Imperial Valley press., 1937-02-21

Meanwhile the Americans were shelling three
doors in the gateway of the Imperial City
great ponderous doors, studded with heavy
round bolts and a network of ancient square
bolts. Timbers came up from the rear, batter
ing rams were rigged-one of the gates was
preached. Americans poured in, and deployed
as skrmishers. Tall weeds and grass covered
the ground for the first hundred yards beyond
the gate and the invaders reached the edge
of this when a heavy Boxer fire caught them
from two sides. Americans on the wall opened
fire. covering the advancing troops. Fires broke
out in the Imperial City, and the battle din
deafened several men. A field piece was hurried
up and trained on the second gate. Caisson after
caisson was emptied against the ancient gate
which remarkably managed to Withstand the
shells
We heard this going on, having no idea what
was happening. Our detachment was tired and
hungry by now, and our wounded were re-
lieved by the Second Bengals.
Dressing station for you" Spike ordered,
and we succeeded in finding a Chinese medical
student to dress the wounds. The stitching of
my leg was painful experience and made me
question if soldering everything Spike had
said. But the leg sewed up, busted with
iodoform and rebandaged 1t was stiff but l
began to feel better We had hot meal, quaffed
cups of Ming Kie Pieu.
In our shake ke-down-secuded in the corner
of an old vail thought of the years that had
slipped by. Mexico had been different world
at the moment it might have been on another
planet A remark that my father had made
flashed back for no reason at all: "You were
only the product of an idle moment idly spent.
When you were born you lay on the floor behind
the kitchen stove for three days we didn't
know if you would bark or cry!" Whether he
was accurate or not. l couldn't remember, but
the canine part of it fitted my mood-soldiering
was dogs life.
BECAUSE of my leg, was assigned to ia
ID tigue duty for two days as gradually the
stiffness left. My respite of comparative rest
saw the Allies hammering away at the last
of Pekings five gates China's ancient barriers
between the Tartar Wall and the throne of the
shrewd old lady who held precarious power
The flag of the Tiger retreated from wall to
wall slowly, stubbornly.
began to feel fit for service. The third gate
was under siege, and didn't want to miss the
show. No one was reluctant to let me go, and
I rejoined Spike, who'd been busy in the sort OF
work he liked
"Hows the leg?" Spike inquired, not wishing
to appear too sympathetic He had an idea that
a wound or so hardened you; no one knew what
war was like until something hit him.
81 feel great; now what do we do?"
Don't wander off very far from me, SON.
we'll find out what's next on the MENU"
popping off Boxers, tumbling them from the
great wall, and from the marble balustrade,
of the body-strewn courtyard.
Chinese never neglected warmth and comfort
and what we called coal hill" wasn't far dis
tant, surrounded by three pagodas and a moat-
great pile of coal laid in for such emergencie
to serve the Imperial City and palace of tn
Dowager. Easily visible was the blue roof o
her headquarters, with moat to be crosses
by scaling ladders. Lotus bloomed In the roya
noat, symbol Of purity and peace. Chinese hel
vantage points around the palace, and bodies
mutilated, tortured, bloaa
n lM uuE n ed--doated beside the lotu
ii HRMu Il flowers.
TN the World War "
uck relief. Kondon's crs,,,tered nx.,,tz tayos
cad relieves stuHy "-tat x,.shars . ctr,
see. Ask your druggist. po.a1 -a, p-,
ms NASAL JELLY a1pse'' a1es which might ie ha, a,
s'a e' Epheo""s been an evolution of Il