The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1918-05-08

II nearly and the heavens still gashed
and then by the fare bombs and rockets sent up
either side The night before when the boy had
taken his position for the nights vigil an enemy patrol
surprised him and although he had succeeded making his
cape darkness his ammunition had been expended IN
the exchange of shots few hours later the same thing had nap
pened again and he had been driven farther from his or-
post found himself off from his sector OF the
trenchesby angle the lines and dawn
approaching fast.
heraded coming of the and the
lad submerged muddy pool An wind swept
the wasteand and chilled OF the watcher But the
wind brought than cold To his dull
scrapng scratching with faint rattle of steel steel
physical his position lost the soldier
enemy approaching and that
he danger The boy had thought that
could he lie concealed his slight shelter through the day he could
make his way back the American trenches the next night Dis
covery death worse. capture.
The sound of the approaching suddenly drowned by
deaenng peal thunder the mouths OF the behind
the lines preparing for another day of battle and boodshed Strain
ing every sense the American strove to locate enemy
knew be close The soldier carefully cooked his rifle and lay
wait for he knew that the sound OF single shot would be naudble
in the pandemonium OF bursting shells
The drzzng eaden clouds parted and the
hone glory through the smoke laden casting the morning
first beams the deary battlefield The German could be dmy
bending low scurrng from depression depression with the
evident obtaining from which
the American trenches The boy in the she'll hole that the foe
mans advance would bring him into his position and
he started his final DASH the boy raised himself the edge of the
hollow and pulled the trigger. The dropped-bu
soey wounded for the falling hammer winged messenger
OF death its journey but snapped empty chamber The
boy realized with terrible emotion of despair his cartridge
had been expended the night The yards away
had the boy pull the trigger of the empty gum had the
look despair his face and knew that he densees With
chucke and eer of triumph the Hun prone position
and with the swness of snake gliding through the with the
reentessne of bouncing upon mouse swooped
down on the American boy in the shell hole.
1t too late for him to fix his bayone against
the foe Too late oppose cold desperate
struggle for life The lads hand erked cartridge belt
mad search for cartridges Just more clip
of
shoulder, and took careful aim the boys ivid
The theatre crowds just beginning hrong Peachree
street for four o'clock in Flanders is eleven in Atlanta caow
youth soing toward the bepowered maiden
aside the butt of the last of twenty-five pack cigarettes
He show window procaming that thrift stamp
youth srong toward the line with bepowdeed maiden
gggled at the Clever remark he made.
An ndugen mother paused buy quarters worth of candy
Tor a spoiled child
traveller slipped silver palm porter
he boarded his train.
A little newsy a alley whites of his
eyes shining big ratified the dice and excedy challenged hoo
whole quataw Yous faded replied the little white newsy with
smudge his ecked The coins the pavement
when frightened cry Ode cop the whole gang surryng
One OF the quarters rolled through the gutter into the
pastyaced youth with cigarette stained fingers pushed blue
faced boys crowded
An overd citizen stepped into lunch and ordered cup
of coffee and sandwich The check the waiter laid beside his plate
bore the figures @ AS the over-fed citizen emerged the
lunch he glarng poster BUY Stamps and Send
Clip OF Cartridges Boy the Trenches and he gnned sheep
shly as he caught his car
|
Back in that selscarred youth in khaki Law
with his face buried in the mud mud that stained
than its wonted color His cold white his back over
his cartridge belt his stiff fingers spread though final
futile search for the clip cartrdgo the clip that was not
there
In another shell hole perhaps fifty yards to the American
lines thin jets of fame purted And in the American
trenches that day soldier fell to rise no
more pierced by Bullet from the German sniper
i *
twenty-five Thrift Stamp, the posters tell us will send
clip of cartridges trenches Of what value is lust
one more clip of cartridges in this terrible war? little