Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-07-25

upon him for support. He had no good
position to lose. and there was no
sweetheart to tell him with her Inns
to go. while her eyes pleaded for him
to stay.
Every time he saw a recruiting ser.
geant he'd stink around the corner out
OF sight, with a terrible fear gnawins
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 ut 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 Shudder.
Then the Zeppelin raids-duriny
them, he used to crouch in a corner of
his clearinghouse cellar, whimpering
like a whipped puppy and calling upon
the Lord to protect him.
Even his landlady despised him, al
though She had to admit that he WIS
good pay"
He very seldom read the papers, but
one moinentous morning the landlady
put the morning paper at his place be-
fore he came down to breakfast, TAX
ing his seat he read the flarinc head.
line. Consumption Bill Passed." and
nearly tainted. Excusing himself, he
stumbled upstairs to his bedroom,
with the horror Of It gnawing into his
yitals.
Having saved up a few pounds, he
decided not to leave the house, and to
sham sickness, so he stayed in his room
n had the landlady serve his meals
there.
Every time there was a knock at the
door ne trembled all over, imagining It
was a 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 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.
mediutely, because he was afraid TO
disobcy.
The doctor looked with approval
upon L'oyd's six feet Of physical per.
lection. and thought what a fine
guardsman he would make, but exam.
ined his heart twice before he passed
him ms physically fit" It was beating
SO fast.
From the recruiting depot Lloyd vas
taken, with many others, In charge Of
a sergeant. to the training depot Mt AL.
dershot. where he was given nm outfit
OF Khaki. and drew his other cauip.
ment. He made a f~inc.looking soldier.
except for the slight shrinking in his
shoulders and the hunted look In his
eyes.
At the training depot 1t does q
take long to find out a mans character.
and Lloyd a promptly dubbed
windy" In the English army "wlndy"
means cowardly.
The smallest recruit In the barracks
looked on him with contempt, and was
not slow to shcw 1t In many ways.
Lloyd was a good soldier, learned
quickly. obeyed every order promptly.
never groused at the hardest fatieues.
He was afraid to-. He lived In deadly
fear Of the officers and "noncoms" oyer
him. They also despised him.
One morning abOut three months
after his enlistment Lloyd's company
was paradcd. and the names picked ont
for the next draft to France were read.
When bis name was called, he did not
step out smartly. two PAGES to the
front. and answer c~heerfuIly. "Herc,
sir" A. the others did. He Just faint.
ed In the ranks and vas carried "a bar.
racks amid the sneers Of the rest,
That night was an agony OF misery
to him. He could not SLEEP. Just cried
and whlmrered In his hunk, because
on the morrow the draft was TO rail
Tor France. where he would rec death
on all sides. and perhaps be killed him.
sclf. On the steamer. crossing the
channel. he would have jumped over.
board to escape. but was afrnId Of
drowning.
l Arriving IN France. hs md The rest