Connecticut western news., 1918-06-13
SYNOPSIS.

submarine, Arthur Guy Empey, an Ameri-
can, leaves his office in Jersey City and
Toes to England where he enlists in the
British army.
CHAPTER Latter q period Of train
fng, Empey volunteers for immediate serv-
nad so9n nds where IN rest he rs
snakes the acquaintance Of the ever-pres-
ant Coolies"
CHAPTER III-Empey attends his first
Shurch services at the front while a Ger
hnan Fokker circles over the congregation.
ETIAPTER IV-Empey's command goes
kifo the front-line trenches and Is under
IRE for the first time.
CHAPTER-~V-Empe learns to adopt
me motto of the British Tommy, IF you
Ore going to get it, you'll get 1t. SO never
SsX.rfis st' his FIRST e experience as = mess
CHAPTER vII-Empey learns how the
British soldiers are fed.
CHAPTER VIII-Back in the front-line
trench, Empey sees his first friend of the
trenches "go West
CHAPTER Ix-Rmpey makes his first
visit to q dugout in Suicide Ditch.
CHAPTER X-Empey learns what con-
sttutes days work" in the front-hne
trench.
CHAPTER xI-Empey goes "over the
top" for the first tine in a charge on the
German trenches AND Is wounded py
bayonet thrust.
CHAPTER xII-Empey joins the sui
eide club, as the bombing squad Is called
CHAPTER xIII-Each Tommy gets an
official bath. ~se..a
CHAPTER XIV-Empey helps dig an
advanced trench under German fire.
CHAPTER xv-On listening post" in
No Mans Land.
CHAPTER XVI-Two artillerymen put
one over" on Old Pepper, their regimental
commander.
CHAPTER XvII-Empey has narrow es-
cape while on patrol duty In No Mans
Land.
3. CHAPTER XVIII-Back in rest billets
Empey writes and stages a farce comedy
CHAPTER xIX-Soldiers have many
ways to amuse themselves while ION their
own"
CHAPTER Xx-Empey volunteers for
machine gun service and goes back into
the front-line trenches
After losing three out of six men of
our crew we managed to set up our
machine gun. One of the. legs of the
tripod was resting on the chest of a
half-buried body. When the gun was
firing, 1t gave the impression that the
body was breathing. This was caused
by the excessive vibration.
Three or four feet down the trench,
about three, feet from the ground, a
foot was protruding from the earth.
We knew 1t was a German by the black
leather boot One of our crew used
that foot to hang extra bandOliers of
ammunition on. This man always was
a, handy fellow; made use of little
points that the ordinary person would
overlook. 80 u
The Germans made three counter
attacks, which we repulsed, but not
without heavy loss on our side. They
also suffered severely from our shell,
and machine-gun fire. The ground was
spotted with their dead and dying. "
The next day things were somewhat
quieter, bat lot quiet enough to bury
/, the dead. ......r1 ,..... ...a. h...
we lived, ate and slept in that trench
1t was awful to watch their faces be-
come swollen and discolored. Towards
the last the stencil was fierce.
! What got on my nerves the most was
that foot sticking out of the dirt. It
seemed to me-, at night, in the moon
light, to be trying to twist around.
Several times this impression was so
strong that / went to it and grasped 1t
in both hands, to see If could feel
movement.
/ told this to the man who had used
1t for hatrack just before lay down
for little nap, as things were quiet,
and I needed a rest pretty badly.
When 1 woke up the foot was gone.
he had cut it off with our chain saw
out of the spare parts, box, and had
plastered the stump over with mud.
During the next two or three days,
before we were relieved, missed that
foot dreadfully; seemed as If I had
suddenly lost a chum. y Z
| think the worst thing of all was to
watch the rats, at, night, and some!
times In the day, run over and play
about among the dead.
| : Near our gun, right across the para
pet, could be seen the body Of a Ger
man lieutenant, the head and arms of
which were hanging into our trench.
The man who had cut off the foot used
to sit and carry on a one-sided CONVEX
,sation with this officer, used to argue
and point out why Germany was in the
wrong. During all of this monologue
7 never heard him say anything out of
the way-anything that would have
hurt the officers feelings had he been
alive He was square all right |;
wouldn't even take advantage of a
dead man in an argument.
To civilians this must seem dread
full, but out here one gets so used to
awful sights that it makes no impress
sion. In passing a butcher shop you
are not shocked by seeing dead tur-
key hanging from a hook. Well, in
France, dead body is looked upon
fl ON the same angle. 80
But, nevertheless, when our six days
!were up, we were tickled to death to
be relieved.
Our machine gun
seventeen. killed and