The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-01-10

sergeant, TO recOnnOltre on our HanRS
One day / was sent out In charge OF
n of these parties. Oh, yes, / was
a sergeant then, but I lost my stripes
-disobedience ot orders they called
II. / suppose 1 ought to feel lucky ]
wasn't shot, but I'll leave it to you
whether / did right CT not
Eat that time / was in for q com.
mission, but, of course, didn't get it.
If I had received 1t, 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 / vas 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
net to engage them-just get informa-
ton. IF the information obtained was
valuable enough, l was to send ii in
by n Of the men. There were four
teen Of us, and we were mounted. !
was in the Lancers then, and was on.
sidered q fair rider.
"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 n village,
either; just five or six houses clus-
tered around q church, decided to
go into blllets for the night.
"Riding up to the largest house,
yuhioh hoH N fnYr-fnof ctoDo wall NJ
ming around it's garden, l ~dismounted
at the gate and knocked with the hilt
Of my sword. Pretty soon a light ap-
peared at the front door-the house
was on a sort Of q 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, pleaser
II answered, Just a few English
Lancers who desire a 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, 1 will be much
obliged / was In love with that girl
before / saw her-the voice had done
the trick.
"She answered, 'Just a moment,
please, until / 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. / trem-
bled all over-thought / saw q vision.
/ 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, Yank, it's out Of my line ;
but she captured me, heart and soul.
There I stood like a great, big boob,
shaking and suffering. At last I
managed to blurt out q stammering
Thank you. MISS
"She showed III the way to the sta
bles and stood In the door holding the
lantern SO we could see to unsaddle. I
was fumbling around with the buckles,
but for the life of me couldn't get that
saddle off. One Of the men, with q wink
and a broad grin. came over and help
ed 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 like q fool. I was
sorry for him, ever though I could
have killed him for his thoughtless-
ness. But our embarrassment was
shortlived, because a silvery laugh
came from behind the lantern, a laugh
that was not loud, but 1t echoed and re-
echoed among the rafters overhead. I
can hear 1t right now, Yank.
"After the horses had been unsad-
died and fed, the men looked appeal
ingly ut me. / knew what they want
ed-they were dog tired, and dying to
hit the hay. Just as I was about to
ask permission for them to turn in, the
angel butted In with:
"Poor, tired soldiers, sleepy and
hungry. Come right into the house.
Jean has some supper and wine ready
for you
I'VE stammered our thanks and fol-
lowed her into the house like a string
OF sheep. Yank, to me that meal was a
dream. She fitted around the table.
filling a glass here and there, laughing