The Mena weekly star., 1918-03-28

biting Into your ribs, intrenching tool handle sticking Into the small of your back, with tin hat for pillow and feeling very damp and cold, with "cooties" boring for oil in your arm- pits, the air foul from the stench of grimy human bodies and smoke from a juicy pipe being whiffed into your nos trils, then you will not wonder why Tommy occasionally takes turn in the trehch for a rest.
 While in a front-line trench orders forbid Tommy from removing his boots, puttees, clothing or equipment. The "cooties" take advantage of this order and mobilize their forces, and Tommy swears vengeance on them aAd nutters to himself, Just wait until l nit rest billets and am able to get my own back"
 Just before daylight the men turn to" and tumble out of the dugouts. man .he fire step until it gets light, or the welcome order stand down" Is given. Sometimes before stand down" is or tered. the command five rounds rap q" is passed along the trench. This means that each man must rest his fife on the top and fire as rapidly as possible five shots aimed toward the 1erman trenches. and then duck (with he emphasis on the "duck'). There
 great rivalry between the opposing orces to get their rapid fire all of iFst. because the early bird, in this in- tance, catches the worm-sort Of get he jump on the other fellow. catching Jim unawares.
 We had sergeant In our battalion tanned Warren. He was on duty with lis platoon in the fire trench one after noon when orders came up from the rear that he had been granted sewn days leave for Blighty. and would be relieved at five o'clock to proceed to England.
 1 He was tickled to death at these welcome tidings and regaled his more or less envious mates beside him on the fire step with the good times In store for him. He figured 1t 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 fidget with his rife, and then suddenly springing up on the fire step with muttered, "I'll send over ] couple of souvenirs to Fritz so that he'll miss me when I leave" he stuck his rife over the top and fired two shots when "crack" went a bullet and he tumbled off the step, fell into the mud at the bottom of the trench, and lay still in a huddled heap with a bullet hole in his forehead.
 At about the time he expected to ar rive at Waterloo station he was laid to rest in q little cemetery behind the lines. He had gone to Blighty.
 Tn the trenches one can never tell 1t 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 lowing the rum comes breakfast, brought up from the rear. Sleeping Is then in order unless some special work turns up.
 Around 12:30 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. At 8 :45 he parades (drills) with his com or goes on fatigue according to tile orders which have been read out by the orderly sergeant the night pre- vious.
 Between II :a0 and noon he Is dis missed. has his dinner and is lon his