Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1918-03-15
ARTI1Ul GUY E>T[PEY
GUNNER ,jERYNdIN FRANCE


road was called Target II, Range
60O0, degrees 30 minutes left d 23S
battery consisted Of four 40 howlt-
zers and fired 35-pound II, Il, shell.
As you know, II, II, means high ex-
ploslve,' / don't like cumming up my
own battery, but we had a record In
the division for direct hits, and our
boys were just pining away for
chance to exhibit their skin In tbA
eyes of Fritz,
"On the afternoon Of the fourth day
Of Fritz contemptuous use of the road
mentioned the captain and l were at
our posts as usual. Fritz was strafe-
ing us pretty rough, just like he's doing
now. The shells were playing leap
frog all through that orchard
II was carrying on conversation
in our tap code with Cassell at the
other end. 1t ran something like this;
essay CasSell how would you like
to be in the saloon bar Of the Kings
Arms down Rye lane with bottle OF
Bass in front Of you, and that blonde
harmad waiting to fiji 'em up AGAIN.
"Cassell had O fancy for that par
ticular blonde. The answer came back
in the shape of a volley Of cusses. l
changed the subject.
after while our talk veered
round to the way the BochcS had been
exposing themselves on the road down
on the chart as Target H. What he
said about those BOches would never
have passed the reiChstag, though l
believe it would have gone through
our censor easily enough.
1.-THE bursting shells were making
such din that l packed up talking
and took to watching the captain. He
was fidgeting around on an old sand
bag with the glass to his eye. Occa-
sonally he would let out grunt, and
make some remark ] couldn't hear on
account of the noise, hut / guessed
what it was all right. Fritz was get
ting fresh again on that road.
"Cassell had been sending in the tap
code to me, but | was fed up and
didn't bother with it. Then he sent
o. s., and was all attention, for this
was n call used between us which
meant that something important was
on. was all ears in an instant. Then
CasSel turned loose.
"Y0u blankety blank dud I have
been trying to raise you for fifteen
minutes. What's the matter, are you
aslecpY (Just as if anyone could
have slept in that internal racketO
Never mind framing a nasty answer.
Just listen
care you game for putting some
thing over on the Boches and Old Pep
per all in oneY
~ answered that I was game enough
when it came to putting it over the
BOCheS, but confessed that | had a
weakening of the spine, even at the
mention of Old Peppers name.
"He came back with, It's so absurd
~ easy and simple that there is no
chance of the old heather rumbling it.
Anyway, if we're caught, I'll take the
blame
Under these condition I told him to
spit out his scheme 1t was so daring
and simple that it took my breath
away. This is what he proposed:
"If the Boches should use that road
again, to send by the tap system the
,,,I,-
told him about our captain talking out
loud as if he were sending through
orders. Well if this happened, l was
to send the dope to Cassel and he
mander as officially coming through
the observation post. Then the bat
terry would open up. Afterwards, dur
ing the investigation, Cassell would
swear he received it direct. They
would have to relieve him, because ii
was impossible from his post in the
battery dugOut to know that the road
was being used at that time by the
Germans. And also it was impossible
for him 20 give the target, range and
degrees. You know battery chart is
not passed around among the men like
newspaper from Blighty, From him
the investigation would go to the OBJ
seryatiOn post and the observing off.
Ger could truthfully swear that l had
not sent the message by phone, and
that no orders to fire had been issued
by him. The Investigators would then
be up In the air we would be safe, the
Boches would receive a good bashing
and we would get our own back on Old
Pepper 1t was too good to be true
/ gleefully fell in with the scheme
and told Cassell l was his meat.
"Then l waited with beating heart
and watched the captain like a hawk.
"He was beginning to fidget again
and was drumming on the sandbags
with his feet. At last, turning to me,
he said:
Wilson, this army IS a blankety
blank washout. What's the use of hav-
ing artillery if it is not allowed to fire?
The government at home ought to be
hanged with some Of their red tape.
It's through them that we have no
Shells