Williston graphic., 1918-06-13
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to Co. while her eyes pleaucu AoA A'AA'
to stay.
Every time he saw q recruiting SER
seant he'd slink around the corner OUT
Of sight, with terrible fear gna"ins
at his heart. When passing the big re-
cruiting posters. and on his way 10
business and back he passed many, No
would Dull down his cap and look the
other way from that awful finger
pointing at 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 boarding house cellar, whimpering
ike 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 landlady
out the morning paper at his place be-
fore he came down to breakfast. TAX
Ing his seat he read the fiaring head
line. Transcription Bill Passed." and
nearly tainted. Excusing himself. he
J. stumbled upstairs to his bedroom
with the horror Of it gnawing into his
vitals.
Having saved up a 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 time there was knock at tho
door he trembled all over, imagining 1t
was policeman who had come to take
him away to the army.
One morning his fears were realized.
Sure enough, there stood policeman
with the fatal paper. Taking 1t ip 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
nediately, because he was afraid to
disobey.
The doctor looked with approval
upon Lloyd's six feet Of physical per.
lection, and thought what fine
guardsman he would make, but exam
ined his heart twice before he passed
him as physically it," it was beating
30 fast.
From the recruiting depot Lloyd was
taken, with many others, In charge Of
4 sergeant. to the training depot at A.
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 q mans character.
and Lloyd was promptly dubbed
'windy." In the English army "windy"
means cowardly.
The smallest recruit In the barracks
looked on him with contempt, and was
not slow to show it in many ways.
Lloyd was good soldier, learned
quickly, obeyed every order promptly.
never groused at the hardest fatigues.
He was afraid to. He lived in deadly
fear of the officers and "noncoms" over
him. They also despised him.
One morning about three months
after his enlistment Lloyd's company
was paraded, and the names picked out
for the next draft to France were read.
When his name was called, he did not
step out smartly, two PAGES to the
front, and answer cheerfully, Here,
sir" as the others did. He just faint.
ed in the ranks and was carried to bar
racks amid the sneers Of the rest.
That night was an agony of misery
to him. He could not sleep. Just cried
and whimpered in his bunk, because
ON the morrow the draft was to sail
for France, where he would see death
on all sides, and perhaps be killed him.
SELF On the steamer, crossing the
channel, he would have jumped over
board to escape, but was afraid OF
drowning.
Arriving in Fran ,e, he and the res,
were huddled into cattle cars On tn,
side of each appeared in white letters
"Hommes 40, Chevaux g." After hour
Of humping over the uneven Frencl
roadbeds they arrived at the trainin
base Of Rouen.
At this place they were put throug
Il weeks rigid training In trench wa
fare. On the morning Of the eight
day they paraded at ten O'Clock, an,
were inspected and passed by Genera
Il, then were marched to the quar-
termaster's, to draw their gas helmet
and trench equipment.
At four In the afternoon they wer
again hustled into cattle cars. Thl
time the journey lasted two day
They disembarked at the town of FRI
vent and could hear 4 distant du
booming. With knees shaking, Lloy
asked the sergeant what the noise wa
and nearly dropped when the sergeal
replied in somewhat bored tone:
''Oh, them's the guns up the lin
Well be up there in a couple O. day
or so. Don't worry, my ladGie, you
see more of 'em than you want befor
you get 'ome to Blighty again. that i