Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1918-03-31

I saw that he had his hand pressed 10
HE hight breast The fingers were GOV.
cred with blood. I flashed the light
on HE face and In its glow grayIsh.
blue color was stealing over his coun.
tenanee Pete looked M at me and
said; swell. Yank, they've done me In.
l can feel myself going West" His
voice was getting fainter and had TO
kneel down 10 get his words. Then he
nve me message 10 write home 10
his mother and his sweetheart, and !,
like a great big boob. cried like n baby.
I was losing my nrst friend OF the
trenches.
Word was passed tc the rcar for u
stretcher. He died before Il arrived,
Two OF MS put the body on the
stretcher aud CARRIED Il 10 the nearest
firstald post. where the doctor took
an official record OF Pete's name, num-
ber. rank and regiment from his Idcn.
tity disk, this to be used In the Gus
ualty lists and notification 10 his
family.
We left Pete there. but II broke our
hearts TO do 40. The doctor Informed
US that we could bury him the next
morning. That afternoon tlye OF the
boys OF our section. myself Included.
went to the little ruined village IN the
rear and from the deserted gardens OF
the French chatcaux gathered grass
and flowers. From these We made n
wreath.
While the boys were making this
wreath. I sat under shotscnrrcd
apple tree and carved out the follow.
ing verses ON little wooden shield
which we nailed ON Pete's cross.
True TO his God, true TO Britain.
Doing his duty 20 the hst.
Just one more name 10 be written
On the Roll OF Honor Of heroes passed
Passed to their God. enshrined In glory,
Entering life OF eternal rest,
One more chapter In England's story
OF her sons doing their best
Rest, you soldier. mate 30 true.
. Never forgotten by us below
Know that We are thinking of YOU.
Ere TO our rest we are bdden to 30.
Next morning the whole section wmt
over to say good-by to Pete. ana laid
him away to rest.
After each one had look at the face
Of the dead, u corporal Of the r. \.
M. G. sewed up the remains In a tlan.
ket. Then placing two heavy ropes
across the stretcher Ito he used In low.
erlng the body into the gravel, we lift
ed Pete onto the strctcher. and rev.
erently covered him with large union
Jack. the flag he had died for.
The chaplain led the way, then came
the officers OF the section, followed by
two OF the men carrying wreath. I'M
medlateIy after came poor Pete on the
fiag-draped strctcher. carried by foun
soldiers. was one ~ the four. Be-
hind the stretcher. In column Of fours.
came the remainder OF the section.
To get to the cemetery. We had 10
pass through the little shell-desiroyed
village. where troops were hurryinc
to and fro.
As the funeral procession passed
these troops came TO the attention"
and smartly saluted the dead.
Poor Pete was receiving the only sa-
lutte private IL entitled to 'some-
where In France"
Now and again a shell from the Ger
man lines would, go whlstllng over the
village to burst in our artillery lines
In the rear.
When we reached the cemetery we
halted In front Of an open grave, and
laid the stretcher beside II. Forming
a hollow square around the opening OF
the grave. the chaplain read the burial
service.
German machIne-gun bullets were
"cracking" In the mir above US, but
Pete didn't mind, and neither did we.
When the body was lowered Into the
grave the nng having been removed
we clicked our heels together and
came TO the salute.
left before the grave wns filed In.
could not bear to see the dirt thrown
on the blanket-covered face Of my com.
rade. On the western front there are
no collins, and you are lucky to get u
blanket to protect you from the wet
and the worms. Several Of the sec.
tion stayed and decorated the grave
with white stones.
That night, in the light OF lonely
candle In the machine gunner's dugoui
Of the front-line trench wrote two
letters. One to Pete's mother, the
other to his sweetheart. While doing
this l cursed the Prussian war god
with all my heart, and / think that ST..
Peter noted same.
The machine gunners In the dugout
were laughing and Joking. To them
Pete was unknown. Pretty soon, In the
warmth Of their merrlment, my blues