The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-05-07

front line. No one noticed Lloyd's
white and drawn face.
After they had relieved the company
in the trenches, Lloyd, with two Of the
old company men, was put on guard In
one of the traverses. Not a shot was
fired from the German lines, and no
one paid any attention to him
crouched on the firing step.
a; On the first time in, a new recruit Is
not required to stand with his head
lover the top" He only "sits it out"
while the older men keep watch.
At about ten o'clock, all Of q sudden,
lie thought hell had broken loose, and
crouched and shivered up against the
;parapet. Shells started bursting, as he
imagined, right in their trench, when in
fact they were landing about a hum
Cred yards In e Of them, in the Sec
ond lines.
One Of the older men on guard, turn
ing to his mate, said: "
"There goes Fritz with those ID
trench mortars again. It's about time
our artillery tapped them, and sent
over a few. Well, I'll be ID,
where's that blighter Of q draft man
gone. tor There's his rife leaning
against the parapet. He must have
legged It. Just keep your eye peeled,
Dick, while I report it to the sergeant
I wonder If the fool knows he can be
shot for such tricks as leavin' his
post7"
Lloyd had gone. When the trench
mortars opened up, a m%addening ter
ror seized him and he wanted to run,
to get away from that horrible din,
anywhere to safety. So quietly sneak
ing around: the traverse, he came to the
entrance Of, a communication trench,
and ran madly and blindly down it.,
running into traverses, stumbling into
muddy holes, and falling full length
over trench grids.
: Cropping blindly, with his arms
stretched out In front of him, he at
last came out Of the trench into the
village, OF what used to be a village,
before the German artillery RACED it.
: Mixed with his fear, he had q pc
culiar sort Of cunning, which whis.
pered to him to avoid all sentries, be-
cause If they saw him he would be
sent back to that awful destruction in
the front line, and perhaps be killed
F.: or MANNED. The thought made him
; shudder, the cold sweat coming out In
beads on his face.
On his left, in the darkness, he could
make out the shadowy forms Of trees;
! crawling on his hands and knees, stop
/ ping and crouching with fear at each
/ shell.burst, he finally reached an old
| orchard and covered at the base Of q
| ~shot-scarred apple tree.
He remained there all night, listen
ing to the sound Of the guns and ever
praying, praying that his useless life
| would be spared.
As dawn began to break, he could
discern little dark objects %protruding
from the ground all about him. Curl.
oslty mastered his fear and he crawled
to one of the objects, and there, in the
uncertain. light, he read on a little
wooden cross: .
"Pte. 81. s. Wheaton, No. 1870, LIST
London Regt. r. F. Killed in action,
April Is, 1915. R. L p" Crest In
Peace). ~ - v.r
When It dawned on him that he had
been hiding all night In a cemetery
his reason seemed to leave him, and q
mad desire to be free from it all made
him rush madly away, falling over Lit.
tie wooden crosses, smashing some and
trsmpllng others under his feet.
In his flight he came to an ole
French dugout, half caved in and par.
' TALLY g. I'd with shiny and filthy wa.
ter. .-'
! Like q fox being chased by the
hounds, he ducKed into this hole, ana
threw himself on a pile Of old empty
.sandbags, wet and widowed. Then
Inconsistencies.
On the next day, he came to; far
distant voices sounded In his ears.
Opening his eyes, in the entrance OF
the dugout he saw a corporal and two
men with fixed bayonets.
The corporal was addressing hima
"(3et up, you white-livered blighter!
Curse you and the day you ever Joined
D company, spelling their fine rec
ord It'll be you up against the wall,
and q good job too. Get hold Of him,
men, and If he makes a break, give him
the bayonet, and send 1t home, the cow
ardly sneak. Come on, you, move,
we've been looking for you long
enough"
Lloyd, trembling and weakened by
his long fast, tottered out. assisted by
q soldier on each side Of him.
They took him before the captain,
but could get nothing out Of him but:
"F'or Gods sake, sir, don't have me
shot, don't have me shot"
rr. ---ksr ,.G&1-l- lscn11cfn6 with