The daily Alaskan., 1917-06-07
A War
 Masquerader
By DUDLEY CHADBoURNE

| During the second year of the aw- ful world war went to Canada and enlisted there in the tn Canadian infantry. In due time the regiment was sent to Flanders and participated in the fighting that resulted from the German effort to occupy Calais, l was early made a noncommissioned officer and by the beginning of the third year of the war commanded my company. This was due to the fact that the officers were killed off and l was In line for promotion.
 During the first great retreat of the Germans-I mean the one of March, l9lT-my regiment was among those that were pushing the enemy as 1t fell back. One night, as we were hanging on the German rear, out of the darkness came.a man, running for dear life, followed by shots from the eastward. After getting into our lines and recovering breath from his run he told us in broad Yorkshire dialect that he had been living in Germany when the war opened, had been forced to join the army and hsd been long watching for an opportunity to join his own countrymen. He wished to enlist at once and fight for the allied cause.
 I reported the case to headquarters and was directed to enlist the man in my company. I did so, and he joined US under the name of George Calkins' He seemed quite willing to do what was required of him, but showed great stupidity. He explained his inability to understand our way of doing things by saying that all he knew about mill tary matters he had learned from Ger man instructors.
 Of course !n such fighting as was taking place at the time there was great disorder. Men were disappear Ing from the ranks every day, many of them unaccounted for. l missed Calkins, but did not learn whether he had been killed or wounded or was simply among the throng of missing.
 My regiment, being on the extreme l south of the British line, would occa- sIonally get mixed in the heat of bat tie with the French troops. One day when one of our many attacks on the Germans had been repulsed and we were being driven back in some disor- der mingling with a number Of French troops, I found myself retreat ing by the side of a French soldier who looked enough like Calkins to be his twin brother. Being sure that he was Calklns himself, said to him:
 Hello, Calkins! thought you were dead" ,
 He was about to reply when one of his comrades said something to him, to which he replied in the French Ian guage.
 Here was a surprise-an uncouth, stupid Yorkshire man who spoke 1 French, Considering that he had \ come to us from the enemy, at once | grew suspicious and would have warn | ed his French comrades against htm had there been any opportunity to do so. But when heavy fighting is going on opportunities to do ordinary things are not likely to occur. Before could sav anything more to Calkins or to any one about him, presto, a force from the rear was pushed forward to cover our retreat. We were gathered in and showed toward the enemy.
 The next time I crossed Calklns' path was one night when word was nassed that the brigade to which my regiment belonged was about to attack a weak spot in the German army. It vns reported to the officers that Massachusetts Yankee who had been caught in Germany when the war broke out had come through their lines and had told of some ground they oc- I cupIed in which a mere cOrpOraPs guard had been left to keep fires burn ing while their comrades were retreat ing. The general commanding had or dered an attack made, under the Nan- kee's guidance, on this evacuated po- sitlon.
 While we were forming for the pur- 1 pose our guide was pointed out to me. 1 What was my astOnishment to see Calkins! It occurred to me that the man. whether English, French or Yan- kee. was a German spy and was about to lead us into a trap. I approached him and heard him speaking to the otti- cer who was to lead the attack, and be used the dialect of a Massachusetts farmer. He had not noticed my ap- proach. and I suddenly called from be- hind him:
 "Calkinsw
 He turned, and, seeing me. all color left his face.
 General" I said to the officer he was talking to, If you follow that man to the enemy's lines you'll never return"
 I then gave an account how the man had come in as a deserter from the enemy, how he had enlisted in my company, how he had pretended stu pidity. Then I told of having met him among the French. ,
 MT. CauSins, Yorkshireman, alias MT. Peabody. Yankee-I never heard his