Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-07-10
A TALE FROM TRENCHES

Washington, D. GA true Slice Of
( life" from the trenches Is given by Carol
I x. Corey In communication to the Ma
tiona. Geographic Society and issued by
tho society az G war geography bulletin.
The scene wkicF the writer describes
! OCCURRED III so.diers' home" in Paris
Familiarity AID aftscttonately dubb ID
| Brightly. She says:
''The room is nearly empty now and
almost quiet. I've about decided to leave
when a gauHt, cadaverous person SLOUGH
es in. Apologetically he asks II he is
too late 70 tea. Because he looks so
wretcFsed. reply in the negative. just as
| he notices the signs. No tea served
after U:45.' He smiles gratefully at me-
with a smile that changes ali his face
we are silent for a few minutes, partly
because I'm little tired, l guess and
partly because / feel bit tinlid before
before this most unusual type OF visitor
Suddenly, without word Of warning he
| informs me-
You're right 1 am a rough cus-
toner. I'm just out Of eiink' GalD.
era, ELI?
" 0FSe imam tHat. says ne
80 I guess. again; You too kali the
| temper out Of your tin hat when you
cooked eggs in it.
''But he fnds no humor in that ancient
! joke. When I state positively. You're
not the sort for an S, l. W. he murinurs
No; il takes nerve to go in for a
| 'self-irhicted wound
"Hls face is pinched and drawn, though
almost triumphant, as he finally admits
hfu dffnDaas hit an officer
In spite Of myself ] gasp a little, for
this is serious business but I say moth
ing. for he has started very food Of
talk.
Il was the first volunteer from my
town. he tells me, because then
| thought the war WAS right. NY three
brothers came, too One Is blind and two
are dead The littlest one was the pref
test boy ever saw-absoluteiy the pret-
test. ! found him right after they got
him. and he looked as though he'd Just
come irem party. His face hadn't been
hit at all and not hasr was out Of
place. helped to bury him; then ! sent
the cable home. I'm forty years old. and
all my life I've had men under me- MY
] learned how to treat men. And when
that young, impudent whipper- snapper
YES yes, I break IN. Il know, butt
=" You know, laughs he You know
nothing. You get up in the morning in
a eteam-heated room, ard you look out
OF the window If It happens to be driz-
zling you say to yos,rseif, Ny, my to-
day I'll get my little b OF soles wet"
When you've had to leave a mate to die
IN the mud. standing up. because you
have eniy sufficient strength to pull your
own legs out. then you know something
about war and It's giories. Oh, but it's
cruel, that mud Of the Sommel And
that right when ia worked tn II slept
in 1t AN dswallowed lot OF 1t In my
ration9 for ten days, that insufferabie
cad that intentionally odious lupenny
ha'penny captain
"'Can't you forget It for a little while
now? Your tea viii be stone cold. Be
sides one fthese days were all going
home. / say desperately
e Maybe 80, he sighs. But somehow.
after more than three years. we sort q
stop counting on IT, You see | sailed
from sydney on what should have been
long. long time, but wouldn't marry. for
I'd bought a bit Of land and wanted to
be out Of debt first. Flo rexactly year
lived alone ma hut, ] was my own
cook, and / tell you frankly ! was low
and dirty; but each month l knew was
getting little closer to the end, be-
cause each month I was able to buy an
other cox rtwo. And there wasn't a
happier cuss In the land
NEVER Fear for Me; God Helping Me,
"i't Garry On"
/" "Then-weli the war came. SO
leased the place 10 4 dirty Stacker. and
the next week the government gave him
a contract for his whole output OF milk
and he's getting rich AS for me, AL
ever asked OF life was peace and quiet,
Would you Ike to know how rye spent
most OF my leave In Parik9 On bench
in a park watching the Riddles at play
II could Just wake up in my room, with
the comfortable old furniture and with
all nay things | ma drawerr
=" II anything at all were TO be gained
by my being killed, don't you think ia
submit to ii gladly7 But what's the good
Of It? All my friends are gone, and new
ones come and are moved down. and the
war goes on. and each day some big
brain evolves a cleverer and more ghast
~ way to do the Strengthening
/" The little Padre is singing again.
softly venture Listen: