American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-07-23

mortars opened up, a maddening ter
ror seized him and ne wanted to run.
to get away from that horrible din.
anywhere to safety. So quietly sneak
ing around the traverse, he came to the
entrance Of a communication trench.
and ran madly and blindly down 1t.
running into ~traverses. stumbling into
muddy holes. and falling full length
over trench grids.
Cropping blindly. with his arms
stretched out In front Of him, he at
last came out of the trench into the
village, OF what used to be a village,
before the German artillery RACED it.
Mixed with his fear. he had a pc
culiar sort of cunning. which whis-
pered to him to avoid all sentries, be-
cause If they saw him he would be
sent back to that awful destruction in
the front line. and perhaps be killed
or manned. The thought made him
shudder. the cold sweat coming out In
beads on his face.
On his left, In the darkness, he could
make out the shadowy forms of trees;
crawling on his hands and knees, stop
ping and crouching with fear at each
shell-burst. he finally reached an old
orchard and covered at the base of a
shot-scarred apple tree.
He remained there all night, listen
ing to the sound Of the guns and ever
praying, praying that his useless life
would be spared.
AS dawn began to break, he could
discern little dark objects protruding
from the ground all about him. Curl
osity mastered his fear and he crawled
to n of the objects, and there, in the
uncertain light, he read on a little
wooden cross:
"Pte. II. 5. Wheaton. No. 1870, 1st
London Regt. K. F. Killed In action.
April %, 1915. R. 1. P" Crest in
Peace.
When it dawned on him that he had
been hiding all night in a cemetery
his reason seemed to leave him, and a
mad desire to be free from it all made
him rush madly away, falling over lit
tie wooden crosses, smashing some and
trampling others under his feet.
II his flight he came to an old
French )ueout, half caved in and par
tally filled with shiny and filthy wa
ter.
Like a FOX belng chased by the
hounds, he ducked into this hole, and
threw himself on a pile Of old empty
sandbags, wet and widowed. Then
Inconsistencies.
On the mex day. he came to; far
distant voices sounded In his ears.
Opening his eyes. in the entrance of
the dugout he saw a corporal and two
men with fixed %bayonets.
The corporal was addressing him:
sect up, you white-livered blighter
Curse you and the day you w Joined
D company, spelling their fine rec
ord! It'll be you up against the wall
and a good job too. Get hold Of him
men, and if he makes a break, give hin
the bayOnet. and send 1t home, the COW
ardly sneak. Come on, you, move
we've been looking for you long
enough"
Lloyd. trembling and weakened by
his long fast, tottered out. assisted by
a soldier on each side of him.
They took him before the captain,
but could get nothing out of him but
For Gods sake. sir, don't have me
shot. don't have me shot I"
The captain, utterly Disguised with
him, sent him under escort to division
headquarters for trial by court-mar-
tial. charged with desertiOn under fire.
They shoot ~deserters in France.
During his trial. Lloyd sat as one
dazed, and could put nothing forward
in his defense. only an occasional
Don't have me shOtl"
His sentence was passed: ITO be
shot at 3 :3S o'clock in the morning of
May IS, 1916" This meant that he
had only one more day to live.
He did not realize the awfulness of
his sentence; his brain seemed para
lyzed. He knew nothing Of his trip,
under guard. In a motor lorry to the
sandbagged g%uardrOom in the village,
where he was dumped on the floor and
left, while a sentry with a fixed bayO-
net paced up and down in front OF the
entrance.
Bully beef. water and biscuits were
left beside him for his supper.
The sentry. seeing that he ate moth
ing, came inside and shook him by the
shoulder, saying In a kind voice:
"Cheero. laddie. better eat some
thing. You'll feel better. Don't give
up hope. You'll be %pardoned before
morning. 1 know the way they run
these things. They're only trying to
scare you, that's all. Come now. that's
a good lad. eat something. It'll make
the world look different to you"
The good-hearted sentry knew he
was lying about the pardon. He knew
nothing short of a miracle could save
the poor lad.
Lloyd listened eagerly to his sentry's
words, and believed them. A look OF
hone cana into hfa ayes and he ravon.