The Mena weekly star., 1918-04-04


 ing, Empey volunteers for immediate serv- lee and soon finds himself In rest billets ''somewhere in France" where he first makes the acquaintance of the ever-pres- ent "cooties'
 CHAPTER III-Empey attends his first church services at the front while a Ger man Fokker circles over the congregation CHAPTER Iv-Empeys command goes nto the front-llne trenches and is under nre for the first time.
 CHAPTER V-Empey learns to adopt he motto of the British Tommy, "If you are going to get it. you'll get it. so never worry
 CHAPTER vI-Back in rest bilIets. Elm pey gets his first experience as a mess orderly.
 CHAPTER vIT-Empey learns how the British soldiers are fed.
 CHAPTER vIII-Back in the front-line trench, Empey sees his first friend of the. trenches Ego West.
 CHAPTER Ix-Empey makes his first visit to a dugout in Suicide Ditch"
 CHAPTER X-Empey learns what con- stitutes days work" in the front-line trench.
 CHAPTER xI-Empey goes lover the top for the first time in a charge on the German trenches and Is wounded by havonat thrust AS
 Then the nerve-racking wait com menced. Every now and then I would glance at the dial of my wrist watch and was surprised to see how fast the minutes passed by. About five minutes to two I got nervous waiting for Uur guns to open up. I could not take my eyes from my watch. crouched against the parapet and strained my muscles in a deathlike grip upon my rife. As the hands on my watch showed two o'clock blInding red flare lighted up the sky in our rear. then thunder, intermixed with a sharp, whis. fling sound in the air over our heads. The shells from our guns were speed Ing on their way toward the German liAes. With one accord the men sprang up on the fire step and looked over the top in the direction of the German trenches. A line of bursting shells lighted up No Mans Land. The din was terrific and the ground trem- bled. Then, high above our heads we could hear signing moan. Our big boys behind the line had opened up and o.2's and 15-inch shells commenced dropping into the German lines. The flash of the guns behind the lines, the scream of the shells through the air, and the flare of them. bursting, was a spectacle that put Pains greatest dis play into the shade. The constant pup, pup, of German machine guns and an occasional rattle of rife firing gave ma the impression of a huge audience applauding the work of the batteries.
 Our 1S-pounders were destroying the German barbed wire, while the heavier stuff was demolishlng their trenches and bashing in dugouts or funk holes.
 Then Fritz got busy.
 Their shells went screaming over head, aimed in the direction of the dares from our batteries. Trench nor tars started dropping "Mlnnles" in our front line. We clicked several cas- nalties. Then they suddenly ceased. Dur artillery had taped or silenced them.
 During the bombardment you could almost read a newspaper in our trench. Sometimes in the flare of a shell-burst mans body would be silhouetted against the parndos of the trench and t appeared like a huge monster. You sould hardly hear yourself think. When an order was to be passed down the trench you had to yell 1t. using your hands as funnel into the ear of the man sitting next to you on the fire step. In about twenty minutes q. generous 'um issue was doied out. After drink ng the rum, which tasted like varnish md sent a shudder through your frame, you wondered why they made Tou walt until the lifting of the bar rage before going over. At ten min utes to four word was passed down, Ten minutes to goi" Ten minutes to livei We were shivering all over. My legs felt as if they were asleep. Then word was passed down: First wave get on and near the scaling lad ders."
 These were small wooden ladders which we had placed against the para pet to enable us to go over the top on the lifting of the barrage. Ladders of death" we called them, and veritably they were.
 Before charge Tommy is the po- utest of men. There is never any push Ing or crowding to be first up these ladders. We crouched around the base or the ladders waiting for the word 10 go over. I was sick and faint, and was puffing away at an unlighted flag. Then came the word "Three minutes to go; upon the lifting of the barrage and on the blast of the whistles, Over the top with the best O luck and give them hell.'" The famous phrase of the western front. The Jonah phrase or the western front. To Tommy 1t means if you are lucky enough to come pack you will be minus an arm or a leg. Tommy hates to be wished the pest Of tuck so, when peace Is de- clared. if 1t ever is, and you meet a Tommy on the street, just wish him the pest of luck and duck the brick that follows.
 l glanced again at my wrist watch. We all wore them and you could hardly call us "sissiesn for doing so It was a minute to four. I could see the hand move to the twelve, then dead si- fence. It hurt. Everyone looked up to see what had happened, but not for long. Sharp whistle blasts rang out along the trench, and with cheer the men scrambled up the ladders. The bullets were cracking overhead, and al Al g. n .n~