The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1918-05-17
CHAPTER x-Continued.

We had a sergeant In our battalion
named Warren. He was on duty with
his platoon In the fire trench one after
noon when orders came up from the
rear that he had been granted seven
days leave for Buehty. and would be
relieved at i've O'Clock to proceed to
England.
He was dckled to death at these
welcome t1dings and regaled his more
or les envious mates beside him on
the IRE step with the good times In
store for him. He figured II out that
In two days time he would arrive at
Waterloo station. London, and then
seven days bliss!
At about five minutes to I'VE he
started to fldget with his rife, and
then suddenly springing up on the dre
step with q muttered, I'll send over
q couple of souvenirs to Fritz 80 that
he'll miss me when I leave" he stuck
his rifle over the top and fired two shots
when ~crack" went bullet and he
tumDled of the step, fell into the mud
Mt the bottom Of the trench. and lay
still in a huddled heap with a bullet
hole In his forehead.
At about the time he expected to ar
rive at Waterloo station he was laid
to rest in a little cemetery behind the
lines. He had gone to Blighty.
In the trenches one can never tell
1t Is not safe to plan very far ahead.
After "stand down" the men sit on
the fire step or repair to their respec-
tive dugOuts and wait for the "rum is
sue" to materialize. Immediately fol-
lowing the rum comes breakfast,
brought up from the rear. Sleeping is
then In order unless some special work
turns up.
Around 80 dinner shows up.
When this is eaten the men try to
amuse themselves until "tea" appears
at about four o'clock. then "stand to-
and they carry on as before.
While In rest billets Tommy gets up
shout six In the morning, washes up,
answers roll call, is inspected by his
platoon officer, and has breakfast. At
B AS he parades (drills) with his COM
pany or goes on fatigue according to
the orders which have been read out
by the orderly sergeant the night pre-
vious
missed, has his dinner and is ION his |
own" for the remainder Of the day,
unless he has clicked for q digging or |
party, and SO 1t goes on from |
lay to day. always looping the loop" |
and looking forward to peace and |
Sometimes, while engaged in a |
scootie" hunt, you think. Strange to |
say, but 1t Is fact, while Tommy is
his shirt serious thoughts
come to him. Many a time, when per-
forming this operation, L have tried
% figure out the outcome Of the war
Ind what will happen to me.
My thoughts generally ran In this
.hannel:
Will emerge safely from the next
lttack? If do will skin through the
ollOwing one. and SO on? While your
mind is wandering into the future it
8 likely to be rudely brought to earth
y Tommy interrupting with. whats
,ood for rheumatism"
Then you have something else to
hink of. Will you come out of this
var crippled and tied into knots with
caused by the wet and
nud Of trenches and dugouts? You
i've 1t up as bad job and generally
aunter over to the nearest estaminet
o drown your moody forebodings In a
lass of sickening French beer or to
~ your luck at the always present
anne of 'house." You can hear the
ing-song voice Of a Tommy droning
ut the numbers as he extracts the
title squares of cardboard from the
ag between his feet. t.