Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-05-02

tape. But 1t has a heart, and one of
the evidences of this is the considerable
way In which an execution is concealed
and reported to the relative of the un.
fortunate man. They never know the
truth. He is listed in the bulletins as
among the accidentally killed."
In the last ten years have several
times read stories in magazines Of
towards changing, in charge. to he-'
roes. used to laugh at it. 1t seemed
easy for story-writers, but said,l
"Men aren't made that way.v But over.
In France I learned once that the
streak Of yellow can turn all White. L
picked up the story, bit by bit. from
the captain Of the company, the SEN
tries who guarded the poor fellow, as
we'll as from my own observations. At
first did not realize the whole of his
story, but after week of investiga-
ton it stood out as clear in my mind
as the mountains of my native West in
the spring sunshine. 1t impressed me-
SO much that wrote it all down in
rest btllets on scraps Of odd paper.
The incidents are, as I say, every bit
true; the feelings of the man are true
II know from oil underwent in the
lighting over in France.
We will call him Albert Lloyd. That.
wasn't his name, but it will do:
Albert Lloyd was what the world.
forms q onrord
In London they called him Stacker.
His country had been at war nearly
eighteen months, and still he was notI
In khaki.
He had no good reason for not en-,
listing, being alone in the world, hav-I
Ing been educated in an orphan asy-
lum, and there being no one dependent
upon him for support. He had no good
position to lose, and there was no
sweetheart to tell him with her lips
to go, While her eyes pleaded for him
20 stay.
Every time he saw recruiting SER
geant he'd stink around the corner out
of sight, with a terrible fear gnawing
ut his heart. When passing the big re-
cruiting posters, and ON his way to
business and back he pass I'd many, he
would pull down his cap and look the
other way from that awful finger
pointing ut him, under the caption,
"Your King and Country Need You;"
or the boring eyes of Kitchener, which
burned into his very soul, causing him
to shudder.
Then the Zeppelin raids-during
them, he used to crouch in \ corner Of
his clearinghouse cellar, whimpering
like whipped puppy and calling upon
the Lord to protect him.
Even his landlady despised him, al
though she had to- admit that he was
good pay"
He very seldom read the papers. but
one momentous morning the lundlady
put the morning paper ut his place be-
fore he came down to breakfast. TAX
ing his seat he read the tiaring head
line, "Conscription Bill Passed." and
nearly tainted. Excusing himself, he
stumbled upstairs to his bedroom,
with the horror of 1T gnawing into his
vitals.
Having saved up few pounds, he
decided not to leave the house, and to
sham sickness, so he stayed in his room
and had the landlady serve his meals
there.
Every timesthere was knock at the
door he tremhled all over, imagining it
was u policeman who had come to take
him away to the army.
One morning his fears were realized.
Sure enough, there stood a policeman
with the fatal paper. Taking it in his
trembling hand he read that he, Albert
Lloyd, was ordered to report himself
to the nearest recruiting station for
physical examination. He reported i'm
mediately, because he was afraid to
disobey.
The doctor looked with approval
upon Lloyd's six feet of physical per-
fection, and thought what fine
guardsman he. would MIKE. but exam
ined his heart twice before he passed
him as physically fit" it was beating
so fast.
From .thearecruiting depot Lloyd was
taken, with many others, in charge of
sergeant, to the training depot ut Al.
dershot, where he was given an outfit
of khaki and drew his other equip.
ment. He made fine-looking soldier
except for the slight shrinking in his
shoulders and the hunted look in his
eyes.
At the training depot 1t does not
take long to find out mans character
and Lloyd was promptly dubbed
windy" In the English army windy
means cownrdIy.
The smallest recruit in the barracks
looked on him with cont empt, and was
not slow to show it in mskny ways.
Lloyd was a good soldier, learned
quickly, obeyed every order promptly
never grpused at the hardest fatigues
He was afraid to. He lived in deadly
fear of the officers and "noncpnss" ovel
him. They also despised him.
One morning about three month,
after his enlistment Lboyd's compan.
was paraded, and the names picked ou
for the next draft to France were read
When his name was called, he did no
step out slnartly, two PAGES to thu
front, and answer cheerfully, "Here
Sir" as the others did. He just faint
ed In the ranks ard was carried to bar
racks amid the sneers of the rest.
That night was an agony of miser.
to him. He couM not sleep. Just CRIED