The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-02-07
,ould bloomin' wen at around doing


could bioomin' wen sit around doing
nothin'T
"Thls was too much for me, that
blinkin' jelIyfish singing mud at our
king. so lost my temper. and taking
my glass Of vim rouge In my hand
leaned over close TO him and said
When you mentions the kings name
Il Is customary to drink his health.
Perhaps he never did anything spe-
cial for me. but ! have never done
anything special for him. and even
81 that I've done damned sight more
than you have for him, so take this
wine and drink his health, or I'll
dent that napper Of yours so you won't
be able to wear that tin bat Of yours
"He got kind Of pale and answered:
Drink to the kings health; not like
w. It's through him and his bloody
Top Hats in parliament that rm out
here. Why In the blinking hell don't
he do his own fighting and LET US poor
bIokes aloneT
Il saw red and was just goin' TO hit
him. when d big Irishman out Of the
Royal Irish Rifles next 10 me grabs
the glass Of wine from my hand, and
looking the Brighter In the face yells
mt him:
"WelI, II the king aIn't done moth
Ing for you English, he's done less
Tor as Irish, but volunteered TO come
out here for him, and here / am, and
glad Of 1t too. and hopes some day
TO get into Berlin with the kings
forces. You won't drink his health
well yoa can battle his health With
that he threw the wine into the blight
er's face and smashed him In the nose
with his fist. The fellow went over
like log with the Irishman still
ngoin' for him. II we hadn't Of
pulled him on / think he would have
FILLED that conscientious objector. The
military police came In TO see what
all the row was about had clicked
three days G. b. CONFINED to barracks)
md didn't want 20 get arrested, so In
tho confusion made tracks for my
Billet.
'The next time met the bloke was
when we buried old Smith out of the
Tenth platoon In the cemetery ut La
liassee. He was one Of the grave Dig
gers. All during the burial service
he stood looking at the Union Jack
with queer look on his face. When
old Smith was lowered into the ground
and the dirt was thrown on him the
conscientious objector--W Watkins was
his name-came over to me and said:
"'I hear he pointlng at old Smiths
grave) is forty-elght years old and has
left wife and three nippers back In
BlIghty. He was too old for the draft,
wasn't he2 Then he must have vol
unteered.i
Il answered; 'of course he volun-
tcered, and there he lies, deader than
h-; but I'll wager quid his wife
and kids win be proud OF him-and
that's more than your kids will be
about you
"He sneaked or without answering.
Three days later nearly dropped dead
when our lance corporal came into our
billet with bloody nose and beau
tlfully trimmed lamp. When ! asked
him how he got Knocked about he
told me that fellow out Of the nom
combatant corps named Watkins had
mussed him up Just because he had
called him whlte-llvered coward.
watkins ducked twenty.one days
number one on the wheel, and when
his sentence was finished they trans
ferred him 20 fighting unit, and
bang Into our platoon he comes,
MANY talk had with him about
that paeliist stuff--he hadn't changed
bit In his ldeas--but he kept his
mouth shut about the king and the
Top Hats at home.
"Then we went into the trenches
and knew his finish was near. A
firing squad or rest In peace was to
be his lot; they all get one or the
other sooner or later.
"After two days in. Fritz got rough
and opened up with a pretty stir bonn
bardment.
Watkins was in the fourth squad
in dugout In the support trench
when a Minnie registered direct hit