The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1918-06-06
An American Soldier Who Went
ARTHUR GUY EMpEY

and the lions were once again fed.
The captain stayed about twenty min
uteS and came out. l couldn't see his
| face, but the droop In his shoulders
was enough. He looked like wet hen.
1.-THE door of the generals room
opened and Old Pepper stood In the
doorway. With roar he shouted:
(Which one Of you Is Cassell
D-n me, get your heels together
when 1 speak Come In herev
"Cassell started to say, yes sir
'But Old Pepper roared, Shut up y
"Cassell came out in five minutes.
He 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 SuOTt'
"Old Pepper glared at me when /
entered, and then let loose.
"'Of course you don't know anything
about 1t. You're just like the rest
Ought to have nursing bottle around
your neck and a nipple in your teeth.
Sodiers-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 fish
Spit 1t OUT
IT stammered, sir, know absolute
ly nothing
""That's easy to see,' he roared
that stupid face tells me that. Shut
up. Get out; but I think you are a
ID liar just the same. Back to
your battery
81 saluted and made my exit.
THAT night the captain sent 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 1t into your
heads that Morse Is a 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 saluted, and were just going out
the door of the dugout when the cap
tain called up back and said:
"'Smoke Goldflakes? Yes? Well
Go back to the battery, and keep your
tongues between your teeth. Under
standf
1--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 1t to put one over
on Old Pepper, to say nothing of the
injury caused to Fritz feelings"
When Wilson had finished his story
I looked up and the dugout was
damned. 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 a
carnation. The captain smiled and
left. Wilson whispered to me:
"Blime me, Yank. see where click
for crucif1xion. That captain Is the
same one that chucked us Goldf1akes
in his dugout and here l have been
'chucking me weight about In his
hearing"
Wilson never clicked his crucifxion.
Quite a 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 rifle, and took no pains to
disguise this fact from us. He used to
take care of his rifle as If 1t 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 rifle; he soon found out his
error. Scott was as deaf as a mule,
and 1t was amusing at parade to watch
him 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 a mystery to us; he must
have bluffed his way through because
he certainly was Independent. Beside
him the Fourth Of July looked Ike
Good Friday. He wore at the time a
large sombrero, had a Mexican stock
saddle over his shoulder, a lariat on
his arm, and a "fortyfive" hanging
from his hip. Dumping this parapher-
MALTA on the floor he went up to the
recruiting officer and shouted: "Tm
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 1 was deaf and
so am. don't banker to ship in with
q ID underwriting outfit, but the
cavalry's full, so 1. guess this reg-
ment's better than none, so trot out
your papers and I'll sign EN-" He told
them he was forty and slipped by. 1
was on recruiting service at the time