Evening star., 1918-02-17

good salary sitting on high stool in
Some Office
He turned to me and answered: It's
the likes O. you who volunteered Tor
this war what keeps it goin'. II you
had all refused to go at first, there
wouldn't be any war
IT couldn't see it his way at an. and
went right back at him with: Yes, and
if it wasn't for us volunteering the
bloody German flag would now be flying
over Buckingham Palace and King
George would be in the Tower OF Lon
don.'
He thought a minute or two and an
swered: Well, what of It; one flags as
good as another and as for the bloomin
king what did he ever do for you but
make you pay taxes so he could bloom
This was too much for me, that
blinkin' jellyfish a singing mud at our
king, SO l lost my temper, and taking
my glass of win Rouge in my hand l
When you mention the kings name il
is customary to drink his health Fer
haps he never did anything special for
me, but 1 have never done anything
special for him. and even at that I've
done sight more than you have for
him. SO take this wine and drink his
health, or TIL dent that napper of yours
SO you wont be able to wear that tin hat
of yours.
'He got kind Of pale and answered:
Drink tho kings health. not uko1y.
It's throaEh him and his bloody top
hats in parliament that I'm out here
Why In the blinking hen DON'T he do
his own lighting and let US poor blokes
alone?
Il saw red and was just going to hit
him. when big Irishman out OF the
Tri0 70 he
glass of wine from my hand. and, look
ing the blighter in the face. yells at
him:
Well, If the king amt done nothing
for you English, he's done less for US
Irish. but I volunteered to come out
here for him. and here 1 am. and glad
of it. too. and hopes some day to get
into Berlin with the kings forces. You
won't drink his health; well, you can
bathe his health. With that he threw
the wine into the blighters face and
smashed him in the nose with his fist
The fellow went over like log with
the Irishman still agoin' for him. II
would have killed that conscientious
objector. The military police came in
to see what all the row was about had
clicked three days B. C. (confined to
barracks) and didn't want to get ar
rested. SO in the confusion l made
tracks for my billet.
The next time / met the bloke was
when we buried old Smith out of the
tenth platoon in the cemetery at La
Bassee. He was one of the grave dig
gers. All during the burial service he
stood looking at the Union Jack with a
queer look on his face. When old Smith
was lowered into the ground and the
dirt was thrown on him, the conscien-
tious objector, Watkins was his name
came over to me and said:
81 hear he fpointing at old Smiths
gravel is forty-eight years old anG
has left wife and three nippers bach
draft, wasn't he? Then he must have
volunteered.
Il answered.: of course he volun.
teered and there he lies. but I'll wager
quid his wife and kids will be PROUD
of him-and that's more than your kid:
will be about you
"He sneaked off without answering
Three days later 1 nearly dropped deac
when our lance corporal came into ou
billet with bloody nose and beauti
fully trimmed lamp. When l asked hin
how he got knocked about, he told m
that a fellow out>of the non-com batan
r corps. named Watkins. had mussed hin
= up just because he had called him
;. white-livered coward.
watkins ducked twenty-one days-o
: the wheel and when his sentence wa
finished they transferred him to
: fighting unit. and bang; into our pla
n toon he comes.
: MANY talk 1 had with him abou
t that pacihst. He hadn't changed hi
j in his ideas. but he kept his mout
shut about the king and the top hat
/ at home.
t Then we went into the trenches. an
s I knew his finish was near. A firin
: squad or rest in peace was to be hi
. lot; they all get one or the othe
: sooner or later.
L After two days in. Fritz got roug