The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-01-24

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thu speakers knee. softly said:
~Rlghto. mate. we know you can
nee far beyond us. but tell ms OF Aunt
ed Jerry and the pome @ wrote the
day before q clicked 1t at the lone
tree,g
Jerry's brother nodded In q c0mpre-
bending way, and reaching into the
pocket Of his tunic drew out creased
and muddy piece ~ paper, which he
opened ont upon his knee, and then, In
an unnatural. singsong voice, which
sent ahsyers through us, recited the
following poem
Between tho lines. IN No Mans land,
win foliage gone. and trunk that's
torn.
a ioaeiy sentry takes his stand.
silently watching from morn 70 morn.
On atarlIt nighta. when moon IL bright.
And spreads 80 rays OF ghcstlike
beams;
Against tbs SKY. that tree OF blight
A CHASTITY haagman's gibhet seems.
When night Is black. and winds faint
Through It's aheiltorn branches means.
call TO men, ITO die 20 diei"
They answsr Il with groana and groans.
But obey the call for "more and more"
And Death sits by and grtna and gTins,
And watches the fast-growlng score,
the harvest OF his sentry's whlms.
There they lie huddied. friend and foe.
dhastiy heaps. English. Hun ana
French
Ana still those plies forever grow,
They are fed by the "Men OF the
Trench"
No wooden cross 70 mark their fall,
No tombstone theirs. no caryen rocks,
Just the Lone Tree with It's grim call,
which forever mools and mocks.
when Jerry's brother had finished.
dead silence ensued. I nervously
lighted fag. and ont Of the corner
OF my eye noticed that Sailor Bill was
uneasliy squirming on the iirestep.
Letting out a sigh, which seemed to
whistle between his teeth, our guest"
enrrled on;
TERRY weren't much at cheerful
writing. because q 'ad calling.
Even bacit 'ome Ia Rllghty, q weren't
much for lights nor fun. ~ took af-
ter our mother. The neighbors called
ar annted, too. but she weren't. She
could SEQ things. like Jerry.
"frhis ERE lone tree sentinel Jerry
writes about was nm old tree In No
Mans land, about a 'undred yards from
our front-ilne trench. II was pretty
well knocked about by bullets and
shell fragments. II made a pretty good
guide post. stlckIn' sort o. lonely like
Up galnst the skyline at night. Re-
connolterlng patrols and bombing par
ties used 1t to show 'em the wye
back 10 their trenches, because,
" know, out there In the blaekness
It's easy 10 lose your wye, unless
you 'ave spirits a.guldin' you.
Lots Of times English and German
patrols would meet near the lone
tree, and many a 'and-to-'and fight
would tyke place around It's roots.
AT That part o. the line II were
pretty 'ot, what with the rifle and ma
chlne-gun firing. The only time there
would be q lull In the firing was when
. accommodating patrol was out In
'front.' and then, as you know. you
couldn't fire for fear OF lifting your
own biokes. All around the lone tree
were scattered many bodies, mostly
English and German. Some OF 'em
IA been allyn there for weeks. and
when the wind were a-blowin' from the
German lines towards us II were sort
Of unpleasant 10 our front line.
"Eyery time the captain would vall
for soldiers for accommodating pa
troll. 'Aunted Jerry, as you cali i'm,
always put rs bloomin nyme on the
list. II got so that after while e
never asked II . wanted to go; the
captain would just naturally put rs
ayme down as agoln'.
"In our dugout, Jerry would tell me
low many dead were around the tree
'Ow . could count 'em In the dark.
don't know. but q could see--'e could
see.
Sometimes In the daytime % would
rig up a perlseope on lis own, and sli
en- the tirestep for hours alookln' out