The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1918-09-06

upon him for support. He had no good
position to lose, and there was no
sweetheart to tell him with her lips
to go, while her eyes pleaded for him
to stay.
Every time he saw recruiting SER
geant he'd Sink around the corner out
of sight, with a terrible fear gnawing
at his heart. When passing the big re-
cruiting posters, and on his way to
business and back he passed many, he
would pull down his cap and look the
other way from that awful finger
pointing at him, under the caption
your King and Country Need YOU"
or the boring eyes of Kitchener, which
burned into his very soul, causing him
to shuddar
Then the Zeppelin raids-during
them, he used to crouch in corner of
his boarding house 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"
He very seldom read the papers, but
one momentous morning the landlady
put the morning paper at his place be-
fore he came down to breakfast TAX
ing his seat he read the flaring head
line, "Conscription Bill Passed." and
nearly tainted. Excusing himself, he
stumbled upstairs to his bedroom,
with the horror of it gnawing into his
vitals.
Having saved up 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 knock at the
door he trembled all over, imagining it
was policeman who had come to take
him away to the aymy.
One morning his fears were realized.
Sure enough, there stood policeman
with the fatal paper. Taking it 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
hrm as physically fit;" it was beating
| so fast.
From the recruiting depot Lloyd was
| taken, with many others, in charge of
sergeant, to the training depot at AL
| dershot, where he was given an outfit
| of khaki, and drew his other equip
ment. He made fine-looking soldier,
except for the slight shrinking In his
shoulders and the hunted look in his
eyes.
At the training depot 1t does not
take long to find out mans character,
and Lloyd was promptly dubbed
windy" In the English army "windy"
means cowardly.
The smallest recruit in the barracks
looked on him with contempt. and was
not slow to show It in many ways.
Lloyd was 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 not
step out smartly, two PAGES to the
| front, and answer cheerrully, "Here,
sir" as the others did. He just faint
ed in the ranks and was carried to bar
racks amid the sneers of the rest.
That night was an agony of misery
to him. He could not sleep. Just cried
and vSl%ppered in his bunk, because
on hS'Rnorrow the draft was to 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 to escape. but was afraid of
drowning.
Arriving In France, he and the rest