American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-07-05


tongues between your teeth. Under
stand?'
"We understood.
For five weeks afterwards bat
terry did nothing but extra fatigues.
We were satisfied and so were the
men. 1t was worth It to put one over
on Old Pepper. TO say nothing of the
injury caused to Fritz feelings"
When Wilson had finished his story
l looked up and the dugout was
jammed. An artillery captain and two
officers had also entered and stayed
for the finish. Wilson spat out an
enormous quid of tobacco, looked up,
saw the captain. and got as red as a
carnation. The captain smiled and
left. Wilson whispered to me:
"Bllme me. Yank, l see where I click
for %crucifxion. That captain is the
same one that chucked us Goldfakes
In his dugout and here / have been
'chucking me weight about in his
hearing"
Wilson never clicked his crucifxion.
QuAlt a GOnlluSl u nllrOn Wdo Ill
other character in our brigade named
| Scott; we called him "Old Scotty" on
account Of his age. He was fifty-seven,
although looking forty. "Old Scotty"
had been born In the Northwest and
had served in the Northwest Mounted
police. He was a typical cowpuncher
and Indian fighter and was a dead shot
NTH tho rfan on1 toAIr M Mains tnt
disguise this fact from us. He used to
take care of his rifle as If it we're a
baby. In his spare moments you could
always see him cleaning it or polish
ing the stock. Woe betide the man
who by mistake happened to get hold
of this rifle; he soOn found out his
error. Scott was as deaf as a mule,
and it was amusing at parade to watch
him in the manual of arms, slyly
glancing out of the corner of his eye
at the man next to him to see what
the order was. How he passed the
doctor was a mystery to us; he must
have bluffed his way through, because
he certainly was independent. Beside
him the Fourth of July looked like
. 0OOn IAluuJs Il WOAC at AAC liz a
large sombrero, had a Mexican stock
saddle over his shoulder, a lariat on
his arm, and a 'forty-fve" hanging
from his hip. Dumping this parapher-
MALTA on the floor he went up to the
recruiting officer and shouted: "Tm
from America, west Of the Rockies,
and want to join your ID army.
I've got no use for a German and can
shoot some. At Scotland Yard they
turned me down said 1 was deaf and
so 1 am. 1 don't banker to ship in with
a ID underwriting outfit, but the
cavalry's full, so l guess this regi-
ment's better than none, so trot out
your papers and I'll sign EN-" He told
them he was forty and slipped by.
was on recruiting service at the time
he applied for enlistment.
1t was Old Scotty's great ambition
to be a sniper or "body snatcher," as
Mr.. Atkins calls it. The day that he
was detailed as brigade sniper he cele
brated his appointment by blowing the
Z whole platoon to flags.
Being a Yank, Old Scotty took a lik
; ing 10 me and used to spin some grea'
yarns about the plains, and the whole
D.. platoon would drink these in and ash
for more. Ananias was a rookie com
l pared with him.
The ex-plainsman and discipline
could not agree, but the officers al
! liked him, even if he was hard to man
, age. so when he was detailed as
!. sniper a sigh of relief went up iron
r the officers mess.
5 Old Scotty had the freedom of tn
s brigade. He used to draw two o
three days rations and disappear wit
n his glass, range finder and rifle, and W
e would see or hear no more of hir
until suddenly he would reappea
with a couple of notches added t
r those already on the butt of his riff,
Every time he got a German it NEAR
another notch. He was proud Of thes
(! nOtches.
But after a few months Fathe
rheumatism got him and he was ser
q to Blighty the air in the wake of hi
d stretcher was blue with curses. OF
e Scotty surely could swear: some of hi
Outbursts actually burned you.
n No doubt, at this writing. he
Somewhere in Blighty' pussy foOtin
II it on a bridge or along the wall {
some munition plant with the &c. r
D. or Home Defense corps.