Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-05-29
THE LOST AMERICAN
BY THURsTON ROSS
Ord. T. G. Camp Hancock

Continued from last week
smouldering remorse, became fiery
Madness, too great and too insane to be
called hatred. KarlsCn was looked upon
by his superior officers as an ideal COM
mander on the American front, so it was
there he was sent to give vent to the
bitterest fury
He was not told, however, what troops
he would face-none of the men knew.
Their only mission was the mission of
the empire-to kill and conquer
Attacks on the European front last but
few minutes-yet the time seems to
draw on until hours have been made
often even days until the few minutes
finally extends into centuries and years.
Karlson remained in his trench on the
morning when the attack was expected.
1t did not come. He was there the next
day and the next until on the seventh
day in the mist of the morning, No
mans Land burned with fire and finally
became alive with troops. Bullets struck
about him and bits Of steel and dirt
clinked on his helmet and stung his body.
His parapet was well concealed and in
the rush was not destroyed Some of his
men were dead-some wounded. The
machine gun post which had been in the
German front line was now in No mans
Lad-wthout ammunition. Not man
could be spared to bring in fresh belts
for the guns SO the officer went back.
He had proceeded down the connecting
trench but few yards when he found
it blocked. Turning in another direction
he craWled into a tunnel, broke through
crust of earth and peered through in
a trap set for the invaders. glance
was sufficient. KarlSon'S grandfatherS
had outwitted savages on the plains.
They had crept into tents where Indians
in war paint slept and returned. The
grandson could accomplish the feat. 1t
was a perilous trip through shell holes
but a buried store of machine gun cart
ridges was found He strapped the belts
to himself and crawled back He had
almost reached the entrance to his trench
when sentry discovered him Hardly
a second passed until he was the target
of dozen guns But a shell hole af-
forded him temporary safety.
Had it not been for that shell hole
Karlson might have returned safely to
his parapet he might have died
German. But as he lay there he glanced
up over a ridge and in the trench be-
fore him he saw the American flag. Was
it possible the Americans were really
there? He heard his own language-he
heard the call of his own blood. His
neutrality-suspicious. young manhood
passed before him in a flash He saw
the evil-eyes Won Haupt. Hintzman
flashed by and it was all clear. He had
been trcked by the old intrigue he had
studied in the German schools. He had
been victimiZed by the same "Bultur' he
fought for. A betrayal maddens a man.
All the hatred for America was turned to
love and the love for Germans was turn
ed to more bitter hatred than he had ever
held against his homeland He was safe
The flag burned into his very soul and
purged it of Teutonism and Prussian-
ism. Carlson leaped from the shell hole,
He would die an American Throwing
off the machine gun belts, he stood alone
in the fatal strip of land between two
front line trenches. An instant passed
and then tattoo of bullets ratified, But
before the fire opened K had changed
back to G. Germany had lost an officer
and the Stars and Stripes had reclaimed
the lost American.