Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1919-02-20
THE LAST DAYS
OF THE WAR
At the Front in France, Nov.

. l only got in for little of the do
ings, but those few days were crowded
with enough experience to last me Z
{ lifetime. Don't ever let anyone SPEAK
to you about GLORIOUS war" Glorious
war may exist on the parade ground
or in the newspaper accounts which
thrill you with the account of how
"our boys swept forward" but never
mention the fine lads who didn't sweep
forward but fell in the battle. The
real war is the most awful, terrible,
/ frightful, dreadful form of hell that
you can imagine. Oh, it has a few
thrills all right when you see or hear
something that makes you thrill with
pride in our country and our army,
and there are thrills of admiration
for men who will dare so much and do
such deeds, but most of the thrills are
thrills Of terror-just plain, cold
blooded fear, and thrills of pity for
all the suffering you see.
Surrender Saves Awful Licking.
Believe me the Boche surrendered
just in time to same himself from a
most awfully bad licking. They were
sure getting straffed good and plenty
up to the last minute. The artillery
fire was simply awful.
1t must have been terrible in their
trenches, but it was bad enough even
in our back areas. Not all the shells
flying overhead were eastbound by
any means. The big guns kind of lay
low during the day, so not to disclose
their position, but the rifle and ma
chine gun fire and the lighter artil-
lery is never silent absolutely. Then
there are always the big observation |
balloons lowering overhead and their
protecting planes watching over them
and squadrons of bombing planes and
scout planes and observation planes
and combat planes, some flying alone
and more flying in formation.
At night, though, was the time
when things really began to happen.
If it was clear night the aeroplanel
activity was greater rather than less
than in the daytime and the artillery
would sing song of hate that was
really terrible to hear. There is no
sound on earth quite like the Will
ring, whining whistle of shell going
through the air; then JIse before it
lands there is a sickening swish and
you are dead sure it has got your name
on it. And then comes the burst,
which for shrapnel is a kind of bangj
and crump, and as for the high ex- l
plosives it is just simply most ap-
palling noise, as if all hell had let go {
at once
The shells, too, are not the only {
noise. There is always the rustic and '
oustle of things on the move The
,runching of feet and the rumble of |
leavy tractors and artillery and all s
he confusion of sounds of everything I
moving at once-men, ammunition l.
,ood, and everything, even water. IL
Somehow the Engineers keep the {
'oads passable, and somehow the mill t
AIRY police keep the traffic moving {
wen with all the congestion and con e
'usion and without a glimmer of light, {
except just little hazy moonlight, t
and the flash of guns. Il
No, the nights are not pitch black. v
IAN you imagine what it is up ahead /
If our own artillery with the incessant
lin of the firing and the scream of +
heir shells passing overhead and the L
'oche replying with right good will, n
Until it seemed as if there couldn't be {
Dom enough in the sky for all the S
hells and some of them sure must r
Glide in midair, while all AROUND are C
lancing lights that would put the q
II rora Rarealis to shame; tae flashes /
rom the guns of all calibres, colcred
lights and flares, rockets and aerial t
lares, and tie stately WAVING shafts
Il Ugh frr.l To- searchiig, sweep G
ng the skies. You wond..r, ~h, u:
'carns of light ;..;,i't shaTtrrc.: al - {
pieces by the aa!i CT bullets. a
We wric on e'tLnd just y f'-n
he Huns and unfortunately they a
eemed to remember the lay of the t
WELL szllu SNCu LllOuSn
he roads were protected by a screen
# camouflage and the trucks too q
we're camouflaged with gaundy paint S
md leaves and crazy quilt covers of :
PAINTED burlap they did worry us al
title at times, and ! was always glad
when work was over and we could v
rawl into our little holes again.
The morning of the 18th was surely
! corker. We got the word by rumor Q
MY that the firing was to cease at I
1. The fighting units, of course, i
must have been notified officially, l
nut we only heard the rumor after 10, t
md we didn't believe it at that! They 0
urely "prt some windup on it." too, c
md all through the morning, daylight t
'r no daylight, it seemed that every t
un of every calibre was doing its c
worst. Then suddenly it all stopped,
lot sound to be heard but the ring
ng in our own ears. c