The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-08-26


Sergeant inspected the four he taking
patrol with his back the trench WALL
held himself sy and made good show of it. But when the
cawd kneed
then marched out the plain Bure last the file felt rather
uncertain inside and ounde through the dark air as if had been
grim effor of WILL like iron band held him straight
No webbing hey!
He making bckened
IL felt the fields holding his etha object-in
right hand we'll the body gripping his bayonet sheath
shadowy, shape him; went
clean out, back and sometimes became three!
qukened by night air. made as wooy
the clouds hanging omnouy overhead and the
kng edge and
oveord the river for minutes when Buore slowed down
began realize with pdaton that he walked he dropping
duty vague welerited punishment goadd him
himself, steps, the point
of calling his companions out of the depths of his misery but
gods stopped cry his throat with sudden effort
utter cry this place where silence and gloom all there
hold thin shield between them and death!
He held his but Nothing stop sinking
down, down to earth Sleep stumbled top
rifle, thought his always
the outskirts Of his Village under sunny sky the warm
morning; the plateau behind the farm stripped bare the pond
appear though trcked n newspapers
Sleep at last laid firm hands on his limbs numbed the brain in
closed his eyes, and slept.
He woke in the middle of stormy nightmare band
ravenng fire He scarcely knew where who he
And yet in the noise made him prick up
in the terror the night The instincts of the night watcher
at work in him. for all the huybury of his thoughts And
perhapsso him this habit of living alert-t
this every noise that had reused him. He felt that danger
Sitting his hccups heart painfully cumsy fumbng
his way ne dragged himself over the High this bank
above the Ane the mighty trench thrust
burning head with d thbbng unearthy his
pELoW dropped almost vertically Thick dark
made impossible
faint CLINT of dscernb the sd
ropon-ne
stretching into background group
unmistakably moving 1t German patrol.
The patrol lost sight the
fused stepping the inky black the Pay
Butoe knew well its disguise name,
though struggling then with kind of nightmare.
But suddenly his wildly thobbing called
point much by the sound he had already
below close close he German climbing the SLOPE
gradually hands and knees
The soldier making straight staring
down the muy upheava of the dyke His rifle
be lying front of him. he took rough aim the climbing
The German. who all four fell his face and lay STILL
The shot had reounding noise night Buore,
feeling himself suddenly calm freed at last alcoholic waited
little holding his breath One two donations calling
the other burst forth here there flashing
their momentary red haloes. Then nothing.
quarter passed Under the stress this violent
emotion Butoire had largely The
spreading forth fmy through muslin hangngs in black
and Sharp cold drying the mud his face and obered him
completely He only little numb
He decided to make for his victim search him. That done he
would return the outpost h pay He reoiced to think
that this would be silence blame
deserving his patrol!
began to move then with all desirable care on hands and
planting his rifle little further ahead each time
the ridge fatenng himself out to make hump little
possible and his rifle with him. He
the his skull
broken red and the brain lying these shelke fragments
felt his clothes
the professional Then he started back with sed
and in the heart that awful abyss Of sleep caring not for tho
death that he invoked in this wise his head caring
The man he had killed French soldier!
(To be Continued)