The Mena weekly star., 1918-06-27
1AdiIhE GUNNER SERVING IN FRANCE
Continued from last week.

good pay"
 He very seldom read the papers. but one momentous morning the landlady mt the morning paper at his place be- fore he came down to breakfast. Tax ing his seat he read the fiaring head line. transcription Bill Passed" and nearly tainted. Excusing himself, he stumbled upstairs to his bedroom, with the horror of it gnawing into his vitals.
 Having saved up few pounds. he sham sickness, so he stayed in his room and had the landlady serve his meals there.
 Every time there was knock at the door he trembled all over. imagining 1t was policeman who had come to take him away to the army.
 One morning his fears were realized. Sure enough, there stood policeman gith the fatal paper. Taking 1t in his trembling hand he read that he, Albert Lloyd, was ordered to report himself to the nearest recruiting station for physical examination. He reported im- mediately, because he was afraid to disobey.
 The doctor looked with approval upon Lloyd's six feet of physical per lection, and thought what a fine guardsman he would make, but exam lined his heart twice before he passed him as physically fit;" it was beating 'so fast
 From the recruiting depot Lloyd was taken, with many others. in charge of Ia sergeant. to the training depot at All kershot, where he was given an outfit .of khaki, and drew his other equip 'ment. He made fine-looking soldier, except for the slight shrinking in his shoulders and the hunted look in his eyes.
 At the training depot 1t does not take long to find out mans character. and Lloyd was promptly dubbed windy" In the English army windy" means cowardly.
 The smallest recruit in the barracks looked on him with contempt, and was not slow to show 1t in many ways.
 Lloyd was a good soldier, learned quickly, obeyed every order promptly. never aroused at the hardest fatigues. He was afraid to. He lived In deadly fear of the officers and ''noncoms" over him. They also despised him.
 One morning about three months after his enlistment Lloyds 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 snartly. two paces to the front and answer chserfully, Here, sir as the others did. He just faint cd in the ranks and was carried to bar racks amid the sneers of the rest.
 That night was an agony of misery 10 him. He could not sleep. Just cried and whimpered in his bunk, because on the morrow the draft was to sail TOT France, where he would see death on all sides, and perhaps be killed him eeif. On the steamer. crossing the enamel. he would have jumped over board to escape, but was afraid of drowning.
 Arriving In France. he and the rest were huddled into cattle cars. On the Side of each appeared in white letters, Hommes 40, Chevaux &" After hours pumping over the uneven French roadbeds they arrived at the training base of Kouen
 Al thls place t'ey were ut,t through a week V ri,,,o tr..i,.t,.,. ,. .... are. On the morning of the eighth uay they paraded at ten o'clock, and were inspected and passed by General h-, then were marched to the quar- "Nlaasters, to draw their gas helmets ana trench equipment.
 At four in the afternoon they were agnn hustled into cattle cars. This s'he tine journey lasted two days. 1ney disembarked at the town of Ere vent and could hear distant dull Dooming. With knees shaking, Lloyd ashed the sergeant what the noise was, anu nearly dropped when the sergeant replied in somewhat bored tone:
 oh, them's the guns up the line. ~eH De up there in couple O days VI SO Don't worry, my laadie. you'll see more of 'em than you want before gou eet ome to Blighty again, that is, you're lucky enough to get back. w" lend hand there unloadin' them saIs, and quit that everIastln' shakin'. lA believe yer scared" The last with a eontemptuous sheer.
 They marched ten kilos. full mack. V U little dilapidated village, and the seunu of the guns grew louder, con stantly louder.
 Aae village was full of soldiers who turned out to inspect the new draff, une men who were shortly to be their mates IT the trenches, for they were solag up the line" on the morrow, to 'ase over" their certain sector of trenches.
 ne araft was paraded in front of suseaiion headquarters and the men were assigned to companies.
 n Lloyd was the only man assigned to
 company. Perhaps the officer in sn"fge of the draft had something to uo with 1t, for he called Lloyd aside
 Lloyd. you are going to a new com y % No one knows you. Your bed ,n pc as you make 1t, so for Gods s'Ae, brace up and be a man. I think Eou nave the stun in you, my boy. % AOou-ey and the best of luck to you.-
 U rtas