Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-04-17
CHAPTER x-continued.


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Va bod q sergeant in our battalion
mod Warren. He was on duty with
bs nIatoon In the fire trench one after
.oon when orders came up from the
roar that he had been granted seven
5.vs' leave for Blighty, and would be
,oGavpd at FIVE o'clock to proceed to
England.
He was tickled to death at these
racome tidings and RECALLED his more
~ loss pnviOus mates beside him on
tho fire step with the good times in
store for him. He figured it out that
IN two DAYS time he would arrive at
Waterloo station, London, and then
seven days bliss!
At about five minutes to five he
started TO fidget with his rife, and
then suddenly springing up on the fire
stan with a muttered, "Pll send over
q couDle of souvenirs to Fritz so that
he'll miss me when 1 leave" he stuck
biyrife over the top and fired two shots
when "crack" went a bullet and he
mmpled off the step, fell into the mud
At the bottom of the trench, and lay
still in a huddIed heap with a bullet
hole in his forehead.
At about the time he expected to ar
rive at Waterloo station he was laid
10 rest in little cemetery behind the
lines. He had gone to Blighty.
In the trenches one can never tell
HisuOt safe to plan very far ahead.
After stand down" the men sit on
the fire step or repair to their respec-
tive dugOuts and wait for the rum is
sue to materialize. Immediately fol-
lowing the rum comes breakfast,
brought up from the rear. Sleeping is
then in order unless some special work
turns up.
Around u 80 dinner shows up.
When this is eaten the men try to
amuSe themselves until "tea" appears
at about four o'clock, then "stand to-
and they carry on as before.
While in rest biIlets Tommy gets up
about six in the morning, washes up,
answers roll call, is inspected by his
platoon officer, and has breakfast. At
S;45 he parades (drills) with his COM
pany or goes on fatigue according to
The orders which have been read out
by the orderly sergeant the night pre-
YOuS.
Between II 80 and noon he is dis
missed, has his dinner and is ION his
own" for the remainder of the day,
unless he has clicked for a digging or
working party, and so it goes on from
day to day, always looping the loop
and looking forward to peace ard
Blighty.
Sometimes, while engaged in a
'coOtie' hunt, you think, Strange to
say but it is a fact, while Tommy is
searching his shirt serious thoughts
come to him. Many a time, when per.
forming this operation, I have tried
70 figure out the outcome of the wal
and what will happen to me.
My thoughts generally ran in this
channel:
viii 1 emerge safely from the next
attack? If do will I skin through the
following one, and so on? While your
mind is wandering into the future i
Is likely to be rudely brought to eartf
WaTommy interrupting with, "What';
good for rheumatism?"
Then you have something else t.
mink Of. viii you come out of thi:
war crippled and tied into knots will
rheumatism, caused by the wet ant
mud Of trenches and dugouts? Yor
give It up as bad job and generally
@unter over to the nearest estamine
~ Grown your moody forebodings in {
s'"SS OF Sickening French beer or Il
"| your luck at the always presen
sone OF house" You can hear th'
NuS-Song voice of a Tommy dronins
w, "uy the numbers as he extracts tn,
n'ue squares of cardboard from tn,
UaS between his feet.