The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-01-24

sitting on the straw In the corner OF
our billet, far from the rest of the Sec
ton. The previous night we had been
relieved from the fire trench, and were
resting In rest billets. Our "day's
rest had been occupied In digging q
bombing trench, this trench to be used
for the purpose Of breaking in would
be bombers.
Hungry Foxcroft was slicing away
at a huge loaf of bread, while on his
knee he was balancing a piece of SIS
sue'' cheese. His jack-knife was pretty
dull and the bread was hard, so every
now and then he would pause In his
cutting operation to take a large bite
from the cheese.
Curly Wallace whispered to me:
"Three bob to a tanner, Yank, that he
eats the cheese before he finishes slic-
ing that 'rooty.'"
/ whispered back:
Nothing doing, Curly, You are
Scotch, and did you vel e a Scots
man bet on anything unless It was a
sure winner?"
He answered In an undertone:
"Well, let's make 1t a pack Of Tags.
How about 1t, Yank?"
I acquiesced. (Curly won the fags.)
Sailor Bill was sitting next to Curly,
and had u mascot, Jim-a sorry-look-
ing mut-between his knees, and was
picking hard pieces Of mud from It's
paws. Jim was wagging his stump Of
a tail and was intently watching Hun
gry's operation on the bread. Every
time Hungry reached for the cheese
Jim would follow the movement with
his eyes, and his tail would wag faster.
Hungry, noting this look, bit off q
small piece Of the cheese and Tipped
1t In Jim's direction. Jim deity caught
II in his mouth and then the fun be-
gan. Our mascot hated cheese. It was
fun to see him spit 1t out and sneeze.
key Honey reached over, took the
candle, and started searching in his
pack, amidst a chorus Of growls from
us at his rudeness In thus depriving us
of light. I was watching him closely
aAn oooPONhOu WhdI was SOhllhS. ou Y
enough, out came that harmonica and
I knew 1t was up to me to start the
ball Of conversation rolling before he
began playing, because, after he had
once started, nothing short of a Ger
man "fve-nine" shellburst would stop
him. So / slyly kicked Sailor Bill, who
Immediately got wise, and then ]
broke the ice with:
Sailor. I heard you say this after
noon, while we were building that
traverse, that 1t was your opinion that
darn few medals were really won that
It was more or less an accident. Now,
Just because your D. @. M. came up
with the rations, and, as you say, 1t
vas wished on you, there Is no reason
In my mind to class every winner of
q medal as being accidentally lucky
This medal business was a sore point
with Sailor Bill, and he came right
back at me with:
: "Wel If any Of You lubbers can tell
me where a d. @ N. truly came aboard
In a shipshape m~anner--that is, up
the after gangplank-then I will strike
my colors and lay up on q lee shore for
drydock."
key Honey had just taken a long.
indrawn breath, and his cheeks were
puffed out like q balloon, preparatory
to blowing II into the harmonica, which
he had at his lips, but paused, and, re-
moving the musical instrument Of tor
ture, he exploded:
'Blime me, I know Of a. bloke who
won a d. G. NJ, and It wasn't acct
dental or lucky. either. / "a right
out In front with him. Blime me. !
SUR had the wind up. but with French
It was business as usual He just
carried on"
We all chirped In. "Come on. Key.
let's have the story"
81 will II youIl just let me play this
one tune FIRST" answered key.
He started In and was accompanied
by a dismal. moaning howl from Jim.
key had been playing about q minute,
when the orderly sergeantspoked his
head In the door Of the billet, saying :
1.-THE captain says to stop that infer
nal noise.v
Highly insulted. key stopped. with !:
"Some people ave no idea Of mu-
SIC"
We agreed with him.
Somewhat Modified. he started:
Corporal French Is the same bloke
who just returned from Blighty and
Joined the Third section yesterday"
authors Note-The incident here re-
lated Ia q true happening. Corporal
French won the u. C.. M. In the manner
described by Honey. / will not attempt
to give II In the cockney dialectl
eve were holding a part Of the line
up Tromelles way, and were about
two hundred yards from the Germans.
This sure was a hot section of the
line. We were against the Prussians,
and it was a case, at night, OF keeping
Your ears and eyes open. No Mans
land wis fpll Of their patrols and ours.