Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1918-11-27
thing a fellow could want to eat"

service on the hiring Inc, lie Was
not content to offer his life daily
that others might live, but half
of his slender salary came home
regularly to his mother and with
much of the rest of it he bought
Liberty Bonds. Think of it, peo-
pie here at home! Giving his
life, and doing it gladly, and help
ing to finance the war for the
saving of humanity. 1t seems to
me that it is the last word in pa
triotism-non plus ultra.
How the eyes of this Richmond
county boy must have opened
wide at the wonders of Paris, for
he spent a three days leave there
with a soldier friend. He didn't
try to master the intricacies OF
the French money system, with
his pocket full of hard American
dollars, being out for a good
time with areturn to the trenches
in sight after 70 all too short
hours. When he had a dollar
changed, he found he was given
back a peck measure of franks"
"cuses," and "sonteems" willie
was long on patriotism, but al
ways a little short on even Eng
fish spelling.) He didn't bother
his head about the little truck"
but kept the franks and scat
tered the "cuses' about with
open hand. Can't you picture
the crowd of French children
with their pinched faces, placing
themselves in the path of the big
American soldier and clutchine
the coins in their wasted fingers
after the big hearted fellow ha;
moved on.
There came a time for serious
thought, however. He told of i
in a letter, intended for his moth
er's eyes alone, written a couple
of months before his death. HI
had just been to hear a membel
of the Salvation Army preach II
a hut close up to the trenches
"He told us all about it and eS
planned everything. You will b
clad to know that | am change
| boy. realize now that l hav
| my gun in one hand and my lit
\ in the other. I feel that | ca
i hold my own against anybod
i with my gun, but | must tru:
the outcome to God, and | am M
!. afraid. Don't worry about M
&c I'll be all right" To me tn
Ia seems as true expression of fat
&c and trust in a Higher Power {
"a one could desire, and what co.
or ISOLATION and satisfaction it mu
or have brought to the heart OF tt
If old mother here at home WI
". lived with anxiety through lor
al days and dreary nights of waitlr
10 for news and feverish scannlr
.r. of the casualty lists.
of And at last the dreaded new
came. On some flame-swept fie
ar or shell-scarred hill, Corpor
lie Willie w. Shankle had his re
10 devious with death. He did n
;or fail the summons. With gun
Fl hand, advancing with quick, su
pd step, with eyes that knew r
an fear and the cry of victory on
lar lips, Death found him waitl1
18th On July 10th, where bullets we
ad. flying thickest, he was struck
m. a fragment of high explosl
on she'll which passed through
great, generous heart, kill
red him instantly. 1t was the k1
he of death the soldier would W
YER to die.
fen He trod the path, blazed c
Bile turtles ago by Him of Cavalry "
ed. also gave His life that 9th
div might have life and have it m
eri. abundantly. He sleeps in
he soil of France for whom ne g;
ire. his blood, and a simple WI
oh. wooden cross marks his rest
|ers place. It is we'll, eternally W
hin with him.