The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-08-09

were huddled into cattle cars. On the
side OF each appeared In white letters. !
"Hommes 40, Chevaux g." After houEs
of humping over the uneven French !
roadbeds they arrived at the training !
base of Rouen.
At this place they were put through !
a weeks rigid training in trench war
fare. On the morning OF the eighth
day they paraded at ten o'clock, and
were inspected and passed by General
H, then were marched to the quar-
termaster's, to draw their gas helmets
and trench equipment.
At four in the afternoon they were
again hustled into cattle cars. This
time the journey lasted two days.
They disembarked at the town of Ere
vent and could hear a distant dull
booming. With knees shaking, Lloyd
asked the sergeant what the noise was,
and nearly dropped when the sergeant
replied in somewhat bored tone:
"oh, them's the guns up the line.
Wen be up there in couple o. days
or so. Don't worry, my laddie, you'll
see more of 'em than you want before
you get 'ome to Blighty again, that is,
If you're lucky enough to get back.
Now lend hand there unloadin' them
cars, and quit that everlastin' shakin'.
believe yer scared" The last with
contemptuous sneer.
They marched ten kilos, full pack,
to little dilapidated village, and the
sound of the guns grew louder, con-
stantly louder.
The village was-full of soldiers who
turned out to inspect the new draft,
the men who were shortly to be their
mates In the trenches, for they were
going ''up the line" on the morrow, to
take over" their certain sector Of
trenches.
The draft was paraded in front of
battalion headquarters and the men
were assigned to companies.
Lloyd was the only man assigned to
d company. Perhaps the officer in
charge of the draft had something to
do with it, for he called Lloyd aside
and said:
Lloyd, you are going to a new COM
pany. No one knows you. Your bed
will be as you make 1t, so for Gods
sake, brace up and be a man. think
you have the stuff in you, my boy, so
good-by and the best of luck to you"
The next day the battalion took over
their part of the trenches. 1t happened
to be a very quiet day. The artillery
behind the lines was still, except for
an occasional shell sent over to let the
Germans know the gunners were not
asleep.
In the darkness, in single file, the
| company slowly wended their way
down the communication trench to the
| front line. No one noticed Lloyd!
! white and drawn face.
After they had relieved the compan,
in the trenches, Lloyd, with two of tn
old company men, was put on guard Il
one of the traverses. Not shot wa
fired from the German lines, and NJ
one paid any attention to hin
crouched on the firing step.
On the first time in, new recruit Il
not required to stand with his heat
"over the top" He only "sits it out,
while the older men keep watch.
At about ten o'clock, all of sudden
he thought hell had broken loose, anC
crouched and shivered up against tn,
parapet. Shells started bursting, as HI
imagined, right in their trench, when il
fact they were landing about q hun
dred yards in rear of them, in the sec
ond lines.
One of the older men on guard, turn
ing to his mate, said:
There goes Fritz with those d
trench mortars again. It's about tim,
our artillery tapped them, ana sen
over a few. Well, I'll be Id
where's that blighter of draft mar
gone to? There's his rifle leanin:
against the parapet. He must hav,
legged it. Just keep your eye peeled
Dick, while l report it to the sergeant
| l wonder if the fool knows he can b,
shot for such tricks as leavin' hi
post?"
Lloyd had gone. When the trencl
mortars opened up, a maddening ter
| TOT SelZeu MIN anu he Wdnleu 10 run
to get away from that horrible din
anywhere 20 safety. So quietly sneak
ing around the traverse, he came to tn
entrance of a communication trench
and ran madly and blindly down II
running into traverses, stumbling int
muddy holes. and falling full lengtl
over trench grids.
Cropping blindly, with his arm
stretched out in front of him, he a
last came out of the trench into tn
village, or what used to be village
before the German artillery RACED II
Mixed with his fear, he had a pc
culiar sort of cunning, which whiS
pered to him to avoid all sentries, be
cause II they saw him he would b
sent back to that awful destruction il
the front line, and perhaps be kille'
or MANNED. The thought made hin
shudder, the cold sweat coming out Ii