Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-05-17
.swhich one Of you is Casselli

Il 3$seHs3 w HlCU one OL you IL CusScAs
On me, get your heels together
when speak Come in here!'
| "CasselI started to say. Yes SIR
"But Old Pepper roared, Shut up f!
"Cassell came out in five minutes.
lie said nothing. but as he passed me
he put his tongue into his cheek and
winked, then, turning to the closed
door, he stuck his thumb to his nose
and left.
'"Then the sergeant majors turn
came. He didn't come out our way.
Judging by the roaring, Old Pepper
must have eaten him.
"When the door opened and the gen.
eral beckoned to me, my knees started
/ to play Home, Sweet Home against
each other.
| my interview was very short.
"Old Pepper glared Mt me when l
entered, and then let loose.
"'Of course you don't know anything
about it. You're just like the rest.
Ought to have a nursing bottle around
your neck and nipple in your teeth.
Soldiers-by CAD, you turn my stom-
ach to look at you. Win this war,
when England sends out such samples
) as I have in my brigade! Not likely
Now, sir, tell me what you don't know
about this affair. Speak up, out with
it. Don't be gaping at me like q fish.
Spit it out
II stammered, Sir, I know absolute
~ nothing
""Thats easy to see,' he roared;
that stupid face tells me that. Shut
up. Get out; but think you are a
id liar just the same. Back to
your battery
II saluted and made my exit.
''That night the captain sept for us.
With fear and trembling we went to
his dugout. He was alone. After sa-
luting we stood at attention in front
Of him and waited. His say was short.
"'Don't you two ever get it into your
heads that Morse is dead language.
I've known it for years. The two OF
you had better get rid Of that nervous
habit of tapping transmitters; it's dan
gerous. That's ALL
1--WE salHted, and were just going out
the door of the dugout when the cap
tain called up back and said:
"'Smoke Goldflakes? Yes? Well,
there are two tins of them on my table.
Go back to the battery, and keep your
tongues between your teeth. Under
Stand:'
"We 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
en- 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:
'cBlime me, Yank. see where click
for crucifixion. That captain IS the
sd1lle one that chucked US SGoldfakes
In his dugout and here I have been
'chucking me weight about in his
hearing
Wilson never clicked his crucifixion.
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 rife, and took no pains to
disguise this fact from us. He used to
take care Of his rife 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 rife; he soon found out his
error Scott was as deaf as mule,
apd it was amusing at parade to watch
Nm in the manual Of arms, slyly
glancing 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 mystery to u.s. he must
have bluffed his way through, because
he certainly was independent. Beside
him the Fourth of July looked like
Good Friday. He wore ut the time a
large sombrero, had Mexican stock
saddle over his shoulder, lariat on
his arm, and a 'forty-fve" hanging
from his hip. Dumping this parapher-
MALTA on the floor he went up to the
recruiting officer and shouted: ."rm
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 was deaf and
so am. don't banker to ship in with
a ID underwriting outfit, but the
cavalry's full, so guess this regi-.
lment's better than none, so trot out
your papers and I'll sign EN-" He told
them he was forty and slipped by. I
30 $h0