Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-04-03

|
Cassell turned loose.
"'You blankety blank dud, I have
been trying to raise you for fifteen
minutes. What's the matter, are you
asleepY (Just as if anyone could
have slept in that Internal racket y
Never mind framing a nasty answer.
Just listen.'
"'Are you game for putting some
per all in one?'
| II answered that was game enough
when it came to putting it over the
Boches, but confessed that I had a
weakening of the spine, even at the
mention of Old Peppers name.
'He came back with, It's SO absurd
~ easy and simple that there is no
| chance of the old heather rumbling it.
Anyway, if we're caught, I'll take the
blame.'
"Under these condition told him to
and simple that it took my breath
away. This is what he proposed:
eff the Boches should use that road
again, to send by the tap system the
target and range. I had previously
told him about our captain talking out
loud as If he were sending through
orders. Well, if this happened, I was
to send the dope to Cassell and he
would transmit it to the battery COM
mander as officially coming through
the observation post. Then the bat
terry would open up. Afterwards, dur
ing the investigation, Cassell would
swear he received it direct. They
would have to relieve him, because it
was impossible from his post in the
battery dugOut to know that the road
was being used at that time by the
Germans. And also it was impossible
for him TO give the target, range and
degrees. You know battery chart is
| not passed around among the men like
newspaper from Blighty. From him
| the investigation would go to the OBJ
servatiOn post, and the observing Off
Ger could truthfully swear that I had
not sent the message by phone, and
that no orders to fire had been issued
i by him. The investigators would then
| be up In the air, we would be safe, the
| Boches would receive a good bashing,
and we would get our own back on Old
| Pepper. It was too good to be true.
1 gleefully fell in with the scheme,
and told Cassell I was his meat.
"Then I waited with beating heart
and watched the captain like hawk.
HE was beginning to fdget again
and was drumming on the sandbags
with his feet. At last, turning to me,
he said:
Wilson, this army is a blankety
blank washout. What's the use of hav-
ing artillery if it is not allowed to fire?
The government at home ought to be
hanged with some Of their red tape.
It's through them that we have no
Shells
II answered, Yes, SIR and started
sending this opinion over the wire to
Cassell, but the captain interrupted
me with:
"'Keep those internal fingers still.
What's the matter, getting the nerves?
When I'm talking to you, pay atten-
tion'
"My heart sank. Supposing he had
rumbled that tapping, then all would
be up with our plan. I stopped drum
beg your pardon, sir, just habit |
with me-
And id silly one, too he an
swered, turning to his glasses again,
and l knew 1 was safe. He had not |
tumbled to the meaning of that tap |
ping.
"All at once, without turning round,
he exclaimed:
"'Well, of all the nerve I've ever run
across, this takes the cake. Those |
- - Boches are using that road |
again. Blind my eyes, this time it is a |
whole brigade Of them, transports and |
all. What pretty target for our
4.5's.' The beggars know that we |
won't fire. A id shame, l call it. |
Oh, just for chance to turn D 23S
loose on them
II was trembling with excitement. |
From repeated stolen glances at the
captains range chart, that road with
it's range was burned into my mind.
Over the wire tapped, ID 23S bat
terry, Target II, Range 5000, degrees
30 minutes, left, salvo, fire. Cassell
0. KID my message, and with the re-
ceiver pressed against my ear, 1 wait
ed and listened. In a couple of min
utes very family over the wire came
the voice of our battery commander
issuing the order: ID 238 battery.
SalyoI Firer