled for FRITZ.
He was sitting under cloud some.
where, evidently. While I was nosing
around the corners Of the clouds
caught sight Of shadow on a cloud.
bank below. 1t was my meat.
"You bet I took quick look at my
fixtures, got trayful of food ready
for Liz, hummed the Invitation to the
Waltz and began to slide a bit. But
I fell clean into pocket, did slide.
slip. While was getting her
Strengthened out, Fritz saw me and
started to get up over me. He flew
better'n did, had more parlor tricks,
but I'd got the best machine. He
knew it.
1.-THE boy leaned forward and his
eyes sparkled with the memory.
Plays Tricks on Fritz.
"Y'know what that son-of-a-gun didi
he'd lured me over their Arches.
First thing knew Il puff of shrapnel
left off below me, then one above, then
one on my port side. l turned her nose
up and got out of their reach. Mean.
time I'd lost sight of my Fritz.
'Then I got an idea. I began to
wabble around like was hit. Began
to fly like lame ducks was eagles com.
pared with me. And it worked. He
barged right out of nearby cloud
and opened up on me. l swung over
him-two struts and landing wire
cut clean off. l whirled-and let Liz.
zie sing her favorite hymn to him. He
swerved and began to settle. Then
his machine caught fire and began tc
whirl like falling leaf.
"Only then felt my arm stingine
and Il funny feeling across my back.
He'd got me with his first beltful.
II turned back toward home. Bout
twenty feet from the ground I lost
control-probably fainted-and ruined
our flower patch. Had bullet in arm
skin wound across the back anc
sprained leg in the bungled landing
That's what sent me over here.
"But let me tell you, old man-anG
put it in the paper-I wasn't fighting
that particular Fritz; it was the whole
outfit Of skunks that bomb defenseless
cities and kill women and children,
"Now let me buy you a drink fol
boring YOU"