The Arizona copper camp., 1918-07-27
l @IN7 BY
lNThuS GUY E1HYl

offered the chance, but with a blush of
shame he remembered that he had been
afraid. The nickname of the machine
gunners had frightened him. They
were called the Suicide club" Now,
because of this fear, his company
would be destroyed, the men of D COM
pany would have to die, because he,
Albert Lloyd, had been afraid Of a
name. In his shame he cried like a
baby. Anyway he could die with them
and, fising to his feet, he stumbled
over the body of one of the gunners,
who emitted faint moan. A CLEAN
of hope flashed through him. Perhaps
this man could tell him how to load
the gun. STOPPING over the body he
gently shook it and the soldier opened
his eyes,. Seeing Lloyd, he closed
them again and, in a faint voice, said ::
: 'Get away, you blighter, leave me
| alone. don't want any coward around
me-"
The words cut Lloyd like q knife,
but he was desperate. Taking the re-
! volver out of the holster of the dying
/ man he pressed the cold muzzle to the
soldiers head and replied:
'Yes, it is Lloyd, the coward of
Company D, but so help me God, if
! you don't tell me how to load that gun
! I'll put bullet through your brain -
A sunny smile came over the coun-
tenance of the dying man and he said
in faint whisper:
"Good old boy! knew you wouldn't
disgrace our company"
Lloyd interposed: ''For Gods sake,
if you want to save that company you
that ID gun ~
AS if reciting lesson in school, the
soldier replied in a weak, singsong
voice: Insert tag end of belt in feed
block, with left hand pull belt left
front. Pull crank handle back on roll
er, let go, and repeat motion. Gun is
now loaded. To fire, raise automatic
safety latch, and press thumbpiece.
Gun is now firing. If gun stops, ascer-
tain position of crank handle"
But Lloyd waited for no more. With
wild joy at his heart, he took belt
| from one of the ammunition boxes ly-
| ing beside the gun, and followed the
dying mans instructions. Then he
pressed the thumbpiece and burst of
fire rewarded his efforts. The gun
was working.
Training it on the Germans he shout
ed for joy as their front rank went
down.
Traversing the gun back and forth
along the mass of Germans, he saw
them break and run back to the cover
Nf their trench, leaving their deaG and
wounded behind. He had saved his
company, he, Lloyd, the coward. had
sdone his Bit" Releasing the thumb
piece, he looked at the watch on his
wrist. He was still alive at SO 49,"
ping pa bullet sang through the
air, and Lloyd fell forward across the
gun. A thin trickle of blood ran down
his face from little, black round hole
in his forehead.
y
"The sentence of the court had been
"duly carried OUT
The captain slowly raised the limp
form dropping over the gun and, wip-
ing the blood from the white face, rec
ogniZed it as Lloyd, the coward of d
company. Reverently covering the face
with his handkerchief he turned to his
"noncoms" and, in voice husky with
emotions, addressed them:
+ Z II
has redeemed himself, died the death
of a hero-died that his mates might
live."
That afternoon a solemn procession
wended it's way toward the cemetery
In the front stretcher was carried by
two Sergeants. Across the Stretchel
the Union Jack was carefully spread
Behind the stretcher came a captain
and fOrty-three men, all that were LEFT
of D company.
Arriving at the cemetery, they halt
ed in front of an open grave. All abOu
them wooden crosses were broken ant
trampled into the ground.
A grizzled old sergeant, noting thi:
destruction, muttered under hi!
breath: Course the cowardly blightel
who wrecked those crosses! If ] coulG
only get these two hands around hi!
neck his trip West would be short.
The corpse on the stretcher seemed
to move, or it might have been tn
wind blowing the folds Of the Uniol
Jack.
CHAPTER XIV.