Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-01-03

or else I'll go playhouse. You had bet
ter get it OF or yonr chest, because
I'm thinking that Fritz will soon be
replying to our strafing, and il an
eight-inch shell ever hits this dugout
they'll need no wooden crosses for
us, because our names will appear un-
der the caption Missing
With another sigh escaping from
his lips, which sent a cold shiver UP
and down my spinal column. he lighted
a flag and started in. This is what'he
told me:
ut was back in September, 1914.
You know came out with the first
hundred thousand, the time when all
the fighting was done in the open.
The Germans were smashing every
thing before them in their drive on
Paris. Our regiment was one of the
few opposed to Won Kluck. It was a
case of hold them for few hours and
then retreat-always retreat. We
didn't even have time to bury our
dead. The grub was rotten, and we
were just about tagged out, dead tired,
with no prospect of relief or rest in
front of u.s..
ut was customary for small patrols
of ten to twenty men in charge OF a
sergeant, to reconnoitre on our TANKS.
One day I was sent out in charge of
one of these PARTIES. Oh, yes, was
a sergeant then, but lost my stripes
-disobedience of orders they called
| it. l suppose / ought to feel lucky /
wasn't shot, but TIL leave it to you
whether did right CT not
"At that time was in for COM
mission. but, of course, didn't get it.
If / had received it, no doubt by this
time I'd be pushing up the daisies
somewhere in France. In those days
officers didn't last long-made fine tar
gets for the Boches.
"This patrol I was in charge of car
ried rations for three days. We were
to scout around just in front Of the
advancing enemy, but our orders were
not to engage them-just get informa-
ton. If the information obtained was
valuable enough, / was to send it In
by one of the men. There were four
teen of us, and we were mounted. /
was in the Lancers then, and was con.
sidered a fair rider
1.-THE first day nothing happened.
We just secuted around. BY night
fall we were pretty tired, so when we
came to a village-wasn't a village,
either; just five or six houses clus-
tered around a church, decided to
60 into billets for the night.
"Riding up to the largest house,
which had four-foot stone wall run
ming around it's garden, | dismounted
at the gate and knocked with the hilt
of my sword. Pretty soon light ap-
peared at the front door-the house
was on a sort of knoll, so this door
was in plain view. Then the sweet
est voice ever heard called out in
trembling tones, in perfect English,
too, but with just the suspicion of an
accent:
"'Who is there, plea
81 answered, just few English
Lancers who desire place to rest for
the night. The barn will do. We
don't want anything to eat, as we
have rations with us. So, If you will
accommodate us, miss, will be much
obliged I was in love with that girl
before I saw her-the voice had done
the trick.
"She answered, Just a moment,
please, until I tell father and then
the door shut and the light disap-
peared. We didn't have to wait long
before the door opened, and she called
to me-:
"'Father bids you welcome, and SO
do !. soldiers of England
"Then she opened the gate. There
she stood on the gravel path with the
lantern held shoulder high. l trem-
bled all over-thonght ! saw vision.
I tell you, Yank, she was beautiful.
One of the kind you would like to
take in your arms, but won't for fear
of crushing, No use for me to try to
describe her, Yapk, it's out of my line !;
but she captured me. heart and soul.
There ! stood like a great, big boob,
shaking and suffering. At last |
managed to blurt out stap1mering
Thank you, miss
'She showed us the way to the sta
bles and stood in the door holding the
lantern so we could see to unsaddle. /
| was fumbling around with the buckles,
but for the life of me couldn't get that
saddle off. One of the men, with wink
and a broad grin, came over and help
cd me. That grin got my goat, SO on
the sly, kicked him on the shin. He
let out an explosive damn After
that damn the silence was painful.
The poor fellow felt ike a fool. was
sorry for him, even though I could
have killed him for his thoughtless-
ness. But our embarrassment was
| short-lived, because silvery laugh
came from behind the lantern, a laugh
that was not loud, but it echoed and re-
echoed among the rafters overhead. 1
can hear it right now, Yank.
"After the horses had been unsad-