Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-08-17
ZERO HOUR.
BY EARL WAYLAND BOWMAN

II Is zero hour" All night the
boys--our Boys--have been waiting,
watching knowing that with this
coming OF the dim shadows OF dawn
would come zero hour"--the hour
in which they would go over the
top"
The artillery has been pounding,
pounding. pounding through through
the long Were they long?
Were they? Ii is all so much like
dream ages. or was Il only minutes?
that rush through the slush and
mud, over shell swept roads, from
Back there somewhere to up
here" into the front line trench.
An hour ago hell broke loose. II
Twas the final deluge OF death poured
from American and French guns into
the German position out yonder be-
yond that forbidden strip all ma
tions have named mo Mans Land"
For an hour the air has been filled
with the sob and shrek and scream
of great shells,
Now II is zero hour There Is
a moments lull In the cannon-fre.
Its like the death silence, the un-
earthly calm, that comes sometimes
in the midst OF furious storm
The men are grouped about the
ladders
Every nerve in every man Is tense
as steel wire--five minutes more
four minutes--three minutes
Down the line whisper runs
Remember, at the whistle every
man goes over No waiting-keep
out of the way of the man behind
and give them hell!"
"Oh, | want to get a boche on my
old bayonet." huns a voicelike an
echo and a suppressed laugh ripples
through the air
"Sh-hh! Silence!"
Two minutes-one minute
Every man knows that some who
are waiting. waiting for the COM
mand TO "go over" are spending
their last few seconds on earth;
every man knows that before the
red sun throws his lance above the
eastern horizon, already lighted by
the gray heralds OF morning, some
of those crouching there will have
paid the last farthing OF the Great
Price that men who fight for Liberty,
for Country, for Home, for Right
eousness, are called to pay.
What thoughts go tumbling
through their minds--what images
of home, OF green fields, OF faces
faces
All the WHISTLE
Now! Over! Over! And get EN-!
shadowy forms spring out OF the
trenches. Figures running, stopped
forward sheli-holes stun
bling, dash toward the lanes cut al
ready through the wire
Every mans eyes fixed straight
ahead. every mans mind alert to
the thing HE Is to do; every mans
attention riveted on HIS special
duty.
Machine guns belch death into
their faces, they drop--fat-the
next instant are up, part of them
some never rise againand rush on.
Into the enemy trcuch
Now -now--its is steel against
steel. or keen point into quivering
flesh. Are great hells flying over
head? Are hand grenades, bombs,
bursting all around? Are men drop
ping surprised --startled--by the
sudden thrust of bayonet or smash
of gun butt on helmet covered
heads?
Perhaps perhaps Is no
time TO bee Each man is busy, too
busy to see II conrad is doing his
Bit" No grumbling at the work at
the enthusiams, OF the "other fellow
no whining that liam doing
more than my shareR No--and
thank God There is no compare
tive" patriotism over there Every
man is doing all, ALL, that he can
do; every man is doing HIS best
Only so may the trench be taken
in no other way can the Vandais be
driven back
It Is zero hour" In Idaho.
Here at home, in our own state.
in our own town. in our own family
circle IL Is zero hour"
II is zero hour" In the drive for
the $500, 900 worth of War Savings
Stamps Idaho must buy-you and
MUST help buy before we have
helped to whip the Hun.
It is zero hour"
The whistle has sounded.
Why-why do we stand and walt