Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-06-07
BRAVERY OF FOREFATHERS LIVES
AGAIN in DEEDS OF AMERICANS
Yankee Troops in France Laugh at Shell Fire. Jest at Shrapne
Spraying and Take Whatever Comes With Bold Courageous
Spirit That Makes Them nvincbe- Sergeant Braves
Death to Save His Horses.

quently filled with clouds or brlck DUST
and flying bits of masonry and steel.
Just then the great French guns be-
gan to add their boom to the din OF
the enemy artillery. One, two. three.
four, five and on up to twenty came
the ripping. tearing detOnatiOns. First
flash. then a whine, then spOngy
roar from somewhere lover there" In
the midst of the fanfare and scurry a
sergeant-and 1t is permissible. to state
that he came from MissOuri-stepped
up to the captain, who was directing
his men to places of safety or to
neighbOring sections, and said:
There are so horses in a very dam
gerOus position. What shall be done
with them?"
1T is too dangerous to risk trip
leave them"
Refuses to Desert Horses.
The sergeant paused moment. A
look Of disappointment came into his
eyes. l learned later that he has al
ways loved horses.
II can get them out" he said. look
ing the captain straight In the eye.
There was no further conversation.
The sergeant trotted off up the street
into what might well have been the
pit of death. He disappeared around
q slight curve. A few minutes later
he came into view again behind a gal
Looping string of horses which shot off
into field to Join a pack of mules
which slowly and with traditional per-
versity had been moving nearer the
spot where shells were falling with
greatest frequency.
And over in the batteries, around
which shells had been falling for sew
eral hours. the artillerymen had taken
to their dugOuts, where they were sit
ting about like gnOmes with their gas
masks in position. Gas shells had been
dropping all about them, but fortunate
ly the wind was such as to Whit 1t
away from them.
With others moved down the road
a few hundred feet and entered a graz
ing field. where I stood with about
30 boys from various parts of the
United States. We could see the Ger
man shells falling not far away and
could see the flash and hear the boom
of the allied guns.
Gazing at the people moving across
the fields. a soldier from Chicago-in
every regiment there are men from
practically every state and every big
city back home-said sententiously:
IF the people at home could see this
and then realize that their own IA
Tiers, mothers and children'll get the
same thing If the Germans amt licked
l guess we'd have an army of twenty
million. huhw
Shortly there was a lull in the fight
ing. In the period Of quiet which came
there was q release Of the tension
which had been quite successfully
camouflaged. Everyone broke out in
comment. much as does a person who
has just come through a painful dental
operation.
whats the news from back home ?"
one of the privates asked me.
what do you want to hear about?"
asked.
HAS Grover Alexander gone in the
army?"
"Where'd they bury Bob Fitzsim-
mOns2"
did Teddy Roosevelt get over that
operation"
rs 1t true they've cut down the sal.
aries OF baseball players"
Just News From Home Wanted.
These four questions came quickly
from four different soldiers and when
they were answered the boys seemed
satisfied that everything at home is
all right.
Unimportant subjects were dropped
instantly when a shell spattered up
the earth a few hundred feet away,
causing everyone to move to a new
region. In a minute the bOmbardment
was fiercer than before. Down In the
narrow valley Immediately in the path
Of the shells flight five Frenchmen