The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1918-05-23
When I'm talking to you, pay atten

When I'm talking to you, pay atten.
tion.'
My heart sank. Supposing he had
rumbled that tapping, then oil would
be up with our plan. I stopped drum
ming with my fingers and said:
beg your pardon, sir, just q habit
with me-
"'And a id silly one, too he an
swered, turning to his glasses again,
and l knew l was safe. He had not
tumbled to the meaning of that tap.
ping.
"All at once, without turning round,
he cxclaimed:
"'Well, Of all the nerve I've ever run
across, this takes the cake. Those
-- - BOches are using that road
again. Blind my eyes, this time it is a
whole brigade Of them, transports and
all. What a pretty target for our
'i.5's.' The beggars know that we
won't fire. A ID shame, I call it.
Oh, just for a chance to turn ID 23S
loose on them
II was trembling with excitement.
From repeated stolen glances ut the
captains range chart, that road with
its range was burned into my mind.
"Over the wire 1 tapped, ID 239 bat
terry, Target II, Range 5000, 3 degrees
30 minutes, left, salvo, fire. Cassell
O. KID my message, and with the re-
cciver pressed against my ear, I wait
cd and listened. In a couple of min
utes very family over the wire came
the voice Of our battery commander
issuing the order: ID 239 battery.
Salvo! Fire!'
"Then a oar through the receiver
as the -four guns belclied forth, a
screaming and wnistling overhead, and
the shells were on their way.
"The captain jumped as If he were
shot, and let out n great big expressive
d-n, and eagerly turned his glasses
In the direction of the German road.
also strained my eyes watching that
target. -Four black clouds of dust 70 c
up right in the middle Of the German
column. Four direct hits-another
record for D 239.
THE shells kept on whistling over
head, and I had counted twenty-four
OF them when the firing suddenly
ceased. When the smoke and dust
clouds lifted the destruction on that
road was awful. Overturned limbers
and guns, wagons smashed up, troops
fleeing In all directions. The road and
roadside were spotted all over with
little field gray dots, the toll of our
guns.
THE captain, in his excitement, had
slipped off the sandbag, and was on
MS knees in the mud, the glass still at
MS eye. lie was mutterlng to himself
and slapping his thigh with his Olsen
gagged hand. At every slap n big
round juicy cuss word would escape
from his lips followed by:
"Good Fine! Marvellous! Pretty
Work! Direct hits ALL
"Thcn he turned to me and shouted
: Wilson, what do you think of It,
, Did you ever see the like Of it in your
, life? Oh fine work, I call it,
pretty soon a look Of wonder stole
over his face and he exclaimed:
| but who in HI gave them the
order to fire. Range and everything
correct, too. I know I didn't. Wilson
did give you any order for the bat
Q terry to Open up? OF course / didn't
did ~
l II answered very emphatically, No
sir, you gave no command. Nothing
went through this post. I am abso
lutely certain on that point, SIR
I "Of course nothing went through,
he replied. Then his face fell, and M
muttered out loud:
8 "But, by Jovc. wait till Old Pep
per gets wind Of this. There'n be ful
flying
Just then Bombardler Cassell cut II
on the wire:
? Generals compliments to Captain
e A.. He directs that officer and sig
mailer report at the double to brigade
O headquarters as soon as relieved. lie
lief now on the way
d I'm an undertone to me, Keep I
o brass front, Wilson, and for God
d sake, stick / answered with, Rely OF
me, mate but I was trembling oil yer
l.. II gave the generals message to tn
/? capto!n, and started packing up.