Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-03-29
"OVER THE TOP"
BY ARTHUR GUY EMPEY
An American Boy Who Got Into the War Two
Years Before His Country.
Co,vrigtt 1917. by Guy Empy.

lin" and to keep II still tongue in my
head.
Executions are Il part Of the day.
work. but the part We hated most u
all. / think-certainly the saddcst. Tn,
British war department is thought by
many people 10 be composed of rigiC
regulations all wound around with r"C
taps. But it has n heart. and one o'
TN" evidences of this is the considcrat,
way in which an execution is conceal
ed and reported TO the relatives of the
unfortunate man. They never know the
truth. He is listed in the bulletins ~
among the accidentally killed"
In the last ten years | have Srvcra
times read stories in magazines ol
towards changing. in a charge, To he
rUrS used to laugh at il. IL seemed
easy for story writers. but ! said
Men aren't made that way" But ov"l
in France learned once that the
strctl; OF yellow can turn all white.
picked up the story. bit by bit. from
tries who guarded the poor fellow. as
well az from my own observations. NJ
first ! did not realize the whole Of his
story, but after Il week OI invcStiSa
tion it stood out as clear in my mino
rs the mountains OF my native west IN
the spring sunshine. II impressed m'
So much that | wrot" II all down ir
rest billcts on scraps OF old paper
The incidents are. as ! say. every bit
true: the feelings OF the man are trii'
/ know from all underwent in tn,
lighting over In France.
We will call him Albert Lloyd. That
wasn't his name. but 1t will do:
Albert Lloyd was what the world
terms II coward.
In London they called him a Stacker
His country had been at war nearly
eighteen months. and still he was not
in khaki.
tie had no good reason for not en-
listing, being alone in the world, hav-
ing been educated in an orphan asy.
lum. and there being no one depend
cnt upon him for support. He had nc
good position to lose. and there was
no sweetheart to tell him with hci
li,s 10 20, while her eyes pleaded fol
him TO stay.
Every time he saw a recruiting ser
gcant he'd stink around the corner ou'
of sight. with a terrible fear gnawing
at his heart. When passing the big re-
cruiting posters and on his way to
bls.ippsSs- ~ asn4At hack he passed manE- ha
would pull down his cap and look the
other way from that awful finger
pointing at him. under the caption
Your King and Country Need You:
cor the boring eyes of Kitchener. whicl
burned into his very soul, cauSint: hin
to shuddcr
When the Zeppelin raidS-durins
them. he used TO crouch in u corner o
his boarding. house cellar. whimp"rint
like Il whipped puppy and calling up"i
-. Lord to protect him.
Sven his landlady dispised him. al
though she had to admit that hr wa:
good pay"
lie very seldom read the papers. bu
one momcntous morning the landlad!
vi ~" morning paper at his place be-
fore hr came down To breakfast. TAX
inS his scat he read the flarinS head
line, transcription I1ill Passed, an,
nrarl> tainted. EXcuSing himself h'
stumbled upstairs 10 his bedroom
with the horror OF il gnawing into hi:
NitalS.
Having saved up Il few pounds. h'
decided not To leave the hons and t'
sham sickness, so hc stayed in hi:
room and had the landlady serve hi'
meals there.
Every time there was knock al th'
door h. tremhlcd all over imagining
il was Il policeman who had come t'
take him away to the army.
One morning his fears were realized
Sure enough. there stood policeman
with the fatal paper. Taking il in hi'
trembling hand he read that he. Albcr
LLOYD. was ordered to report himsel
to the nearest recruiting station fo
oh, steal examination. He reported I'M
mcdiatcly, because he was afraid tt
disobcy.
The doctor looked with apprcva
upon l.luyd's six feet of physical per
fcc,ion. and thought what q flint
guardsman he would make. but exam
incd his heart. twice before he passed
him as physically fit," 1t was beating
50 fast.
From the recruiting depot Lloyd wa'
taken. with many others, in charge o
sergeant, to the training depot a
AldCrshot, where he was given an out
ut OF khaki. and drew his other equip
ment. He made tine-looking soldier
except for the slight shrinking In hi:
shoulders and the hunted look In hi:
eyes.
At the training depot IL does no
take long to find out n 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 wa
not slow to show II in many ways.
| LLOYD was a good soldier. learne'
quickly. obeyed every order promptly
never groused at the hardest fatigues
He was afraid to. He lived In deadl!
fear OF the officers and "noncoms' owe
him. They also despised him.
One morning about three months
after his enlistment Lloyd'S compan'
was paraded. and the names picked on
for the next draft to France were read
When his name was called. he did no
step out smartly, two PAGES to tn
front. and answer cheerfully. Here
sir" MS 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 miser
20 him. He could not sleep. Just crie'
Il ana y.hip,y,ar,a in his hunk beCauS