Gunnison news-champion., 1918-05-03
means cuvnrdly.

Ine sfnnHest recruit IN the BARRACKS
looked on bin with contempt, and was
not slow 10 show IL in many ways
Lloyd was q good soldier. learned
quickly obeyed every order prorHrly.
never groused nj the hardest fatiSues.
He was afraid to- He lived In DEADLY
fear Of the officers and .-noneoms" over
him They also de-pised him.
one morning about three months
after his enlistment Lloyd-s company
WIS paraded. and the names picked out
for the next draft TO France were read
When his name was called he did not
step out smHrtly. two PAGES TO the
front. and answer cfEeerfuIly. Here.
SIR" us the others did. He just faint
81 In the ranks and was carried TO bar
racks amid the sne-;s Of the rest.
That night was an agony Of misery
10 him. He could not sleep. Just cried
and whimpered in his bunk. because
on the morrow the draft was 10 sail
for France. where he would see death
on all sides, and perhaps be killed him
self. On the steamer. crossing the
channel. he would have jumped over
board "a escape. but was afraid of
drowning.
Arriving in France, he and the rest
were huddied into cattle ears. on the
SIDE Of each appeared In white letters,
"HoInmes 10. Chevaux After hours
~ huruping over the uneven French
roadbeds they arrived at the training
base Of R0uen.
Al this place they were put through
weeks rigid training in trench war
fare. On the morning Of the eighth
day they paraded at ten O'Clock, and
We're inspected and passed by General
H, then were marched TO the qunr-
tcrrnaster's, to draw their gas helmets
and trench equipment.
At four in the afternoon they were
again hustled into cattle cars. This
time the journey lasted two days.
They disembarked AT the town OF FIRE.
vent and could hear distant dull
booming. With knees shaking. Lloyd
asked the sergeant what the noise was,
and nearly dropped when the sergeant
replied in u somewhat bored tone:
"oh. them's the guns up the line.
or So. Don't worry. my laddie. you'll
see more Of 'em than you want before
you get ONE to Blighty again, that Is,
II you're lucky enough TO get back.
Now lend a hand there unloadln' them
cars, and quit that everlastin' shakin'.
| believe. yer scared" The last with
contemptuous sneer.
They marched ten kllos, full pack,
TO little dilapidated village. and the
sound Of the guns grew louder. con-
stantly louder.
The villnge 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 1t. for he called Lloyd aside
and said:
Lloyd, you are going to a new COM
pany. No one knows you. Your bed
will be as you make 1t. so for Gods
sake. brace up and be man. 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. Ii happened
to be 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 wended their way
Z down the communication trench to the
I front line. No one noticed Lloyd's
J white and drawn face.
I 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 a shot was
/ fred 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
''over the top" He only "sits 1t out"
while the older men keep watch.
At about ten O'Clock. all Of a sudden.
he thought hell had broken loose. and
| crouched and shivered up against the
parapet: Shells started bursting. as he
imagined, right In their trench. when in
fact they were landing about q hum
dred 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 ID
trench mortars again. It's about time
Our artillery 'taped' them, and sent
over q few. Well, I'll be ID,
where's that bligfrser Of draft nsn
1 gone to? There's his ride leaning