Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-11-08

bCuefC yer Sc;iftu. lie isiSt Win
c0n,enptuous sheer.
They marched ten kilos. full pack.
To little dilapidated village, and the
sound of the gurs grew louder. con-
stantly louder.
The village was full of soldiers who
turned out to inspect the new draft,
the men who were shortly to be their
mates in the trenches, for they were
going. up the line" ON the morrow, to
take over" their certain sector of
trenches.
The draft was paraded In front OF
battalion headquarters and the men
were assigned to companies.
Lloyd was the only man assigned to
d company. Perhaps the officer In
charge of the draft had something to
do with it, for he called Lloyd aside
and said:
Lloyd. you are going to new COM
pany. No one knows you. Your bed
will be as you make it, so for Gods
sake, brace up and be man. l think
you have the stuff in you. my boy. so
good-by and the best of luck to YOU"
The next day the battalion took over
their part of the trenches. 1t happened
to be a very quiet day. The artillery
behind the lines was still, except for
an occasional shell sent over to let the
Germans know the gunners were not
asleep.
In the darkness, In single file, the
company slowly wendell their way
down the communication trench to the
front line. No one noticed Lloyd's
white and drawn face.
After they had relieved the company
in the trenches. Lloyd. with two of the
old company men, was put on guard In
one of the traverses. Not shot was
fired from the German lines, and no
one paid any attention to him
crouched on the firing step.
On the first time in, new recruit Is
not required to stand with his head
lover the top" He only "sits 1t out. y
while the older men keep watch.
At about ten o'clock, all of sudden,
he thought hell had broken loose, and
crouched and shivered up against the
parapet. Shells started bursting. as he
imagined. right i'm their trench, when in
fact they were landing about hun
bred yards in rear of them, In the sec
Ond lines.
One of the older men on guard, turn
ing to his mate. said:
There goes Fritz with those *
trench mortars again. It's about time
our artillery 'taped them, and SEN
over few. Well, I'll be ID
where's that Brighter of draft maj
gone to? There's his rifle leanin:
against the parapet. He must have
legged it. Just keep your eye peeled
Dick, while report it to the sergeant
wonder if the fool knows he can b'
shot for such tricks as leavin' hi:
post?"
Lloyd had gone. When the trencl
mortars opened up, a maddening ter
ror seized him and he wanted to run
to get away from that horrible din
anywhere to safety. So quietly sneak
ing around ,.ie traverse, he came to tn
, entrance of communication trench
and ran madly and blindly down II
running into traverses, stumbling int
muddy holes, and falling full lengtl
over trench grids.
Cropping blindly, with his arm
+ stretched out in front of him, he a
last came out Of the trench into tn
village, or what used TO be a village
before the German artillery RACED II
Mixed with his fear, he had pt
culiar sort of cunning, which wits
pered to him to avoid all sentries. be
cause if they saw him he would b
sent back to that awful destruction /
the front line, and perhaps be kille
i, or nnaimed. The thought made h<
shudder, the cold sweat coming out i
I: | beads on his face.