The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-02-07

4 song was always demanded of Fritz
and when he sang they dreamed of
home loved ones, Of happy days gone
nv Ike himself had left a kind old
MOt1rr and a sweetheart who thought
9t ism all day long. When Fritz sang
-ang Of them, sang as he used to
when ne sat in the moonlight with
Ier or rOamed W. the meadows.
nletimes, too, on clear, calm
o%riHgs, the French or English sent
e a note asking for a sons New
1d Fritz refused to sing, he even
red them, and perhaps he did
good that way thar by actual
It ng. Who knows. Not that Fritz
not a brave soldier. Little he
gd the enemies guns he fought
rdalnted.
Pierre had been very little fighting
0..", once in a while a shell broke
forehead, a friendly message" from
% the other. On the night of the
trj. two weeks before there had been
,rt battle fought with little dam
or loss or life to each side.
All day everything had been very
-til in the intense heat. Now as the
long summer twilight of Western
France went out in a last flicker, the
t.ff- h.ot 1natnI ne or ~ G.-.
brca,h of the night wind. The soldiers
altered in a group and Fritz SANG.
one after another he sang each mans
tavorite song, sometimes, too, the rest
joined in. Tonight Fritz sang more
beautiful than ever before it seemed
his voice was softer, clearer, a part
of the night itself. Slowly one by one
the stars came out to look at the earth
below. Song after song he sang until
finally he started the worldwide
known song
81 know not why dreams ore shadow
That | so pensive seem
4 legend of ancient telling
Comes ore me like some faint
dream
The breeze is cool in the twilight
And gently flows the Rhine
And golden the mountains 2limmer
In evenings soft twilight"
The soft, p~laintiye melody drifted
(far away over to the Fr"nch and
they listeneed. The night wind moved
slowly, softly, as if afraid of disturb
ing the singer. An areoplane buzzed
overhead and far away an owl hooted
and all was still. The night brooded
for a time all things listened. The men
dreamed of home, of CFritz) friends.
Fritz sang as he had sung that night
before his regiment left the village,
the night he and his sweetheart had
roamed together and pledged undieins
love.
Far away across green fields a airl
sat in the moonlight and waited,
dreamed and waited. She lived in thu
past because She feared the future.
AS the last echo of Fritz's song drifted
away, she started suddenly. What had
she heard? Perhaps a word of love
carried by some invisible means.
The next morning a little after six
a shell broke over the German trench.
They returned a shot for shot. Most
Of the fire was from concealed posi-
lions at the right of the German trench
and a destructive line of fire swept
down their trenches. The deau and
dying lay all about them. Men strug.
gled. buried alive, looking the aid they
would not ask for. In the air ABOVE
was a continued rushing of shells. Ear
stantly, making one long, continued
deafening roar. Crash afte" crash
shook the earth and heaven. And then
black smoke covered everything. and
it was as dar as night. Rockets, red
and white shot up into the sky. For
hours the battle ragged. Slowly one b.
one, the big guns stopped iring-tbe
bombardment that had been raging
so long stopped for a time and mer
were emerging from their places Of
safety. The smoke drifted away and al
was still. How still compared with the
utter confusion of the morning. There
was a line of stretcher bearers carry
ing men from the field-men who haC
suffered bravely, died nobly for theiI
country and their loved ones. The mer
were busy with their (spake) spade.