Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-01-03

w. G.
}. Chapman)

20 thank God!" cried Eleanor
you have been unconscious so long,
Captain Mark! And the Colonel is
badly hurt. 1 saw the Red Cross wag-
on pass and cried, but they could not
hear me-"
All round them the guns were boom
ing, all round them they saw khaki
clad Americans swarming over the
fields, and yet the village seemed de-
serted. They were alone in a little
oasis of calm amid the tumult.
what are we to dor cried the girl.
"Can you walk7 Try to stand on your
feet. Let me help you. We must get
the Colonel somewhere"
The question on Marks lips died
away as there came the howl of a
heavy shell, followed by a stunning i'm
pact. A column of broken bricks spout
ed into the air at the end of the street,
dissOlving into cloud of dust. An in
terval, and again there came a missile
from the monster gun. A house in the
next street went down like cardboard.
1t was the threatened attack on the
American lines. The enemy was in
force somewhere across the fields, the
reserves were rushing up to repel them.
Mark staggered to his feet and found
that he could stand. His arm ached
under the bandage, but it was not
broken. Probably a splinter had struck
him. He made his way toward the
Colonel, who eyed him vacantly as he
approached.
'"Take Eleanor to- safety and leave
me, Mark" he said, in choking voice.
'Tll take you both, sir. This can't
last long. Our men will be in the vii
lage in q few minutes. Or an ambu-
lance will pass"
Mark put his hands beneath the Colo
nel's arms and tried to lift him.
AS the Colonel tried to stand he col
lapsed forward in Marks arms. He
looked at Mark piteously.
'Take her and leave me-" he whis-
pered. "And listen to me, Mark. She
cares for you. All will come right. if
1 can keep my worthless carcass alive
until I've seen the General. But ]
never counted on being done up like
this"
There were tears in the old mans
eyes. "Forgive me, my boy" he NUT
tered, and fell into Inconsistencies.
Mark set him down against the wall
again. 1t was impossible to move him
oven with Eleanor's help.
Mark looked at Eleanor. Its safest
here" he said. "The village will be
occupied soon. Help will come"
He broke off abruptly as another OF
the heavy shells dropped nearer send.
ing the brick fragments flying in all di.
rections. OF sudden it had occurred
to him that the reason why the Ameri
cans did not enter the village was that
1t was a death-trap; its ranges were
ali mapped and plotted, and the Ger
mans were bent on it's systematic de
struction.
Mark stood by Eleanor IN irresolu
tion, cursing his fate. He did not know
what to do. He could not leave her
and yet he felt burning impulse tC
play some part in affairs. His eye
trained by long years of practice. tool
in the tactical situation at a glance
The Germans must have made prodi
gious thrust in the night, bursting
through the center; the reserves, still
rushing over the fields, were trying II
fill and hold the gap. And the little
Headquarters village was the key tt
the whole battlefield.
Wounded men came streaming dowr
the street, followed by the merciles:
shells. The aeroplane above was still
circling like q hawk; it seemed in
credible that no aeroplane attacked it
And it was quite clear to Mark tha
only treachery, calculated and lon.
planned, could have brought about thu
situation.
For the Germans must have ad
vanced four miles since nightfall.
"Help will come" Mark repeated