The Benson signal. [volume] (Benson, Cochise County, Ariz.) 1915-1921, 1918-09-28
BY CLARENCE 3. HOLLAND.

PariS.-A man can be only so
frightened. After that he dies sudden
ly, or laughs, or both. Also, no mat
ter how scared you are, curiosity sur
wives.
If a shell is coming, you want to see
it land. If it is. going to swat you, you
want to see how it goes about it.
We were going back from the front
back. The battle was Behind us.
Privately each one of us didn't care
how much farther behind us it goi. 1t
could pick up it's belongings and move
away from us as fast as we were NOV
ing away from it if it wanted. No
body would hear protest from any of
us.
At a crossroads our meteOric prog
ress was halted by young and severe
soldier with M. p. on his sleeve.
"You can't pass he said; they're
Smelling the road ahead"
He didn't need to tell us. We knew
it. AS matter of fact we could have
told him things about that road being
{. shelled that he would never know.
A shell came screaming over our
heads to ''wham" down alongside the
road hundred yards beyond. 1t
wasn't a big shell. In a calmer mo-
ment, and at greater distance,
might have admitted that it was lit
tie shell, an insignificant shell, a neg
ligible three-inch shell. But when it
went over my head | was willing to
take oath that it was a ~ centimeter.
When 1 was dug out of the ditch into
which I had dived and the mud
scraped cut of my eyes took last
look down the road.
Cap as Shock Absorber.
Something was paining me in the re-
gion of the knees. Also there was
sound resembling that made by Broth
er Bones in the minstrel show. Minute
examination demonstrated that the
pain was caused by the knees assault
ing each other venOmously. | stuck
my cap between them as a shock abb
sorber and looked again.
1t was busy little road 1t was not
a popular road. Everybody on it had
taken dislike to it and was moving
away with enthusiasm. In the dis
lance were three German prisoners
and one American private. The, pri-
vate was on horse. 1t looked a very
fast horse, but the Germans were hav-
ing trouble with it. 1t kept getting in
their way. They stumbled over it.
''Wham" came another shell. It's
explosion was almost drowned out by
the sounds of conclusion at my side.
They were caused by the beating to-
gether of the knees of the driver of
the Y. NJ. c.. A. car and by those of
Il buck private. Their note was differ
emf, and the meter dissimilar, but the
air was much the same. / could not
quite make out which accomplished the
most knocks to the minute, nor which
was loudeSt.
Several ration carts were approach
ing. 1t was no slow, dignifed, matron-
ly progress. Anybody who believes a
team of mules is incapable of speed
should have been there to see. The RAJ
tion carts were filled with hard tack.
The hard tack was as scared as any
thing else and was trying to keep up
to- the cart-but it was out of luck.
1t had no arms to hang on with. The
air was full of hard tack, 1t flowed
out behind those ration carts like
ribbon. 1t was d snowstorm of hard
tack. and pobody paused to ask where
1t fell. =
bitches Are Popular.
Every ditch was unbelievably popu-
lar. 1t didn't have to be q deep ditch
nor a clean ditch. Any common or
garden variety of ditch would do. A
six-fOot man was perfectly able to con-
ceal himself in a six-inch ditch. Heads
would poke up. and another shell
would land. Immediately it would be-
come a scene of desolatiOn, a lifelesS
waste.
After awhile an airplane went over
head to locate the battery that was
causing all the rumpus. Then the bat
terry stopped.
go ahead" said the NJ. P. They're
through now"
He is the last M. p shall ever be-
,ieve This is positive. He meant well,
and spoke the truth according to his
lights, but his lights were dim. We