Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-05-03
CHAPTER X-Continued.


We had sergeant in our battalion
named Warren. He was on duty with
his platoon in the fire trench one after
noon when orders came up from the
rear that he had been granted seven
days leave for Blighty, and would be
England.
He was tickled to death at these
welcome tidings and RECALLED his more
or less enviOuS mates beside him on
the fire step with the good times in
store for him. He figured it out that
in two days time he would arrive at
Waterloo station, London, and then
seven days bliss
At about five minutes to five he
started to fdget with his rifle, and
then suddenly springing up on the fire
step with a muttered, "Ill send over
a couple of souvenirs to Fritz so that
he'll miss me when I leave" he stuck
his rifle over the top and fired two shots
when "crack" went a bullet and he
tu1nbied off the step, fell into the mud
at the bottom of the trench, and lay
still in huddled heap with a bullet
hole in his forehead.
AT about the time he expected to ar
rive at Waterloo station he was laid
70 rest in a little cemetery behind the
lines. He had gone to Blighty.
In the trenches one can never tell
is not safe to plan very far ahead.
After stand down" the men sit on
The fire step or repair to their respec-
tive dugouts and wait for the rum is
sue" to materialize. Immediately fol-
owing the rum comes breakfast
brought up from the rear. Sleeping is
then in order unless some special work
turns up.
Around 1890 dinner shows up
When this is eaten the men try to
amuse themselves until "tea" appears
at about four o'clock, then "stand to-
and they carry on as before.
While in rest billets Tommy gets up
about six in the morning, washes up
answers roll call, is inspected by his
platoon officer, and has breakfast. Al
s:45 he parades (drills) with his com
pany or goes on fatigue according tt
The orders which have been read out
~ the orderly sergeant the night pre-
vious.
Between II 80 and noon he is dis
missed, has his dinner and is ION his
own" for the remainder Of the day
unless he has clicked for a digging OF
working party, and so it goes on from
day to day, always looping the loop
and looking forward to peace ant
Blighty.
Sometimes, while engaged in ,
"cootie" hunt, you think. Strange t,
say, but it is a fact, while Tommy il
searching his shirt serious Thoughts
come to him. Many time, when per
forming this operation, I have triet
to figure out the outcome Of the wa
and what will happen to me.
My thoughts generally ran in thi
channel:
Will I emerge safely from the mex
attack? If do will I skin through tn
following one, and so on? While you
mind is wandering into the future i
Is likely to be rudely brought to cart
by Tommy interrupting with, "What'
good for rheumatism?''
Then you have something else t
think of. Will you come out of thi
war crippled and tied into knots wit
rheumatism, caused by the wet an
mud of trenches and dugouts? 70
give 1t up as bad job and general
saunter over to the nearest estamine
to drown your moody forebodngs in
glass Of sickening French beer or t
try your luck at the always presen
game of "house.p You can hear th
sing-song voice of a Tommy dronin
out the numbers as he extracts th
little squares of cardboard from tb
bag between his feet.