Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-05-02

and pokin' fun at d company, bad
lack to you but you won't get another
i chance to disgrace us. They'll put
your lights out in the mornin'."
After listening to this TRADE, Lloyd,
IN faltering voice, asked: 'sThey are
not going to shoot me. are they? Why,
the other sentry said they'd pardon
me. For Gods sake-don't tell me I'm
to be slot!" and his voice died away In
sob.
"Of course, they're going to shoot
you. The other sentry was jest a-kid-
din you. Jest like old Smith. Always
n-tryin' to cheer some one You amt
got no NOSE chance o. bein' pardoned
than l have of gettin' to be colonel of
my bait"
When the fact that all hope was
gone finally entered Lloyd's brain, a
calm seemed to settle over him, and
rising to his knees, with his arms
stretched out to heaven, he prayed and
all of his soul entered into the prayer.
! 20 good and merciful God, give me
strength to die like mani Deliver
me from this towards death. Give me
u chance to die like my mates in the
fighting line, to die fighting for my
country. ! ask this of thee"
| peace, hitherto unknown, came to
him, and he crouched and covered no
more but calmly waited the dawn.
ready to go to his death. The shells
were bursting all around the guard
room but he hardly noticed them.
While waiting there, the voice of the
sentry. singing in a low tone came to
him. He was singing the chorus of the
popular trench ditty:
I want to go home, want to go home,
l don't want to go to the trenches no
more
Where the "whizzbangs" and .'sausages,'
roar galore.
Take me over the sea. where the Allemand
can't get at me.
Oh, my, 1 don't want to die! I want to go
| home.
! Lloyd listened to the words with a
strange interest and wondered what
kind of a home he would go to across
the Great Divide. 1t would be the only
home he had ever known.
| Suddenly there came great rushing
through the air, binding, deafen-
Ing report, and the sandbag walls of
the guardroom toppled over, and then
! -blackness.
When Lloyd recovered conscious
ness, he was lying on his right side.
facing what used to be the entrance of
the guardroom. Now, it was only
tumble Of rent and torn sandbags. His
head seemed bursting. He slowly rose
OH his elbow, and there in the east the
dawn was breaking. But what was
that mangled shape lying over there
among the sandbags? Slowly dragging
himself to 1t, he saw the body of the
sentry. One look was enough to know
that he was dead. The soldiers head
was missing. The sentry had had his
wish gratified. He had "gone home.'
He was safe at last from the "whizz-
bangs" and the Allemand.
Like flash it came to Lloyd that he
was free. Free to go lover the top
With his company. Free to die like
true Briton fighting for his king and
country. A great gladness and warmth
anne over him. Carefully stepping
over the body of the sentry, he started
IN mao race down. the ruined street
of the village, amid the bursting shells,
ninding them not, lodging through or
around hurrying platoons on their way
% also go "over the top" Coming to
communication trench he could not
get through. 1t was blocked with laugh
,ng cheering and cursing soldiers.
Climbing out of the trench, he ran
wildly along the top never needing the
'ain of machine-gun bullets and shells.
not even hearing the shouts of the OF
ficers. telling him to get back into the
trench. He was going to join his COM
pany who We're in the front line. He
VAS going to fight with them. He, the
despised coward, had come into his
OWN.
While he was racing along jumping
over trenches crowded with soldiers, a
ringing cheer broke out all along the
front Zine, and his heart sank. He
knew he was too late His company
had gone over. But still he ran madly.
He would catch them. He would die
with them.
Meanwhile his company had gone
'over." They, with the other COM
panies had taken the first and second
German trenches, and had pushed
stecdDy on to the third line. D con-.
par=-. I'D by their captain, the one who
had mt Lloyd to division headquar-
ters Tor trial, charged with desertion,
had pushed steadily forward until they
found themselves far in advance of
the rest of the attacking force. Bomb
Ing OUT trench after trench, and using
their bayonets, they came to a German
communication trench, which ended in
bindsap, and then the captain, and
what was left of his men, knew they
were in a trap. They would not re-
tire. d company never retired, and
they were d company. Right in front
of them they could see hundreds OF
Germans preparing to rush them with
bomb and bayonet. They would have
some chance if ammunition and bombs
could reach them from the rear. Their
supply was exhausted, and the men
, realized it would be case of dying
. as bravely as possible, or making run
for it. But D company would not
run. 1t was against their traditions
and principles.
~ T.