Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-26
MOON REFLECTS FROM
HELMET AND THEN HUN
BULLETS TEAR UP TURF
CONTINUED from First T'are)

6ulLGIS IEAh Ut lURf
Continued from First FaEe)
and see il can get I'm to tell us
about is brother. But. now mind. this
fellow is n little balmy In is napper,
SO don't mako fun OF i'm"
| ] confess that l was glad to DO rid
OF him. but my curiosity ovcrcame my
| fears. SO / asked Curly to go ahead.
The rest OF the crew weakly assentcd.
and Curly went after Jerry's brother.
In about twenty minutes he returned
| with him. Jcrry's brother came over
end sat on the hrcstep next to me.
He sat silent for few minutes. and
shcn. in thin. piping. high-pitched
| voice. smoke:
80 you want to car about Jerry.
do you? They called him 'Aunted
Jerry. but he weren't 'auntcd: e could
| just seo---'e could see into tho future;
could sort o tell what was asoin' to
'appen. r could talk 10 tho dead. and
they told i'm. l. always 'ad apirits
, around 'im--Shos.s. you call en-. hut
there amt no such thing as ghosts
they're souls awanderin' around:
they're about us now slowly cased
down tho hrcstep away from him.
Jerry used TO talk to the dead: e
would sit in a cemetery at night while
from them what can't speak no more.
Sometimes. lyte at might. can ear
far ANY,. voices calm IN me. but as
yet cawn's understand 'en. but | will
will"
My blood began 10 curdls.
Curly Wallace. placing his hand on
the speakers knee, softly said:
'Righto. mate, we know you cen sec
far beyond US. but tell us OF 'Aunted
Jerry, and the poem @ wrote the day
before e clicked IT at tho iono tree"
Jerry's brother nodded in compre-
hendlns way. and reaching into the
pocket OF his tunic. drew out q creased
and muddy piece OF paper. which he
opened out upon his knee, and then, in
an unnatural. snEHons voice. which
sen, shvers through Us. recited the
following poem:
Between the lines. IN No Mans Land
With foliage gone. and trunk that's
torn.
lonely sentry takes his stand,
Silently watching from morn TO
morn.
"on starli, night, when moon I. bright.
And spreads its rays of ghostlike
beams:
Against tho sky, that tree OF blight,
a Ehaetly hanGmah's gibbct seems.
when night is black and winds faint
sigh
Through its sheu.torn branches
means,
a call 10 men, TO die, to die
They answer II With groans and
Rroans.
But obey the call, for more and more
And Death sits by and Srins and
srins.
And watches tho fakt-6rIwinE score,
Tho harvest OF his aentry's uhlms.
There they lie huddled, friend and foe.
CHASTITY heaps. English. Hun and
French
And still those piles forever Grow.
They are fed by tho Men OF ths
Trench
mo wooden cross to mark their fall.
No tombstone theirs, no carven rocks.
Just the Lono Tree with IL. grim call,
Which orever mocks and mocks."
When Jcrrys brother had finished =
dead silence cnsued. nervousiy
lSutcu d anu ONL OF the corner
of my eya noticed that Sailor Bili
was uneasi!y squrmins OF the tireetep.
Letting out sigh. which seemed
to whistle between his teeth, our
guest" carried on:
Jerry weren't Inuch at cheerful
writing, because e 'ad calling. Even
back 'ome in Eighty. e weren't much
for lights nor fun. f took after our
mother The neighbors called 'er
'aunted. too. but she weren't She
could zoe things like Jerry.
This ere lone tree sentinel Jerry
writes about was an old tree in no
mans land about :. 'undred yards
from our front-line trench. it was
pretty we'll knocked about by bullets
and she'll fragments. 1t made a pretty
good guide post. stickiu' sort o. lonely
like up against the skyline at night.
Accommodating patrols and bombing
parties used il 10 show 'em the wye
back TO THAR trenches. because, y'know,
out there in tbs blackncss it's easy TO
lose your wye, unless you ave spirits
aGuidin' you.
Lots Of times English and German
patrols would meet near tho lone tree.
and many 'and-to'and tight would
tyka plyco around its roots
AT that TART O the line It were
pretty 'ot what with tho rife and
machinc-gun firing. tho only time there
would be lnll in tho firing was when
q reconnoiterin' patrol was out in
front, and then, as you know, you
couldn't fire. for fear OF lifting your
own blokes. All around the lonc tree
were scattered many bodies. mostly
English and German. Some OF 'cn
nd been aiyn' there for weeks. and
when the wind were nblowin' from
tho German lines toward US. it were
sort OF unpleasant in our front line.
Every time the captain would call
for soldiers for q rcconnoiterng pa.
troll. 'Aunted Jerry, as you call i'm. al
w'ys put is hloomin' nyme on the list.
It got so that after while q was
nover asked i, o wanted to go; the
captain would just naturally put is
nyme down as agoin'.
I'm our dusout. Jerry would tell mo
'ow many dead were around the tree
ATETJR ALICIA ~