The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1918-11-07
CHAPTER Vl-Continued.


The lieutenant came back with the
stretcher bearers and he asked one OF
them, so the boy could not hear him, II
the boy would live.
The stretcher bearer said: 81 don't
think so. One through his chest and
right leg broken"
The boy had kept quiet for while,
bur all of q sudden he yelled, "Give me
a cigarette" handed him q ciga-
rette butt that had found In the dug
out. We were all out Of cigarettes.
So they lit it for him and he kept
quiet. AS soon as they could they got
around the corner Of the fire bay with
him and through a communication
trench to q field hospital. The lieu
tenant and I walked little way with
him and he began to thank US, and he
told the lieutenant, "Old man, you
have been q father and q mother to
me-"
And the lieutenant said to him
"You have done well, old boy. You
have done more than your share"
When they started into the commu-
nicatIon trench the boy began to
acted like a wild man.. He took out
his cigarette case, but there were no
cigarettes in it, and then he swore and
put it back again. But in few min
utes he had the case out again and
was swearing worse than ever and
talking to himself.
'The boy isn't dying like gentle
man." he said. "Why couldn't he keep
quiet" 1 do not think he meant it.
He was all nervous and excited and
sept taking out his cigarette case and
putting it back again.
The other officer had gone on to in
spect the sentries when the boy rolled
into the trench and a poilu came up
to tell us that the officer had been hit.
We walked back to where had been
and there was the officer. If I had
bean taere / would have got 1t too,
kueSs. He was an awful mess. The
veins were sticking out Of his neck
and one side of him was blown off.
Also, his foot was wounded. That is
what shrapnel does to you. AS
crawled past him I happened to touch
his foot and he cursed me all over the
place. But when I tried to say was
sorry I could not, for then he apollo
gized and died a moment later.
There was a silver cigarette case
sticking out of the rags where his
side had been blown away and the
lieutenant crossed himself Id reached
III and took out the case. But when
he pried open the case he found that
| 1t had been bent and cracked and all
the cigarettes were soaked with blood
He swOre worse than ever, then, and
brew his own case away, putting the
other officers case in his pocket.
At this point our own artillery be
gan Smelling and we received the order
to stand to With fixed bayOnets. When
we got the ocder to advance some OF
the meA were already over the para
| pet ard the whole bunch after them
ard, balteve me, I was as pale as 8
sheet, just scared to death. I think
every 1aan is when he goes over fol
| the first tiTae-every time for thai
natter. Brt was glad we were goins
20 get some action, because it is hare
10 sit around in a trench under fir
and have nothing to do / had all
could do to hold my rife.
We ran across No Mans Land.
cannot remember much about it. Blu
when we got to the German trencl
fell on top of young fellow and m,
bayOnet went right through him.
was a crime to get him, at that. HI
WNs as delicate as a pencil.
When I got back to our trenche
after my first charge could not sleel
for long time afterward, for remeln
bering what that fellow looked 1ik
and how my bayOnet slipped into hir
and how he screamed when he fel
He had his legs and his neck twiste
u0der him after he got 1t. I though
about it a lot and it got to be almOs
a habit that whenever was going t
sleep 1 would think about him an
then all hope of sleeping was gone. =.
Cur company took a German trenc
thEr time and along with anOthe
company four hundred prisoners. w
had to retire because the men on GU
sides did not get through and W
were being f1anked. But we lost Il
of men doing it.
When we returned to our trencht
. obr outfit was simply all in and "
were lying around in the front lin
= ike . tulnch of old rags in a mario
= alley. None of us showed any sigr
I OF hf4 except working party tn.
;. | was diggiRg with picks and shovels
Is some bodies that had been frozen I'M