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

or the boring eyes of Kitchener, which
burned into his very soul, causing him
to SliUdGer.
Then the Zeppelin raids-during
them, he used to crouch in corner of
his clearinghouse cellar. whimpering
like whipped puppy and calling upon
the Lord To protect him.
Even his landlady despised him. al
though she had to admit that he was
"goOd pay"
de very seldom read the papers, hut
one momentous morning the landlady
put the morning paper ut his place be-
fore he came down 10 breakfast. TAX
ing his seat he read the flaring head
line, transcription Bill Passed" and
nearly tainted. ENcusng himself. he
stumbled upstairs to his bedroom.
with the horror of it gnawing into his
yitais.
Having saved up a few pounds. he
decided not to leave the house. and to
sham sickness. so he stayed in his room
and had The landlady serve his meals
there.
Every time there was q knock Mt the
door he trembied all over, imagining II
was Il policeman who had come to take
him away to the army.
One morning his fears were realized.
Sure enough, there stood n policeman
with the fatal paper. Taking il in his
trembling hand he read that he, Albert
Lloyd, was ordered to report himself
to the nearest recruiting station for
physical examination. He reported I'M
mediately, because he was afraid to
disobey.
The doctor looked with approval
upon Lloyds six feet Of physical per-
lection, and thought what fine
guardsman he would make. but exam
ined his heart twice before he passed
him as phys, ally fit" it was beating
| SO fast.
From The recruiting depot Lloyd was
/ taken, with many others, in charge of
/ 4 sergeant. to the training denot at Al
i dershOt, where he was given IN outfit
/ of khaki, and drew his other eauip-
men,. lie made fine-loolling soldier,
except for the slight shrinking in his
| shoulders and the hunted look in his
/ eyes.
~ the training depot 1t does not
! take long 10 find out Il mans character.
and Lloyd WIS promptly dubbed
"windy." In the English army "windy''
means cowardly.
The smallest recruit in the barracks
looked on him with conteinpt. and was
not SLOW tn show it in many ways.
Llo.d WAS a good soldier. learned
quickly. Obeyed every order promptly,
never groused at the hardest fatigues.
He was afraid to. He lived in deadly
fear of the officers and ''noncoms" over
him. They also despised him.
One morning about three months
after his enlistment Lloyd's company
was paraded, and the names picked out
for the next draft to France were read
When his name was called, he did moi
step out smartly. two PAGES to the
front, and answer cheerfully, Here
sir" as the others did. He just faint
ed i'm the ranks and was carried to bar.
racks amid the sneers of the rest.
That night was an agony of misery
to him. lie could not sleep. Just cried
and whimpered i'm his bunk, because
on the MORROW the draft was to sail
for France, where he would see death
on all sides, aud perhaps be killed him
self. On the steamer, crossing the
channel, he would have jumped over
board TO escape. but was afraid OF
drowning.
Arriving in France, he and the rest
were huddled into cattle cars. On tho
side of each appeared in white letters
''Hommes 40, Cheyaux s." After hour.
of humping over the uneven French
roafhcds they arrived at the training
base of Rouen.
At this place they were put through
weeks rigid training in trench war
fare. On the morning of the eight
day they paraded at ten o'clock. ant
were Inspected and nasSed by Genera
H, then were marched TO the quar-
teruaster's, TO draw their gas helmet.
and trench equipment
At four in the afternoon they wer,
again hustled into cattle cars. Thi'
time the journey lasted two days
They disembarked at the town of Ere
vent and could hear a distant dul
booming. With knees shaking. Lloy,
asked the sergeant what the nC,se was
aud nearly dropped when the sergean
replied in n somewhat bored tone:
4 oh, then's the guns up the line
WeYl he up there In a couple o. day
or so. Don't worry. my laddie. you'll
see more OF 'em than you want befor,
you get 'ome to Blighty again, that is
if you're lucky enough to get back
Now lend a hand there unIoadin' then
cars. and Qcit that everlastin' shakin