Oxford eagle., 1918-07-18

Lloyd was q good soldier, learned
| quickly, obeyed every order promptly,
never groused at the hardest fatigues.
He was afraid to. He lived In deadly
fear of the officers and "noncoms'' over
him. They also despised him. 1 =
One morning about three months
after his enlistment Loyd's company
was paraded, and the names picked out
for the next draft TO France were read.
When his name was called, he did not
step out smartly. two PAGES to the
front. and answer cheerfuIly, Here.
SIR" as the others did. He Just faint
ed In the ranks and was carried to bar
racks amid the sneers Of the rest.
That night vas an agony OF misery
to him. He could not sleep. Just cried
and whlmpered In bis bunk. because
on the morrow the drift was TO sail
for France, where he would see death
on all sides, and perhaps be killed him
self. On the steamer, crossing the
channel, he would have jumped over
board 10 escape. but was afraid Of
drowning. l1s Es gree esGst
Arriving 10 France. he and the rest
were huddled into cattle cars On the
side OF each appeared In white letters.
.Hommes 10. Cheyaux s. After hours
OF pumping over the uneven French
roadbeds they arrived at the training
base ~ Rouen. @-i
AT this place they were put through
o weeks rigid trsiningzin trench war
fare. On the murr,rS OF the eighth
day they paraded at ten o'clock. and
were Inspected and passed by Generra
H.. then were marched te the quar-
terIuasser's. ~ draw their gss helmets
and tresea --qasrnept. --.-s.s-
AT four In the afternoon they were
again hustled into cattle cars. This
time the journey lasted two days.
They disenbarked at the town OF Ere
seat saa e.sld -isesr-a distant .l,sii
booming. With knees shaking. Lloyd
asked s.he eesre~as svAat The sssse ives.
and nearly dropped when the sergeant
replied in a somewhat bored tone:
.Oh. them's the guns up the line.
Wen be ~ there In . couple O. days
or so. -Dont wor1y. my laddle. you'll
seq more Of 'em than you want before
yuu get ONE TO Blighv again. that is.
I II you're lucky enough 10 Eet back.
+ Now lend a hand there unioadin' them
ears. and quit that everlastin' shakin'.
i believe yer scared" The last with q
I cOntemptuous sneer.
They marched ten kilos. full pack,
TO little dilapidated village. and the
sound OF the guns grew louder. con.
staRtly louder.
I The village was full Of soldiers who
turned out to inspect the new draft
the men who were shortly to be their
mates in the trenches, for they were
going up the line" on the morrow, tC
"take over" their certain sector OF
trenches.
The draft was paraded In front OF
battalion headquarters and the mer
We're assigned TO companies.
| Lloyd was the only man assigned 4
D company. Perhaps the officer il
charge of the draft had something [,
do with 1t, for he called Lloyd asid,
and said:
Lloyd. you are going to a new com
pany. No one knows you. Your be-
will be as you make 1t. so for Godi
sake, brace up and be man. i thinl
you have the stun IN you. my boy, s.
good-by and the best Of luck to you"
The next day the battalion took owe
their part OF the trenches, 1t happene,
TO be very quiet day. The artfiier,
behind the lines was stilI. except 70
na occasional shell sant. over TO Let tn
csrmans-kn know the xunners we're no
asleep.
In the darkness. in single fle, tn
company slowly wended their wa
down the coninunicatton trench to tn
front line. No one noticed lloyd
: white and drawn face-
After they had relieved the compan
, In the trenches. Lloyd. With two Of IN
! old company men. was put on guard 4
one Of the uavsrses. Not shot wa
fred from the German lines. and n
) one paid any attention to hir
crouched on the firing step. -
I On the first time In, a new recruit
: not required 10 stand with his hea
: "over the top" He only "sits II out
: while the older men keep watch.
: At about ten o'clock, all Of a suddel
d he thought hell had broken loose, an
e crouched and shivered up against u
!, parapet. Shells started bursting as
s ifnagtsedr right In their trench, when
fact they were landing about a hui
Q dred yards in rear Of them. in the 80
Of ono lines.
n One Of the older men on guard, tur
8 ing TO his mate, said:
There goes Fritz with those D.
Q trench mortars again. ia about tn
Il our artillery taped' them, and ses
q over a few. Well, I'll be d
u where's that bnghter Of a draft ms
l gone tor There's his rife leani,
q against the parapet. He must ha,
3 legged II. Just keep your eye pseIs
Z Dick. while report II 10 the sergeas
= wondar n ths fpoi -knors he can |
v ehof fer such tffezzs - lsssszs !
y pQE4K