Evening star., 1917-12-12
TALES FROM front
ABOUT US. TROOPS
Little Stories Show Lighter
Side of Life in Trenches of
the American Sector.
BY THOMAS NJ. JOHNSON.

Copyright, 1917. All rights ressrved.l
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE. November 7s.--Here are a
few little stories that have come back
from the trenches of the American
sector. They may help TO give some
idea OF how our men are getting along
up there and to show that life within
a few hundred yards of the enemy
has it's lighter side.
An officer was posting his men one
night in the listening-in posts, little
holes in the ground out in advance OF
our front-line trench. where. alone IN
no mans land, the soldier watches and
waits. eagerly listening to see what
the boche may be up to. tie assignee q
a certain private to the same post ne
had occupied for several nights. be-
cause this seemed to be man especiai-
ly alert and with Keen ears. TO ms
surprise the soldier saluted and asked
permission to take an AK out with him.
why, what do you want with an az
out there?" inquired the officer;
We'll. sir" answered the soldier, evil
IDENTIFY somewhat embarrassed, there s
| an old stump out there about nifty
feet from my post. know its p
stump because I've seen 1t in the early
morning. when the light is good, but
about 2 o'clock in the morning wnen
/ L
doesn't seem to be man with spikeu
| helmet, and it's got branch on II. SIT.
| that looks Just like n rifle know IL
| a stump, SIR, but when it gets looking
like that it's all can do to keep from
letting loose at it. I'd like to take an
AK and cut the blame thing down.
| A mule driver carrying suppIfes VI
| to the trenches had to drive over
section of road behind the lines ina
! the Germans had shelled heavily dur
| ing the day. An hour after he hat
started from the American suppl,
base he returned and ruefuily report
| ed that he had driven into sheiihol'
| in the darkness and his wagon was
| wreck, an axle broken, a wheel smash
ed and half his load dumped in th'
mud and ruined
| why didn't you have a man walk
1 ing ahead to warn You when you wer'
| coming TO n shell hole. as you were
| told? asked the captain in command
| "T did, SIR" answered the soldier
| well. didn't he find the shell hole?
asked the captain.
Yes, sir. he found It," was the sol
1 dier's reply: "he fell in first and go
his mouth SO full of mud he couldn'
| warn me-"
An Impatient Infantryman.
| On the first night that certai,
| company had been in the trenches tn
commander, after posting all his men
thoroughly inspecting ms POSITION an
| taking every possible precautiol
against attack. had stretched hlmsel
/ upon the cot in his dueout and wa
/ about to fall asleep when there cam
a knock at the dugout door. Wit
visions of all kinds of trouble, tn
captain sprang to his feet callin
Come in!'' There entered a very youn
soldier with a determined expression o
the set face beneath his brown stee
helmet.
Sir" he said. saluting and standin
rigidly at attention, "Fd like permis
sion to go and fire on the Germa
lines"
Fire on the German lines" repeat
ed the captain in amazement. Fo
heavens sake. what for?"
We'll, SIR said the young soldie
earnestly, i've got to do something fo
my country. sir-and don't you thin
we ought to let them boches kno,
| we're here, siry'
It was with real regret that the car
tain had to deny the request, and h
| will long remember the disappointe
expression on the youngsters face a
he saluted and withdrew. Since thel
be it said, he has had his chance to Il
the "boches" know he was there.