Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-10-04

upon a SOlO1er SlLtlnS IN the hllCLSA
Of a house, at a common table. His
head was bound up in white sur
gical bandage, as big as n turban,
and he wore an old, faded, thread
bare black frock coat; that made
aim ridiculous. He had been
wounded and was convalescing. He
was breakfasting on piece of black
bread upon which with a pocket
knife ne was spreading some kind
Of grease from tin, and he had a
tin cup Of coffee. At our approach
he sprang to his feet, came to at
tention. and stood there; our Off
GERS spoke to- him, with the conde-
scending sugary kindness that war
dens and goalers display toward IN
mates of prisons when visiting and
inspecting committees are about;
myriad flies were crawling over his
tin of paste and his hunk OF black
bread.
Into the Trenches
In the rear of a house, close by
an old wall, in an entrance cunning
ly concealed. we descended steps cut
in the earth to a narrow trench, like
those dug for water pipes in city
streets, six feet deep, scarcely
yard wide, and were lost in the
labyrinth Of the German trenches.
l was ahead with the monocled cap
tain, the others came on in single
file behind. Gathering on the wood
EN- gratings that made a floor for
the trenches.
They were very clean in that dry
clay And always overhead those
shells, those bullets; the English
were not all at breakfast, surely.
We entered a graveyard; the
trench was cut directly through It,
On either side 1 could have laid my
hand on a grave where still reposed
the hideous artificial flowers IN
which French graveyards abound.
And there in the center, high over
our heads, was reared great COL
gotha, a monstrouS cruc1hx' the
white body of the Christ on It's
wooden cross, spotted again ana
again by black holes where bullets
had pierced it. The arms or the
cross were splintered but there the
Christ hung pitiably, in that nan
of balls, a great black hole IN MS
white side, with an aspect terribly
Humankind no one commented on
the dramatic picture and all It's
fearful, poignant, ironic impllca-
lions. We walked on In silence.
Soldiers here and there flattened
themselves against the side OF the
trench to let us pass, or shPpeo
into little receSseS. They looked
more like worSingmen than SOL
diers; they wore only trousers
boots and undershirtS. We came
from time to time to little dug
outs where men were standing or
sitting or sleeping; and In place
as wide rs a cistern some men
were saving wood, making grating
for the trenches. The soldiers were
silent and very sober. They never
smiled; they simply flattened them
selves against the sides or the
trenches as we passed by, staring
az us without interest or curiosity,
DIM. or. maybe, benumbed; though
perhaps only properly disciplined
In one of these dugoutS there was
bench and a bunk where men were
sIeening and there was little pup
chained within, a covering, whln-
ine nitiful thing; when L patted II
II shivered all over in its faWnlng
affection. The soldiers had tried 10
find little comforts, little dlstrac-
+ions little ameliorations. Prints
ou+ from illustrated journals or
It's of the kaiser or OF Hin
denburg or other German worthless
some of the trenches were Named
like streets, after Paris or other
cities; one, in clumsy humor' was
rue des Barbares.
And so we threaded the trenches
MERGING deeper into the hopeleSS
Iabvrinth. There were more anu
more soldiers as we progresSeo.
though the trenches were not ruiz Oh
them as I had imagined them. But
the captain showed us rusty IRON
GOING on which he said the alarm
was beaten in case of attack, SO thAI
+be concealed reserves coulu Conio
forward to the defense. L coulo not
understand how he could ma MS
vav through this maze, but present
~ he told me that we were III
the second line of trenches. we
were now seeing more men, more
guns. more alarm gongs, boxes OF
hand grenades. Two black wires
ran along the trench for eIectrlc
lights: some of the trenches IN wa
ter bearing ground were made with
wicker Innings and here and there
reiuforcementS of concrete, anu
there were structures like Esqul-
maux huts, also made OIL concreIe'
depots for ammunition.
There was a curious effect OF ST.
Iance i'm those trenches, despite the
Internal noise of the sheLs over
head. But we got used to that. l
neglected after awhile even 10 DUCK
nv head every time a shell or
ball had gone over.
There was, too, a sense of order
and of cleanliness, except-loath-
some detail-everywhe over ALL
there were crawling flies, millions
of them. moving about sluggtshly,
deliberately, over the edges and the
walls of the trenches. on the graf
ings little green toads were hopping;
one. in a strange respect for life,
had to be careful not to step on
them.
That was all, that and bunch
of Hoppies and vines overhanging
the edges of the trenches where
the sand bags were piled. NO one
was firing from our trenches; we
saw no killed, no wounded even;
those men seemed to. have nothing
to do with that hail CT balls that
flew always just over our heads,
the shells highest of all describing
great parabolas in the air which
they seemed to darken almost pal
pably, like a cloud. That was inn
agination, of course; the sun was
blazing in a braZen sky.
The bullets whistled, or sang,
that buzzing sound nails mako when
boys throw them sharply through
the air. And the English rifles
kept up a fusillade like fire crackers
the racket of an old-fashloned
Fourth of July at home; the sun
shine added TO the similitude; even
if it did make il all gartsh and
unreal, as if it were not really hap
ha owes IF