Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-06-22

"What | am going to tell you Is how
two of US put 1t over on the old scamp,
and got away with 1t. 1t was risky
thing, too, because Old Pepper wouldn't
have been exactly mild with us IL he
had got next to the game.
ME and my mate, a lad named Har-
ry Cassell, bombardier In ID 23S bat
terry, or lance corporal, as you call 1t
In the infantry, used to relieve the
telephonists. We would do two hours
on and four off. / would be on DUTY
in the advanced observation post,
while he would be at the other end of
the wire In the battery dugout signal
ing station. We were supposed to send
through orders for the battery to fire
when ordered to do so by the obserya-
ton officer In the advanced post. But
very few messages were sent. IL was
only In case of an actual attack that
we would get chance to earn our
two and six day. You see, Old Pep
per had issued orders not to fire ex-
cept when the orders came from him.
And with Old Pepper orders Is orders,
and made to obey.
1.-THE Germans must have known
about these orders, for even In the day
their transports and troops used to
expose themselves as If they were on
parade. This sure got up our nose,
sitting there day after day, with fine
targets In front of us but unable to
send over a shell. We heartily cussed
Old Pepper, his orders, the govern
ment, the people at home, and every
thing In general. But the Boches
didn't mind cussing, and got very care
less. Blime me, they were bally In
sulting. Used to, when using certain
road, throw their caps into the air aa
a taunt at our helplessness.
"Cassell had been a telegrapher In
civil life and Joined up when war was
declared. AS for me, knew Morse
learned 1t at the signalers' school back
In 1910. With an officer in the obser-
vation post, we could not carry on the
kind of conversation that's usual be
tween two mates, so we used the
Morse code. To send, one of us would
tap the transmitter with his finger
nails, and the one on the other end
would get 1t through the receiver
Many an hour was whiled away In this
manner passing compliments back and
forth.
"In the observation post the officer
used to sit for hours with a powerful
pair of field glasses to his eyes
Through a cleverly concealed loopholt
he would scan the ground behind the
German trenches, looking for targets
and finding many. This officer, Cap
tain A. by name, had habit o!
talking out loud to himself. Some
times he would vent his opinion, same
as common private does when he'i
wrought up. Once upon time thu
captain had been on Old Peppers staff
so he could cuss and blind In the mos
approved style. Got to be sort of
habit with him.
"About six thousand yards from us
behind the German lines, was roat
In plain view of our post. For the las
three days Fritz had brought compa
MES of troops down this road in broad
daylight. They were never shelled
Whenever this happened the captain
would froth at the mouth and let on
volume of Old Peppers religion
which used to make me love him.
"Every battery has range chart OF
which distinctive landmarks are noted
with the range for each. These land
marks are called targets, and are mum
bered. On our battery's chart, tina
road was called Target II, Rang
5000, 3 degrees 80 minutes left D %
battery consisted Of four AS howit
zers, and fred 35-pound III. II. shell
AS you know, FL. Il. means high ex
plosive.' / don't like cumming up m
own battery, but we had record II
the division for direct hits, and GU
, boys were just pInlng away for
| CNlUuCG W tAltUll Lh1iA o0Ah AA Nt
eyes Of Fritz.
"On the afternoon of the fourth da
of Fritz contemptuous use of the roa
mentioned the captain and / were a
our posts as usual. Fritz was strafe
ing us pretty rough, just like he's dom
now, The shells were playing lear
frog all through that orchard.
II was carrying on a conversatio
In our tap code with Cassell at tn
other end. II ran something like this
assay, Cassell, how would you Xix
to be in the saloon bar of the King
Arms down Rye lane with a bottle
Bass in front of you, and that blond
barmaid waiting to FIJI 'em up again
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