Gilpin observer., 1918-07-11

our 'wings"-a qualification which
must be won before a member Of the
h. F. @. Is allowed to hunt the Huns
on the western front.
This was in May, 1917.
By August 1, most Of us were full
fiedged pilots, actively engaged at vari-
GUS parts Of the line in daily conflict
with the enemy.
By December 10, every man jack of
us who had met the enemy in France,
with one exception, had appeared on
the casualty list. The exception was
81. K. Boysen, an American, who at
last report was fighting on the italian
front still unscathed. Whether his
good fortune has stood him up to this
time don't know. but II it has would
be very much surprised.
OF the others, five wefe killed in ac-
tion-three Americans, one Canadian,
and one Englishman. Three more were
in all probability killed in action al
though officially they are listed merely
as missing" One Of these was an
American. one Canadian. and the
third a Scotchman. Three more, two
Of them Americans, were seriously
wounded. Another, q Canadian, is a
prisoner in Germany. know nothing
of the others.
What happened to me Is narrated in
these pages. wish, instead, I could
tell the story Of each Of my brave COM
rades, for not one Of them was downed,
1 am sure, without upholding the best
traditions Of the R. F. @. Unfortunate
ly, however, of the eighteen who
sailed on the Meganic last May,
happened to be the first to fall into
the hands Of the Huns, and what befell
my comrades after that, with one ex-
ception, know only second hand.
The exception was the case Of poor
brave Paul Raney-my closest chum-
whose last battle witnessed from my
German prison-but that is story l
shall tell in its proper place.
In one way, however. I think the
story of my own "big adventure" and
my miraculous escape may, perhaps,
serve purpose as useful as that of
the heroic fate Of my less fortunate
comrades. Their story, it is true, might
inspire others to deeds of heroism,
but mine, 1 hope, will convey the
equally valuable lesson Of the folly
of despair.
Many were the times in the course
OF my struggles when it seemed abso-
lutely useless to continue. In hostile
country, where discovery meant death,
wounded. sick, famished, friendless,
hundreds of miles from the nearest
neutral territory the frontier of which
was SO closely guarded that even If I
got there 1t seemed too much to hone
that l could ever get through, what
was the use Of enduring further
agony?
And yet here I am, in the land of
in q somewhat OBJ
scure corner Of 1.-THE little town of
Momence, ILL.,, where was born-not
very much the worse for wear after all
I've been through, and. as I write these
words not eight months have passed
since my seventeen comrades and
sailed from Canada on the Meganic.
Can 1t be possible that was spared
to convey message of hope to others
i
am afraid there will be many Of them.
Years ago 1 heard of the epitaph
which Is said to have been found on a
child's grave:
If was SO soon to be done for
What, o Lord. was ever begun fort"
The way 1t has come to me since I
returned from Europe is:
''If. o Lord, I was to be done for.
What were my sufferlngs e'er begun
forT
Perhaps the answer lies in the sug-
gestion have made.
At any rate, If this record of my ad-
ventures should prove instrumental in
sustaining others who need encourage
ment, shall feel that my sufferings
were not In vain.
1t Is hardly likely that anyone will
quite duplicate my experiences, but
haven't the slightest doubt that many
will have to go through trials equally
nerve-racklng and suffer disappoint-
ments just as disheartening.
1t would be very far from the mark
to imagine that the optimism which I
am preaching now SO glibly sustained
me through all my troubles. On the
contrary, I am free to confess that I
frequently gave way to despair and
often. for hours Mt a time, felt so de-
1ected and discouraged that I really
didn't care what happened to me. In
deed. I rather hoped that something
would happen to put an end to my
misery.
But despite all my despondency and
hopelessness, the worst never hap
pened. and I can't help thinking that
my salvation must have been designed
to show the way to others.