Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-21
sITMEES' GUNS KEEP
e11SY ON TRENCH FRONT
,,,ful Americans Quick to
"', Omen Fire When Oppor-
tunity Presents
rroos SUCCEED LULLS
Rv J. w. PEGLER

.y,CAN PATTALIONS IN THE
WITH A%INE ZINE TRENCHES, France
From
NasgIng NO. ditch, walled in with hand
"e - kbaki-clad Sammees standing
.'' ,be firing step-this is America ''S'
'nu !, winds like a brown scar aero, across In, .me
,,e hill Sammees peering eau
face .or the pararet have an unob-
tcusis .,o,v across valley to where the
m a's. is sulking in his own iro"'-'ine
u,nches s,ort line in the land branch
Ameri.", ,,,a for democracy isn't just
q the r. the uninitiated IL is laby-
pain dneu, .,.,e,s and turns and holes and
rinth Oh Dat 70 Sammee 1t Is as simple as
mounos' hack home. He knows every
Main SUI. s.'.r,, traverse every listening post
dueout e,.'S -, the "fre-step" at one place
tano.ns n,c,, beside a Nebra askan soldier
. n the ~. eves across Death Valley to
'traneus ~ -, enemy holds forth. II was dark
,nee nss ,arn. Weeds run wild lot tnree
nni i,,yuriated there. a battered village
YEA midway. awaiting the oay oil leuid'lia- ,i.
aV In front of smasheo iai''i''ou'e oi'e
noI n, coo a rusted plow.
Il rula ~ s,iII Not a sign OF movement
II was n,.ybere. Nothing moved over
how ,be German trenches were.
rocuEs SENT sCURRYING
s,sasn,y an American gun cracked twice:
r.,us sbuffled instantaneous eyer US anu
Il shes "a cover there" in wriggly puff
deonaeI perhaps unseen Boches were
ball rr,inp underground by its wicked
tagnents' -,,,,.- e., r,;dair. was struck
CIV, tbis shrapnel. He dropped to
~ earth like a plummet. At.
II me mesa ro. amt any use writing about that
.on,e folks" said the tall Nebraska
\ ',iisr stv "They wouldn't believe me II l
4 told Il to EN- .,o Nobr,eL., observed
AZ .n,,ont . in the rank grass and weeds
noseb ,ba American entangiements. He
sn"ss ,aken his eyes off No Mans Land
u nsu" .,ae steadied his figure tensed, then
relaxed. o,,o-,, soc ;,,s,
80" doe-emerged, paused inquiringly, his
p.afoot lifted with the graceful gesture
I, oo,re nointer forebear'S blood had be
s~ss.hed' him and then he loped from Ger
many TO the United states
Us dropped into the American lines, his
4 ,al wagging the signal OF kamerad' lie
| r,s adopted on the spot
W. nassed on down the trench A Mem
/ ,Ais Tenn, machine gunner was our next
''aqa,",a"ar aThsrs are plenty Of ducks in DEATH
v.ii,," he volunteered, after some one hat
nsn,ioned the crow incident. There's q
mali lake midway over No Mans Land
md they gather around there
From somewhere an American rifle
.,,rked the deep stiffness, and then quiet
kted down again.
.a1 ~ lou ~
the trench. ,
As we stopped there came abruptly the
uumstakable whstling of shells: then in
tantly three bangs as the three shots
rruck hundred yards away near the first
line There were no casualties.
sAMMEES TAKE Up CHALLENGE
Immediately the American guns took NJ
he challenge measure fer measure. Thei
\ was quiet again.
That brief interchange suggested inquir.
Is to what took place in the iirst lines whel
shells came over. A Wyoming boy proud,
showed his dugout.
1T accommodates thrty-eight of us als'
4 million rats" he remarked with grin
"And forgot the dozen or so cats"
We passed still further along-and go
BY a machine-gun post just in time to Sc
The little death-dealer rattle a lively bar
rage over against a German village whe1
the Boches were seen to be hanging out thei
thrts on a clothesline. The Huns fled
having their laundry
Reaching the end of the American sector
We turned to the rear. A tomblikc still
ness regned al that moment. 1t was s
quiet that the loudest sound was the waite
tashlng and swishing under the duck
boards Qatttice work pavements) beneat
our feet.
Half an hour later the lull was broker
The 'Boches started a sudden spasm o
arilerying. They hurled fifty shrapne
ihells with drumiire speed-twenty-fve
minute perhaps Distant thumps and re
iashes near us showed the American gu
Wiey sent painstakngly in reply.
Then 1t was still again.