The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1917-03-27
THE FENCING MASTER
(By Patrick McGilD


genat and blew his whistle and we had
been working since dawn OF the fields
by LaBassee digging trenches. Across
the road was an estimanet; and, ac-
companied by my mate Spudhole, l
made my way to the place hoping that
I could get something tasty.
The estaminent was crowded and we
made our way to low rooted room
at the rear and here we found two
persons, a man and woman. The wo-
man was sweating over stove, frying
outlets; the man was sitting on the
floor peeling potatoes into large buc-
ket He was a thick set lump Of a
fellow with long, hairy arms, dark
heavy eyebrows, set firm over sharp
inQuistive eyes, a snub nose and a long
scar stretching from the butt Of his
left ear up to the eye almost. He wore
a nondescript pair Of loose, baggy trous-
ers, fragment Of a shirt and pair
Of bedroom slippers. He peeled the
potatoes with knife, a long, rapier-
like instrument which he handled with
marvellous dexterity.
1.EDigging trenches?' he asked, hurl-
ing potato into the bucket and splash
ing water all over us. I understood
yes.
"But the Boche will never get as
far as here unless as prisoners said
the man.
"They may thrust us back, - said,
cone never knows.'
e'Thrust us back! Never!' A pota-
to swept into the bucket with a whiz
come. Why? The big English guns
and the many shells. And then there 3
the IS, the little love. The beautiful
gun, one of the best. It s the very
devil when it starts. Pip. Pip. Pip.
Four shells in the air one behind the
other. Nothing can stand them.
Bomb! one lands in the German trench.
Run. Some go right, some go left. The
second shot lands on the right, the
third on the left and the fourth fin
ishes the work The dead are many.
Other guns are good, but none as good
as the U.s.
"What about the gun that sent this
over?' AS I spoke | pointed to the
percussion cap Of one of the gigantic
shells with which the germans raked
La Passe road in the early stages of
the war, what time the enemy s enthu-
siasm for destruction had not the nice
discrimination which permeates it now.
The remnant on the mantlepiece, the
remnant Of mammoth Krupp design,
was cast off by shell in the road OPP
posite the door.
g. great gun, the one that sent
that,' said the Frenchman digging
the clay from the eyes Of potato and
looking at the percussion cap on the
ture Of the Virgin and Child. ''But
compared to the Is it is nothing. The
big shell comes with a boom! It is
in no hurry. You hear it and you
are into your dugout before it arrives.
It is like the thunder which you hear
and you are in shelter when the rain
comes But the IS is lightning. It
comes silently, quicker than it's own
sound.''
EDO your work here?' I asked.
81 work here'' said the potato peel
Gin the coal mine across there''2
asked, &
"Not in a coal mine,' was the ans
wer. q peel potatoes
"Always?'
Sometimes said the man. ct an
back now on ten days. leave from
the trenches. First time since las
summer I just got back this morn
ing.'}'
"Oh,' I calculated. "Then yo1
have seen some fghting?''
"Fighting,' said the man, eyes,
little. =
Gin fact great AMOUNT His eye
lit up as with fire and he sent a potat
stripped clean Of it's jacket up to tn
roof, but with such precision that
dropped down again, straight into tn
bucket. II was in it at the beginnin
when we went south and the German
came across up north. It was tut
about and up again like mad, perche
on timbers, taxis, ambulance wangon
anything. We got into the battle ne:
Paris. The Boches came in cluster
they covered the ground like flies on tt
dead in the summertime The IS can
into work there. It was wonderful.
Pip Pip. Pip. Men were cut dow