Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1919-02-07
could bIoomin' wen sit around doing

''Thls was too much for me. that
blinkin' tellyfish a singing mud at our
king. so lost my temper, and taking
my glass OF win rouge in my hand
I leaned over close TO him and said {:
when you mentions the kings name
r. Is customary to drink his health.
Perhaps he never did anything spe-
ciaI for me. but ! have never done
anything special for him. and even
az that I've done a damned sight more
than you have for him. so take this
wine and drink his health, or I'll
dent that nnpper OF yours so you won't
be able 10 wear that tin bat Of yours
'TIe got kind Of pale and answered:
Drink 10 the kings health not like
~ It's through him and his bloody
Top Hats IN parliament that I'm out
here Why In the blinking hell don't
he do his own fighting and let us poor
blokes aloneT
Il saw red and was just goin' to hit
him, when a big Irishman out Of the
Royal Irish Rifles next 10 me grabs
the glass Of wine from my hand. and
looking the Brighter 10 the face yells
at him;
"Well. II the king amt done moth
Ing for you English. he's done less
Tor MS Irish. but / volunteered TO come
out here for him, and here / am. and
glad Of Il too, and hopes some day
10 get into Berlin with the kings
forces. You won't drink his health
wen you can battle his health With |
that he threw the wine into the blight
er's fate and smashed him In the nose
with his fist. The fellow went over
like a log with the lrishmnn still |
ngoln' for him. II we hadn't Of |
pulled him OF | think he would have
killed that conscientious objector The
military police came In 10 see what /
all the row was about / had clicked
three days G. -. confined 70 barracks)
and didn't want 10 get arrested, so IN
tho confusion / made tracks for my
billet.
''The next time met the blolSe was
when we buried old Smith out Of the
Tenth platoon In the cemetery at La
Iiassee. lie was one Of the grave dig
gers All during the burial service
he stood looking at the Union Jack
with a queer look on his face. When
old Smith was lowered into the ground
and the dirt was thrown on him the
conscientious oblector-W Watkins was
his name-came over to me and said:
81 hear he (polntlng at old Smiths
gravel IS forty-elght years old and has
left a wife and three nlppers back In
He was too old for the draft,
wasn't he7 Thea he must have vol !
,
II answered: or course he volun- /
tcercd. and there he lies, dcader than s
49,; but I'll wager a quid his wife [
and Kids win be proud OF hlm--and q
that's more than your kids VIII be
shout you
"de sneaked on without answering. {,
Three days later nearly dropped dead a
when our lance corporal came into our
.illet with bloody nose and a beau '
ifully trimmed lamp. When l asked d
lim how he got knocked about he
old me that fellow out of the non
corps named Watkins had =
iuo7'h HiiH w just btNduot ht hdu
allied him n whlte-llyered coward.
watkins ducked twenty-one days
lumber one on the wheel. and when
rs sentence WINS finished they trans
erred him 10 fighting unit. and
'arg into our platoon he comes. =,
MANY a talk | had with him about =
hat paclfst stuif-he hadn't changed !
biz In his ideas-but he kept his :,
south shut about the king and the =
'op Hats nc home. y
"rhen we went Into the trenches =,
nd ! knew his finish was near. A NJ
ring squad or rest In peace was to =.
@ his lot; they all get one or the ~
Their sooner or later. -
after two days in. Fritz got rough h
nd opened up with pretty stlff bonn %
A.
"watkins was In the fourth squad 4,
! a dugout in the support trench I'm
hen Minnie registered direct hit h,