Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-05-24

When I'm talking to you, pay atten.
tion.'
my heart sank. Supposing he had
rumbled that tapping, then all would
be up with our plan. I stopped drum.
ming with my fingers and said:
"'Beg your pardon, sir, just habit
with me-
"'And id silly one, too he an.
swered, turning to his glasses again
and l knew I was safe. He had not
tumbled to the meaning of that tan.
ping.
"All at once, without turning round,
he exclaimed:
"'Well, Of all the nerve I've ever run
across, this takes the cake. Those
" - Boches are using that road
again. Blind my eyes, this time it is a
whole brigade of them, transports and
all. What pretty target for our
'4.5's.' The beggars know that we
won't fire. A ID shame, I call it.
Oh, just for chance to turn D 23S
loose on them
II was trembling with excitement.
From repeated stolen glances at the
captains range chart, that road with
Its range was burned into my mind.
lover the wire tapped, ID 238 bat
terry, Target II, Range 5000, 3 degrees
80 minutes, left, salvo, fire. Cassell
y. KID my message, and with the re-
ceiver pressed against my ear, I wait
ed and listened. In a couple of min
utes very family over the wire came
the voice of our battery commander
issuing the order: d 238 battery.
Salvo! Fire!'
"Then a roar through the receiver
as the four guns belched forth. a
screaming and whistling overhead, and
the shells were on their way.
The captain jumped as If he were
SHOT, and let out great big expressive
On, and eagerly turned his glasses
IN the direction of the German road.
l also strained my eyes watching that
target. Four black clouds of dust rose
up right in the middle of the German
column. Four direct hits-another
record for D 238.
THE shells kept on whistling over
mead, and I had counted twenty-four
VI them when the firing suddenly
ceased. When the smoke and dust
CLOUDS lifted the destruction on that
ROAD was awful. Overturned limbers
ana guns, wagons smashed up, troops
neelng in all directions. The road and
ROADSIDE were spotted all over with
niue neld gray dots, the toll of our
guns.
Inc captain, in his excitement. had
silpped off the sandbag, and was on
MS knees In the mud, the glass still at
MS eye. He was muttering to himself
ana Shaping his thigh with his olsen
gagged hand. At every slap a big
round juicy cuss word would escape
from his lips followed by:
Good! Fine! Marvellous! Pretty
Work! Direct hits ALL
Ihen he turned to me and shouted:
Wilson, what do you think of #?
Uio you ever see the like of it in your
ii1er D"n fine work, call it,
Fretty soon look of wonder stole
over his face and he exclaimed:
But who in HI gave them the
order to fire. Range and everything
correct, too. know I didn't. Wilson,
ulo give you any order for the bat
terry to open up? Of course I didn't.
did II
L answered very emphatically, No,
Sir you gave no command. Nothing
went through this post. 1 am abso-
lutely certain on that point, SIR
VI course nothing went through
ne replied. Then his face fell. and he
muttered out loud:
But, by Jovc, wait till Old Pen
per gets wind of this. There'u he fnr
flying
Just then Bombardier Casseu cut in
on the wire:
Generals compliments to CAPTAIN
y. He directs that officer and sig
naler report at the double to brigade
headquarters as soon as relieved. Re-
lief now on the way
IN an undertone to me, Keen q
'rass front, Wilson, and for Gods
'ake' stick I answered with, Rely on
ne, mate but was trembling all over
1 gave the generals message to the
'apto'n' and started packing up.