Baxter Springs news., 1918-12-27

Holding His Dying Officers Head.
Happy vouchsafed no answer.
"AbOut ten minutes after the fellows
left for the stretcher, French got a bull
let through the left arm"
Sailor Bill interrupted here:
"How do you know 1t was ten min
utesi"
Ikey blushed and answered:
"French told me when he got back
to the trench. You see, he carried the
officer back through that fire, be-
cause the stretcher bearers took too
long in coming out"
asked key how Corporal French,
being wounded himself. could carry
Leftenant Newall in. because I knew
Leftenant Newall to he a six-footer
and no lightweight. You see, he had
at one time been In command Of my
platoon at the training depot in Eng
land.
Ikey answered:
swell, you blokes give me the proper
pip, and you can all blOOmin' well 60
to h" and he shut up like clam.
Hungry Foxcroft got up and silently
Withdrew from our circle. In about
ten minutes he returned, followed by
a tall, fair-haired corporal who wore
q little strip of gold braid on the left
sleeve of his tunic, denOting that he
had been once wounded. and also wore
a little blue and red ribbon on the left
breast of his tunic. the field insignia OF
the Distinguished Conduct medal.
Hungry, in triumph, brought him
into our circle and handed him a fag
which he lighted in the fame from the
candle on the mess tin, and then Hun
cry introduced him to us:
"BOys, I want you to meet Corporal
French"
He shook hands with all the boys
Ikey got red and was trying to ease
out Of the candle light, when Sailor
Bill grabbed him by the tunic and held
him.
Then Hungry Foxcroft carried on:
n. ..Frenoh, I'm going to ask you Q
mighty personal question, and l know
You'll answer it. How in h did you
hit in the left arm, bring Leftenant
Newall back from that accommodating
patrol?"
French grew a little red. and an
swercd:
swell, you see, boys, It was this way
Honey and I stuck out there Will
him, and, taking the slings from oul
rifles, Honey made a sort Of rope
which he put around my shoulder anC
under the arm of the leftenant, ant
Honey, getting the leftenant by the
legs, we managed to get him into the
trench. You know, l got ID. c. NJ. ou1
of the affair, because / was the cor
pOral in charge. Damned unfair,
call 1t, because they only handed Hon
ney the Military medal, but If the tru'
facts were known he was the blOkt
who deserved, not a ID. c. NJ, but q V
G. Victoria CrOss)."
We all. turned in Honney's direction
Bill, in his interest, had released hi
hold on Honney's tunic and HonneI
had disappeared.
Happy asked French II the leftenant
had died In No Mans land.
French, with tears in his eyes, an
swered:
mo, but the poor lad went ives
after we got him to the first-ald dress
ing station, and next day we buried
him in the little cemetery at Fromel
les. He sure done his bit, all right
blime me, and here am, bloomin' well
swankin' with a ribbon on my chest"
A dead silence fell on the crowd
Each one of us was admlring the mod
esty of those two real men, French
and Honey.
But such is the way in the English
army-the man who wins the medal al
ways says that the other fellow de
served 1t.
And Germany is still wondering why
they cannot smash through the Eng
lish lines.