The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-09-06
CHAPTER XVI--continued.

ticular blonde. The answer came bacl
in the shape Of volley of cusses.
changed the subject.
"After a while our talk veeret
round to the way the BOches had beer
exposing themselves on the road dowT
on the chart as Target II. What HI
said about those BOches would neveI
have passed the reichstag, though
believe it would have gone through
our censor easily enough.
'The bursting shells were making
such a din that packed up talking
and took to watching the captain. lie
was fldgetlng around on an old sand
bag with the glass to his eye. Occa
slOnally he would LET out q grunt, anc
make some remark couldn't hear or
account of the noise, but / guessed
what it was all right. Fritz was get
ting fresh again on that road.
"Cassell had been sending in the tar
code to me, but 1 was fed up anC
didn't bother with it. Then he sent
.. s., and was all attention, for this
was u call used between us which
meant that something important was
on. was all ears in an instant. Then
CasSell turned loose.
"'You blankety blank dud, l have
been trying to raise you for fifteen
minutes. What's the matter, are you
Osleepr Dust as If anyone could
have slept in that Internal racket y
Never mind framing a nasty answer
Just listen
"'Are you game for putting some
thing over on the BOChes and Old Pep
per all in one?
II answered that was game enough
when it came to putting it over the
Poches, but confessed that l had a
weakening of the spine, even at the
mention of Old Peppers name.
"He came back with, IT'S SO absurd.
ly easy and simple that there Is no
chance of the old heather rumbling it.
Anyway, if we're caught. I'll take the
blame
Under these condition told him to
spit out his scheme. 1t was so daring
and simple that 1t took my breath
away. This is what he proposed:
"If the Boches should use that road
again, to send by the tap system the
target and range. 1 had previously
told him about our captain talking out
loud as If he were sending through
orders. Well, If this happened. l was
10 send the dope to Cassell and he
would transmit 1t to the battery COM
mander as officially coming through
the observation post. Then the bat
terry would open up. Afterwards, dur
ing the investigation, Cassell would
swear he received it direct. They
would have to relieve him, because it
was impossible from his post in the
battery dugout to know that the road
was being used at that time by the
Germans. And also 1t was impossible
for him to give the target, range and
degrees. You know battery chart is
not passed around among the men like
a newspaper from Blighty. From him
the investigation would go to the OBJ
servation post, and the observing Off
Ger could truthfully swear that l had
not sent the message by phone, and
that no orders to fire had been issued
by him. The investigators would then
be up In the air, we would be safe, the
Boches would receive a good bashing,
and we would get our own back on Old
Pepper. It was too good to be true.
1 gleefully fell in with the scheme,
and told Cassell I was his meat.
"Then waited with beating heart
and watched the captain like a hawk.
HE was beginning to fdget again
and was drumming on the sandbags
with his feet. At last, turning to me,
he said:
Wilson, this army IS a blankety
blank washOut What's the use of hav-
ing artillery If 1t Is not allowed to fire?
The government at home ought to be
hanged with some of their red tape.
It's through them that we have no
shells
II answered, Yes, sir, and started
sending this opinion over the wire to
Cassell, but the captain interrupted
me with:
"'Keep those Internal fingers still.
What's the matter, getting the nerves?
When I'm talking to you, pay atten-
tlon.'
my heart sank. Supposing he had |
rumbled that tapping, then all would
be up with our plan. l stopped drum
ming with my fingers and said:
"'Beg your pardon, sir, just a habit
with me-
"'And ID silly one, too he an
swered, turning to his glasses again.
and l knew was safe. He had not
Eumbled to the meaning of that tap
ping.
"Ah at once, without turning round,
Ae exclaimed:
"'Wall, Of all the nerve I've ever run