Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-02-13
(By E. M. kelso.)


4 esslon on your fac is picture of mem
ther of a MANI"
My son, I'm proud of you. I'm the
&oudest father in this land today. But
was thinking of the day when march
away and of my father-the old vet
ian of Civil War days grew hoarse and
vars streamed down his cheek and blind
@ his eyes-"and my father placed his
and upon my shoulder and his last
2Sords are ringing in my ears: Make a
cd soldier. my boy
NJ We'll, dad" broke in the boy, didn't
Pu make good Didn't you
As if he had not heard, the old man
Bntinued: II remember that day as if
& We're but yesterday-the day l march
@ away to the grand, wild music of war.
was just realizing the strength Of vigor-
ls manhood. | kissed the sweetest
Aps of the purest woman God ever gave
MAINLY mother
& And was there a little girl sweet
Rart?' questioned the boy.
Yes, your mother, and she was as
Tue and as pure and sweet as the whitest
" heaven ever smiled upon"
II We'll. then. dad, why are you so sad,
You haven't answered ne?"
II was thinking"
"Thinking-thi Of whatf'
Before the old man had time to answer
Fought credit to the name of Carter.
Yhen | enlisted old Uncle Elijah Brown
bid me how he served with the
7EdVGSC SOluIGF LnAI ever IiF6Q q II1USkGlt
nd that was you, dad, that was you. I'm
e Elijah told me SO. He told me you
Vas as fierce az tiger in battle and as
ender as a mother at other times. And
50 your bravery, dad, he told me how
gu stole out, under fire, crawled for 800
ards to spring, crawled on your hands
md knees, all for poor comrade who
as wild with thirst-the old warriors
omrade was Uncle Elijah, dad"
''YeS, my boy, it is true served my
Nountry. l loved her / loved every
var in old glory. was. fired with a
Oily 1g4 p3,urpos TO do or to die for the eternal
4 7.Well, then. what's wrong dad?'' as big
tears came to the old mans eyes again.
My son. / would give the world;
Aery life If ]. could just blot out one dark.
Nicture that haunts and follows-that blot
b my homer is a thorn in my pillow at
light, it Is purgatory Of torment in the
lay time"
Come here, boy, I want you to profit
when I joined the army, thought I
new life; | thought knew men; ] thought
knew the temptations and pitfalls;
bought knew human nature"
but in the School Of Life had pain
sul and tragic lsson to learn"
One night we were all sitting in the
someone introduced jokes Theye were
4 OF confined to the jokes that could be
aeIated in the presence or a mother.
Binqcq5Ou i, 'Sfiod lo$SQyli
knew the dark and sean1y side of life
loo. but / had never actually experienced
It. / had observed it in the lives of
sthers. But when I failed to enter as
heaTtily into the laughter as the rest, one
IF the boys said:
"Bill, its easy to be seen you've never
travelled around much"
what do you mean" | asked.
ooh nothing he replied with a know
I insisted that he tell me what he was
driving at.
You haven't Travelled around much.'
be repeated.
You don't know much about the
World broke in another
And fast danes," added another.
WAS YOU ever drunk?' sneered another.
sits the old, old story, son, but it's so
smeer and mock and jeer at a young fell
ow because he's not fast my boy, but
et him be fast and contract disease and
The same men who sneered and jeered be-
cause he was slow cas- they term it)
point the finger or rdicule at him because
ne happened to be unfortunate-or tough
uck-as they call it, Let young fellow
be infected and he's outlawed from So
ciety. Oh they talk about good fellows
and all that, but my boy, let man be-
come diseased and he's isolated. One
night-it was cruel awakening ask
ed a comrade for drink from his cup.
He looked at me and muttered a lame
excuse that he was In a hurry, and left
me standing there ehagfined and hurt to
the quick. One morning my supply Of
towels was exhausted and I borrowed one
from my bunkie. l didn't know him
[ understand now-he didn't want to hurt
my feeiings-and he burned it when / had
finished using it.
1.-The night I was told I was so inex-
perienced and that / did not know life,
that / had not Travelled around much
deep burning desire came into my heart
TO learn. I wanted to be able to talk of
Fast women in that same glib manner as
the rest of my tent-mates; I wanted to
know life; / wanted to be a good pal;
wanted to have it said OF me: Hes seen
some of life" Butch God-what a price
paid!
'Baek home a little sweetheart was
waiting for me with lips Of purity and a
heart as clean as the driven snow.
MY mother who had n1rsed me, look
ed into my baby eyes, put my dirnDled
arms about her neck and thanked God
FOR my life-the precious lips of mother
owe waited for my return. But dare I
press my lips to hersf"
f'And my father who had sacrificed,
worked and planned for his bey-cou9d
oolS into his clear, manly eyes without
horror written over my face?"
zone night shall never forget 1t, no,
not TO nv diving day-a most fascinating