The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1918-10-11
BY CLARENCE q. HOLLAND.

Paris.-A man can be only so
frightened. After that he dies sudden
iy, or laughs, or both. Also, no mat
wives.
If shell Is coming, you want to see
1t land. II 1t is going to swat you, you
want to see how 1t goes about 1t.
We were going back from the front
back. The battle was behind us.
Privately each one of us didn't care
how much farther behind us 1t got. 1t
could pick up Its belongings and move
away from us as fast as we were NOV
ing away from it If 1t wanted. No
body would hear protest from any Of
us.
At crossroads our meteoric prog
ress was halted by young and severe
soldier with NJ. z. on his sleeve.
"You can't pass" he said; they're
Smelling the road ahead"
He didn't need to tell us. We knew
1t. AS a matter Of fact we could have
told him things about that road being
shelled that he would never know.
A shell came screaming over our
heads to "wham" down alongside the
road a hundred yards beyond. 1t
wasn't a big shell. In a calmer mo-
ment, and at greater distance,
might have admitted that 1t was lit
tie shell, an insignificant shell, neg
ligible three-inch shell. But when it
went over my head I was willing to
take oath that 1t was a AZ centimeter.
When i was dug out Of the ditch into
which ! had dived and the mud
scraped out Of my eyes I took a last
look down the road.
Cap as Shock Absorber.
Something was paining me In the re-
gion Of the knees. Also there was a
sound resembling that made by Broth
er Bones in the minstrel show. Minute
examination demonstrated that the
pain was caused by the knees assault
Ing each other venomously. / stuck
my cap between them as shock abb
sorber and looked again.
1t was busy little road. 1t was not
popular road. Everybody on it had
taken dislike to 1t and was moving
away with enthusiasm. In the dis
lance were three German prisoners
and one American private. The pri-
vate was on horse. 1t looked very
fast horse, but the Germans were hav-
Ing trouble with 1t. 1t kept getting In
their way. They stumbled over 1t.
"Wham" came another shell. It's
explosion was almost drowned out by
the sounds of conclusion at my side.
They were caused by the beating to-
gether Of the knees of the driver of
the Y. M. G. A. car and by those Of
a buck private. Their note was differ
ent, and the meter dissimilar, but the
air was much the same. l could not
quite make out which accomplished the
most knocks to the minute, nor which
was loudest.
Several ration carts were approach
ing. 1t was no slow, dlgnifled, matron-
ly progress. Anybody who believes a
team of mules is incapable of speed
should have been there to see. The ra-
ton carts were filed with hard tack.
The hard tack was as scared as any
thing else, and was trying to keep up
to the cart--but IL was out of luck.
1t had no arms to hang on with. The
air was full Of hard tack. 1t flowed
out behind those ration carts like a
ribbon. 1t was snOwstorm Of hard
tack, and nobody paused to ask where
It fell.
bitches Are Popular.
Every ditc.l was unbelievably popu-
lar. 1t dldrr1 have to be deep ditch
nor clean ditch. Any common or
garden varls,y OF ditch would do. A
six-foot mar. was perfectly able to con-
ceal himself In six.inch ditch. Heads
would poke up. and another shell
would land. Immediately 1t would be-
come scebe of desolation, a lifeless
waste.
After awhile an afeplane went over
head to locate the battery that was
causing oil the rumpus. Then the bat
terry stopped.
"Go ahead said the M. P. They're
through now"
He is the last M. p. shall ever be-
iieve. This ls positive. He meant well,
md spoke the truth according to his
,gLss, but his lights were dim. We