The Cordova daily times., 1918-04-22


 ing around the traverse, he came to the entrance of a communication trench. and ran madly and blindly down it. running into traverses, stumbling into muddy holes, and falling full length over trench grids.
 Cropping blindly, with his arms stretched out in front of him, he at last came out of the trench into the village, or what used to be a village. before the German artillery razed it.
 Mixed with his fear, he had a De culfar sort of cunning, which whis- peVed to him to avoid all sentries. be- cause If they saw him he would be sent back to that awful destruction in the front line, and perhaps be killed or maimed. The thought made him shudder, the cold sweat coming out in beads on his face.
 On his left, in the darkness, he could make out the shadOwy forms of trees; crawling on his hands and knees, stop ping and crouching with fear at each shell-burst, he finally reached an old d shot-scarred apple tree.
 He remained there all night. listen ing to the sound of the guns and ever praying, praying that his useless life would be spared.
 AS dawn began to break, he could discern little dark objects protruding from the ground all about him. Curi- Osity mastered his fear and he crawled to one of the objects, and there, dn the uncertain light, he read on a little wooden cross:
 "Pte. Fl. s. Wheston, No. 1670, 1st London Regt. R. F. Killed in action. April 25, 1916. R. I. P" (Rest in Peace).
 When 1t dawned on him that he had been h&ing all night in a cemetery his reason seemed to leave him, and a mad desire to be free from it aH made him rush madfy 8way, falling ever lit tie wooden crosses, smashing some and trampttng others under his feet.
 In his flight he came to an old French dugout, half ,caved in and par tially dlled with slimy and filthy wa 1 ter.
 Like fox being chased by the hounds, he ducked into this hdfe, and l threw ilimself on a pile of old empty sandbggs, wet and mildewed. Then unoOnsciOusness.
 On fthe next day, he came to; far distant voices sounded in his ears. Opening his eyes, in the entrance of i the dugOut he saw a corporal and two men with fixed bayOnets.
 The corporal was addressing him:
 ''Get 9lp, you white-livered biighterl ] Curse you and the day you ever jOined \ D company, spelling their fine rec Ordi Itll be you rHp against the wall, and a good job tGe. Get hold of him, men, and if he makes break, give hint 1 the bagenet, and send it home, the cow audlg sneak. Come on, you, move, we've been looking for you long enough.'
 Lloyd, trembling and weakened by his long fast, tottered out assisted by a soldier.on each side of him.
 They took him before the captain, baHt could get nothing out of him but: {:
 "'F0r Ged's sake, sir, don't have me shot, don't have me shOt!" 1.-The captain, utterly disgusted with hign, sent tkim under escort to division headquarters for trial by court-mar- tiat, charged with deserti0n under fire. TAey sh0et deserterS in France r1Vn tria R-~xy dazed, and could put nothing forward in his defense, only ;an occasional Don't have me shotr'
 His sentence was passed: "TO be shot st 3:38 o'clock in the morning of May IS, 1916::'' This meant that he had only one more day tG live.
 He dsd not realize the awfulness of his sentence; his brain seemed para lyzed- He knew nothing sof his trip, under gcard, in "a motor l@rry to the sandbagsed guaBdroom in the village where he was dunped on the floor and left, while sentry with fixed bayo- net paced np and down In fr0gt of the entrance.
 Bully beef, water and biscusSs were left beside aim for his supper.
 The sentry, seeing that he ate noth- ing, came inside and shook him by the shoulder, saying in kind voice:
 "Cheero, l2ddie, better eat some thing. You'll feel better. Don't give uP hope. You'll be pardoned before morning. I know the way they run these things. They're oBly trying to scare you, that's all. Cone now, that's a good lad, eat something. It'll make the world look different to you"
 The good-hearted sentry knew he was lying about the pardon. He knew nothing short of a miracle could save the poor lad.
 Lloyd listened eagerly to his sentry's words, and believed them. A look of hope came into his eyes. and he raven ously ate the meal beside him.
 In about an hours time, the chap lain came to see him, but Lloyd would have none of him. He wanted no par son he was tO hn pardnnad