South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-07-18
X CONTINUED J

were the topic OF daily conversation
i'm our battery. one OF our fiers
was scouting is miles back OF the
boche lines when engine trouble
obliged him TO alight in the enemy
country He repaired the engine
without any trouble but discovered
10 his dismay that he had not
enough gasoline TO get back to his
hangar To was a desperate situa-
ton. but the Yank was not discour-
aged. He hid his machine i'm =
clump OF woods and. taking a brass
. container started foraging for oil.
lie located an enemy hangar near
farm house, and. as luck would have
/ il, the place was unguarded. lie
had Just finished filling his container
with oil when a car filled with Ger
soan officers whizzed around a bend
in the road The Yank jumped
I through an open window OF the farm
house. ran upstairs and hid under a
bed. By the sounds the American
soon concluded that he had butted
into the very thick of German staff
headquarters meeting. There was
nothing for him TO DO but remain
under the bed until things had
. quoted down.
Tn about an hour two Hun officers.
dusty from travel and apparently
dog-tired from the stress of battle
numbered into the room. and after
many German curses and much inn
billing from suspicious-lOoking
/ black bottle, tumbled into bed with
grunts and groans of WEAKNESS. They
were quickly fast asleep. their SHORES
sounding like French barrage fire.
The Yankee airman crept from
under the bed and, clinging tightly
10 the container, he softly opened
the door and reached the top of the
stairway. only TO run plump into a
fat German officer coming up.
The Hun let loose a wOlhsh gruut
and his big Watery eyes threatened
to pop from his fat face Down
came the container on the top of his
head. and the Teuton crashed back
ward down the stairway. But three
or four Huns had rushed into the
k!ower hallway. and with fierce cries
they started up the stairs. The Nank
dealt with them in a typical breezy
American fashion
from the top OF the stairs he leap
ed 'nto their midst. dealing blows
to the right and the left with his
container. There was a cork fasten-
cd securely in the top so that not
drop Of the precious oil was spilled.
The Germans went down as If they
lad been feIled with an AK The
Yank darted out Of the house and
sprinted TO the hiding place of his
plane. He repIenished the exhausted
tank and few minutes later was
900 feet aloft. headed for the
French lines. where he landed IN
safety.
our aviators are doing excellent
work mapping the enemy's country.
bombing trenches and blowing up
munition dumps, railroad stations
and lines of communication.
Well. ] got mine, the latter part
Of March, 1918. While under hre
nv mask was cut by a piece Of
shrapnel. and | got my first bad dose
or gas. Il was mustard gas too, one
OF the wocst kin0 the develish bocheS
send over I was pumping away at
my gun, when suddenly I felt a
choking singing sensation. and then
T passed out like "a baby hit with a
, brick. When I came TO 1 was in
the hospital with nurses huttering
all about doing kind things. But 1
couldn't see them, for / was as blind
as bat.
When I discovered there was
something the matter with my eyes
Il was 30 mad almost foamed at the
mouth
I'm going to get boche right
= now" yelled IF 1 have 10 crawl TO
the front"
And. clad only in my nightshirt, I
rolled out of my cot and charged at
the spot where 1 figured a door
misht be located
plunged into convalescent sol
dier. and we both went 10 the floor
biting and scratching.
must have been a little delirous.
for I fixed such a tight grip on his
vindpipe that it required the com
bined Efforts of four nurses and an
attendant 20 pry me loose. must
have thought the poor chap 1
knocked down was boche.
The next dav I was an right in my
noodle. but was stNl blind and mad
as the devil.
was little consoled that after
moon when some Irish lads from a
lttE1ous New York. regiment were
brought I'm. They were i'm worse
shape than was suffering from
both gas and wounds. but they were
as game as bulldogs They cursed
the Huns with au of the variations
OF the Gaelic temperament and
their chief desire was 20 get back
TO the front double-quick and get
another crack az the Hun Never
have 7 heard men swear with such
uicturCsquenes # they ever get a
chance to do all the things they
Threatened 20 do TO the kaiser. there
won't be so much as toenail left
- OF his royal highness for purposes
.1--~rg.,ss,r,