The Robesonian., 1918-07-22

tongues between your teeth. Under
stand?
eve understood.
"For five weeks afterwards our bat
! terry did nothing but extra fatigues.
| We were satisfied and so were the
| men. 1t was worth it to put one over
on Old Pepper, to say nothing of the
injury caused to Fritz feelings"
When Wilson had finished his story
looked up and the dugout was
Jammed. An artillery captain and two
| officers had also entered and stayed
| for the finish. Wilson spat out an
| enormous Quid of tobacco, looked up,
saw the captain, and got as red as
carnation. The captain smiled and
left. Wilson whispered to me:
"Blime me, Yank. see where click
| for crucifxion. That captain is the
same one that chucked US Goldflakes
In his dugout and here 1 have been
'chucking me weight about In his
hearing"
Wilson never clicked his crucifxion.
Quite contrast to Wilson was an
other character In our brigade named
Scott; we called him "Old ScOtty" on
account of his age. He was fifty-seven,
although looking forty. "Old Scotty"
had been born in the Northwest and
had served in the Northwest Mounted
police. He was typical cowpuncher
and Indian fighter and was dead shot
with the rifle, and took no pains to
disguise this fact from us. He used to
take care Of his rifle as If it were a
baby. In his spare moments you could
always see him cleaning it or polish
Ing the stock. Woe betide the man
who by mistake happened to get hold
OF this rifle; he soon found out his
error. Scott was as deaf as a mule,
ana 1t was amusing at parade to watch
him In the manual of arms, slyly
glanc1ng out of the corner Of his eye
at the man next to him to see what
the order was. How he passed the
doctor was a mystery to us; he must
nave bluffed his way through, because
he certainly was independent. Beside
him the Fourth of July looked like
Good Friday. He wore at the time
large sombrero, had a Mexican stock
saddle over his shoulder, a lariat on
his arm, and a 'forty-five'' hanging
from his hip. Dumping this parapher-
mana on the floor he went up to the
recruiting officer and shouted: ssTm
from America, west of the Rockies.
and want to join your ID army.
I've got no use for German and can
shoot some. At Scotland Yard they
turned me down; said I was deaf and
so am. I don't banker to ship in with
ID mud-crunching outfit, but the
cavalry's full, so I guess this regi-
ment's better than none, so trot, out
your papers and I'll sign 'em." He told
tnem ne was forty and slipped by. 7
was on recruiting service at the time
ne applied for enlistment.
1t was Old Scotty's great ambition
TO be sniper or ''body snatcher," as
MI. Atkins calls 1T. The day that he
was detailed as brigade sniper he cele-
brated his appointment by blowing the
whole platoon to fags.
Being Yank. Old Scotty took a lik-
Ing to me and used to spin some great
yarns about the plains, and the whole
platoon would drink these in and ask
for more. Ananias was a rookie COM
pared with him.
Inc ex-plainsman and discipline
could not agree, but the officers all
liked him. even If he was hard to man
age. so when he, was detailed as a
snlper a sigh Of relief went up from
the officers mess.
Old Scotty had the freedom Of the
brigade. He used to draw two or
three days rations and disappear with
mis- glass, range finder and rifle, and we
would see or hear no more of him
until suddenly he would reappear
with couple Of notches added 10
those already on the butt Of his rifle.
Every time he got German It meant
anotner notch. He was proud Of these
notches.
But after a few months Father
rheumatism got him and he was sent
10 bl1ghty; the air in the wake of his
stretcher was blue with curses. Old
Scotty surely could swear; some of his
outbursts actually burned you.
No doubt, at this writing. be "a
somewhere in Blighty" pussy footing
II on bridge or along the wall Of
! some munition plant with the "a. r -
or Home Defense corps.