The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-05-10
CHALLENGE in the Trenches.


Soon we had our first sentry
challenge in the trenches, and this
went off with great satisfaction to
the major. Seen anything tonight
he asked the Yank. Not a thing,
answered the heavily muffled fig
ure. "How's your bayonet, m'boy
asked the major of another Yank
standing by, and reached up to have
feel. Good edge there to tickle
Fritz's rib-bones," said the major,
not waiting for an answer. 4ou
must have been barber"
All OF the men were standing on
little ledge out of the water and
we found one boy who preferred to
sleep on the sloping side of the
trench in an almost erect position
to the more comfortable horizon
tai of the damp, smelly dugout. An
other who should have been sleep
ing was standing up and yawning
expansively. He said he wasn't
sleepy and didn't care to lie down.
Our Lorraine trenches present
no straight line front but are
bulbs that bulge out fifty feet
or more in a wriggly series. Con-
sequently we have NO Mans
land between these bulbs OF our
own lines, and this greatly facili-
tates the work of our patrols that
that are active every suitable night.
At one listening post within sixty
yards of the bosche the sentry whis-
pered that there were three of our
patrol out just ahead. Excepting
crinllling or rasping OF wire we
could hear or see nothing. Up
went flares, and we lodged so as
not to be nicked by snipers. Then
the rather slow automatic-rivetet
clack-clack of German machine
guns, and | hopes prayerfully that
the eyes back OF those slaughtering
devices had not detected our boys.
When it was dark again we rose
above the trench parapet and lis
tened for heavy breathing or whim-
pcrs. Not a sound. They're safe,
whispered the major.
We padded and waded along our
battle front, manned by our grad
uate fighters, to its adjoining in
structional trenches where | was
surprised to find few draft men
at sentry posts. This was discov-
cred when one challenged the ma
jor and then asked him TO give the |
password without ordering him to
advance. When we were all whis-
pering close together and the ma
Jor had explained that the listen
ing enemy would have heard the
password if it had been spoken, the
sentry said he had only been in the
trenches a few days, that he was a
draft man from Brooklyn.
After trlyersing our front, stop
ping in several officers dugouts and
answering many challenges, the ma
jor introduced me to lively cap
tain OF our intelligence division who
was going back to his headquar
ters and offered to pilot me to the
waiting car The major had to stay
on until daybreak. | told him our
boys were to be congratulated for
having so painstakingly and yet
sympathetic an officer in immediate
command. Say nothing about it,
said he.
A runner went ahead of Us to
show US short cut out of the
trenches. Il know our lines pretty
WELL said the intelligence captain,
but know the Germans much
better. My business is to ascertain
what's going on in Germany, and
they are not hiding much from
Us"
The captain is excellently placed.
He is an expert in understanding
and anticipating the foibles of the
thick German head | had glass
of water in his dugout, and was in
troduced to a photograph of his
baby daughter. He also showed
me some of his war trophies includ-
ing an automatic pistol taken from
a German officer.
Forlorn Edge of World.
The driver was asleep in his car,
as he should have been. 1t was
after 4 o'clock OF dreary morning
in one OF the most forlorn edges
Of the world. He quickly wakcn-
ed, and then began a flying ride
that nearly froze me to an icicle,
for my legs were sopping wet and
had a topcoat OF mud all over
me. At Toul, when l was in des-
perate need OF something warm, we
stopped at a hotel and after re-
peated pounding succeeded in
bringing a barefooted girl in a
to the door. No, we
could not have anything there. The
proprietor had the keys to the cafe
and wine room, and the proprietor
was asleep and could not be awak-
ened. We demanded that we be
given d fair chance to try TO awak-
en- him. She padded up the steps
and indicated a door upon which
We bombarded vigorously. The
proprietor manifestly was accustom-
ed 10 bombardments and it took
him a deyelish long time to come
to. What reused him finally, / be-
lieve. was our repeated shouts that
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