Daily Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1918-191?, 1918-03-29
"0ver the Top
By An American Soldier
Who Went
ARTHUR GUY EnPEY


IN the last ten years 4 nave severn
times read stories In magazines Of
towards changing. In n charge. 10 he
roes used 10 laugh nj u. II SCENE,
easy for story-writers. but said
Men aren't made that way.r But ovel
In France I learned once that ths
streak OF yellow cnn turn nll white.
picked up the story. bit by BIT. from
the captain of the company. the sen.
tries who guarded the poor fellow. ns
well as from NY own observations. At
first dld not resllze the whole OF his
story, but after week OF lnvestlga-
tlon Il stood out rs clear In my mind
ms the mountains Of my native West In
the spring sunshine. II impressed me
80 much that I wrote II all down In
rest billcts on scraps Of odd paper.
The Incidents are, as I say. every bit
true the feelings OF the man are true
Il know from ull I underwent In the
fighting over In France.
We will call him Albert Lloyd. That
wasn't his name. but II win do:
Albert Lloyd was what the world
terms q coward.
In London they called him'n Stacker.
His country had been at war neurly
eighteen mouths, and stlll he was not
IN khaki
lie had no good reason for not en-.
listing. being alone In the world. hav-
ing been educated In an orphan asy-
lun. and there being no one dependent
upon him for support. lie had no good
position 60 lose. and there was no
sweetheart Co tell him with her lips
TO 60, while her eyes pleaded for him
20 stay
Every time ne saw n recruiting ser
geant he'd stink around the corner out
Of sight. With a terrible fear gnawing
OF his heart. When passing the big re-
crulting posters. and on his way 10
business aud back he passed many. he
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:"
or the boring eyes Of Kitchener, which
burned into his very soul, causing him
90 shuddcr.
Then the Zeppelin raIds-durlng
them. he used 10 crouch In n corner OF
his clearinghouse cellar. Whispering
like whipped puppy aud calling upon
the Lord 10 protect him.
Even his landlndy dcsplsed him. al
though she had 10 admit that he was
good pay"
He very seldom read the papers. but
one momentous morning the lnndlndy
put the morning paper at his place be
fore he came down to breakfast. TAX
Ing his seat he read the finring head
line. Transcription Blll Pissed" and
nearly fninted. Excuslng himself. he
stumbled upstairs 20 his bedroom.
with the horror OF II gnawlng into his
vltals.
Hnving saved up a few pounds. he
decided not 10 leave the house. aud 20
sham sickness. 50 he stayed In his room
and had the landlady serve his meals
there.
Every time there was a knock az the
door lac trcmbled all over. imagining II /.
WIS u policeman who had come TO take I
him awuy 20 the army.
One morning his fears were realized. .
Sure enough, there stood u policeman .
with the fatal paper. Taking II I'm his .
trembling hand he read that he. Albert .
Lloyd, was ordered 10 report himself
TO the nearest recruiting stntlon FOR
examination. lie reported IND
medlatcly. because he was afraid TO
disobey.
The doctor looked with approval
upon Lloyd's six feet OF physical per
fection, and thought what a fine
gunrdsman he would make, but exnm-
lined his heart twice before he pissed
him rs physically ft," II was beating
50 fast.
From the recruiting depot Lloyd was
taken. with many others, In charge Of
a sergeant, 20 the training depot at Al
dershOt, where he was given an outfit
VI khaki, and drew his other equlp-
mcnt. lie made tinc-looklng soldier.
except for the slight shrinking In his
and the hunted look In his
Eyes.
At the training depot Il does not
lake long TO find out a mans character.
md Lloyd wns promptly dubbed
windy" In the English army windy"
means c0wurdly.
The smallest recruit IN the barracks
ookcd on him with contempt. and was
lot slow 10 show Il In many ways.
Lloyd was u good soldier, learned
ulckly, obeyed every order promptly.
ever groused AT the hardest fatlgues.
Ie was afraid TO. lie lived IN deadly
ear OF the officers and 'noncoms" over
I'm. They also desplsed him.
one morning about three months
fter his enlistment Lloyd's company
ias paraded, aud the names picked out
Or the next draft 10 France were read
When his name was called. he did not
tep out smartly. two PAGES 20 the
ront. and answer cheerfully. "IIere.
n" ms the others did. lie just faint.
II In the ruutla nud ttlue eu rrlafI fa har.