The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-08-16
CHAPTER vI-continued.

s.
The lieutenant came back with tn,
stretcher bearers and he asked one o.
them, so the boy could not hear him, il
the boy would live.
The stretcher bearer said: 81 dom
think so. One through his chest ant
right leg broken"
The boy had kept quiet for a while
but all of a sudden he yelled, "Give me
n cigarette I handed him a ciga-
rette butt that had found in the dug
out. We were all out of cigarettes
So they lit it for him and he kept
quiet. AS soon as they could they got
around the corner of the fire bay with
him and through a communication
trench to field hospital. The lieu
tenant and / walked little way with
him and he began to thank us, and he
told the lieutenant, "Old man, you
have been father and a mother to
me"
And the lieutenant said to him {:
You have done well, old boy. You
have done more than your share"
When they started into the commu-
Diration trench the boy began to
scream again. And the lieutenant
acted like wild man. He took out
dis cigarette case, but there were no
cigarettes in it, and then he swore and
put it back again. But in a few min
Utes he had the case out again and
was swearing worse than ever and
talking to himself.
'AThe boy isn't dying like gentle
man." he said. "Why couldn't he keep
quiet" I do not think he meant it.
He was all nervous and excited and
putting it back again.
The other officer had gone on to in
spect the sentries when the boy rolled
Into the trench and a poilu came up
to tell us that the officer had been hit.
We walked back to where l had been
and there was the officer. If / had
been there I would have got it too,
L guess. He was an awful mess. The
veins were sticking out of his neck /
and one side of him was blown off. |
Also. his foot was wounded. That is |
what shrapnel does to you. As I |
crawled past him 1 happened to touch |
his foot and he cursed me all over the
place. But when l tried to say was
sorry / could not, for then he apollo
gized and died a moment later.
There was a silver cigarette case
sticking out of the rags where his
side had been blown away and the
lieutenant crossed himself and reached
In and took out the case. But when
he pried open the case he found that
1t had been bent and cracked and all
the cigarettes were soaked with blood.
He swore worse than ever, then, and
threw his own case away, putting the
other officers case in his pocket.
AT this point our own artillery be-
gan Smelling and we received the order
10 stand to with fixed bayonets. When
we got the order to advance some of
The men were already over the para.
pet and the whole bunch after them,
md, believe me, / was as pale as
sheet, just scared to death. / think
every man Is when he goes over for
he first time-every time for that
natter. But was glad we were going
10 get some action, because it is hard
md have nothing to do. / had all l
,ould do to hold my rife.
We ran across No Mans Land. /
.annot remember much about it. But
when we got to the German trench
fell on top of young fellow and my
'ayonet went right through him. 1t
Eas crime to get him, at that. He
ms 40 delicate as a Mcneil
When 1 got back to our trenches
Ifter my first charge could not sleep
or long time afterward, for remein-
,ering what that fellow looked like
md how my bayonet slipped into him
nd how he screamed when he fell. Z
lie had his legs and his neck twisted
Inder him after he got it. l thought
bout 1t lot and it got to be almost 8
habit that whenever / was going to
leep 1 would think about him and
hen all hope of sleeping was gone. il
Our company took German trench d
hat time and along with another n
Ompany four hundred prisoners. We s.
ad to retire because the men on our n
ldes did not get through and we q
'ere being fianked. But we lost lot
{ men doing it. "
When we returned to our trenches Al
n outfit was simply all in and we :"
IRE lying around in the front line, a
Re Z bunch of old rags in q narrow Z
hey. None Of US showed any signs al
| life except working party that *
n digging with picks and shovels at u
me bodies that had been frozen into
le nyss u he trench. ~