Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1918-04-11

called "A parsOn; he was more like 2
pirate. If at any time the devil should
feel lonely and sigh for a proper mate.
Old Pepper would get the first call.
Facing the Germans wasn't half bad
compared with an interview with that
old firebrand.
''If a company or battalion should
give way a few yards against n SUI
perior force of BOches, Old Pepper
would send for the commanding off,
GER In about half an hour the officer
would come back with his face the
color of a brick. and in n few hours
what was left of his command would
be holding their original position.
81 have seen an officer who wouldn't
say d--n for thousand quid spend
Eve minutes with the old boy, and
ghen he returned the flow of language
from his lips would make a navy
blush for shame.
"What am going to tell you is how
two of us put it over on the old scamp,
and got away with II. 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. lad named Har-
ny Cassell, a bombardler In ID 23S bat
terry, or lance corporal, as you call 1t
I'm 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.
h, ho of OIL
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 0bserva-
ton officer In the advanced post. But
very few messages were sent. 1t was
only in case of an actual attack that
we would get a 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 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 cusslng and got very care
less. Blime me, they were bally in
sultIng. Used to, when using certain
road, throw their caps into the air as
a taunt at our helplessness.
"Cassell had been a telegrapher in
civil life and Joined up when war was
declared. AS for me, l knew Morse,
learned It at the signalers' school back
In 1910. With an officer in the obser-
walton 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 loophOle
he would scan the ground behind the
German trenches, looking for targets
and finding many. This officer, Cap
tain A. by name. had habit OF
talking out loud to himself. Some-
times he would vent his opinion, same
as a common private does when he's
wrought up. Once upon a time the
captain had been on Old Peppers staff,
so he could cuss and blind In the most
approved style. Got to be sort of
habit with him.
about six thousand yards from us.
behind the German lines, was a road
in plain view of our post. For the last
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 out
volume of Old Peppers religion
which used TO make me love him.
Every battery has a range chart on
which distinctive landmarks are noted,
with the range for each. These land
marks are called targets, and are num-
bered. On our battery's chart, that
road was called Target II, Range
5000, 3 degrees 80 minutes left d 23S
battery consisted of four 4.5 howit-
zers and fired 35-nound H. f. shell.
(To be continued)
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