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MACHINE
EMPEY TAKES-HIS FIRST TURN ON THE FIRING STEPOF;
THE TRENCH WHILE BULLETS WHIZ OVERHEAD. -:
l!-,-(f1-Synppsta.Firod by the sinking of the.Lusitania with the loss of ,
! f American lives, Arthur Guy Empey, an American, living in1 Jersey; City)
goes to England and enlists as a private In the British army. After a
6hort experience as a recruiting officer in London, he Is sent to train
ing quarters in France, where he first hears the sound of big guns
and makes the acquaintance ' of "cooties." ' After a brief period of
training "Empey's' company is sent into the front-line trenches."
Ms-
chapter v.
Mud, Rats and Shells.
I must have slept for two or three
hours, not the refreshing kind that re
sults from, clean sheets and soft pil
lows, but the sleep that comes from
cold, wet and sheer exhaustion.
Suddenly, the earth seemed to shake
and a thunderclap burst In my ears. I
opened my eyes I was splashed all
over , with sticky mud, and men were
picking themselves up from the bottom
of the trench. The parapet on my left
had toppled into the trench, completely
blocking it with a wall of tossed-up
earth. The man on my left lay still. I
rubbed the mud from my face, and an
awful, sight met . my gaze his head
was smashed to a pulp, and his steel
helmet was full of brains and blood.
A German "Minnie"! (trench mortar)
had exploded In the next traverse. Men
were digging Into the soft mass of mud
In a frenzy of haste." Stretcher-bearers'
came up the trench on the double.
After a few minutes of digging, three
still, muddy forms on stretchers were
carried down the communication
trench to the rear. Soon they would
be resting "somewhere in France," with
a little wooden cross over their heads.
They had done their bit for king and
country, had died without firing a shot,
but their services ' were appreciated,
nevertheless.
Later on, I found out their names.
They belonged to our draft.
I was dazed and motionless. Sud
denly a shovel was pushed Into my
hands; and -a rough but kindly voice
said: -
"Here, my lad, lend a hand clearing
the trench, but keep your head down,
and look out for snipers. One of the
Fritz's is a daisy, and he'll get you If
you're not careful."
Lying on my. belly on the bottom of
the trench, I filled sandbags with the
sticky mud, they were dragged to my
rear by the other men, and the work of
rebuilding the parapet was on. The
harder I worked, the better I felt. Al
though the weather was cold, I was
soaked with sweat.
Occasionally a bullet would crack
overhead, and a machine gun would
kick up the mud on the bashed-In para
pet. At each crack I would duck and
6hield my face with my arm. "One of
the older men noticed this action of
mine, and whispered :
'"Don't duck at the crack of a bul
let, Yank ; the danger has passed you
never hear the one that wings you.
Always remember that if you are going
to get it, you'll get it, so never worry."
This made a great Impression on me
at the time, and from then on, I adopt
ed his motto, "If you're going to get it,
you'll get It."
It helped me wonderfully. I used It
so often afterwards that some of my
mates dubbed me, "If you're going to
get it, you'll get It."
After an hour's hard work, all my
nervousness left me, and I was laugh
ing and joking with the rest.
At one o'clock, dinner came up In
the form of a dixie of hot stew.
I' looked for my canteen. It had
faflen off the fire 6tep, and was half-
burled'In the mud. The man on my
left noticel this, and told the corporal,
dishing - out the rations, to put my
share In hi mess tin. Then he whis
pered to me, "Always take care of your
mess tin, mute."
I had learned another maxim of the
trenches.
. That stew tasted fine. I was as
hungry as a bear. We had "seconds,"
or' another. helping, because three of
themen had "gone West," killed by
the explosion cf the German trench
mortar, and we ate their share, but
still I was hungry, so I filled in with
bully beef and biscuits. Then I drained
my water bottle. Later on I learned
another maxim of the front line, "Go
eparingly wjth your water." The bully
beef made me thirsty, and by tea time
I was dying for a drink, but my pride
would not allow me to ask my rnaAes
for water. ' I was fast learning the
ethics of the trenches.
That night I was put on guard with
an older man. We stood on the fire
etep with our hands over the top, peer
Ine fwt iDto No Man's Land. It was
'nrlr fnr mp hnr the nthpr fpl.
f -
to take it as part of the
-'cr shot past my face.
beating, and I ducked
s,f VPrnet. A soft
uYft:
Hull
MAMOKMSOlWIlt
WflOJIVDiT
GUNfim,OTNGfIj fMm
(S 1917 BY i
ARTHUR inr EHPCY
chuckle from my mate brought me to
my senses, and I feebly asked, "For
heaven's sake, what was that?"
He answered. "Only a rat taking a
promenade along the sandbags." I
felt very sheepish.
About every twenty minutes the sen
try in the next traverse would fire a
star shell from his flare pistol. The
"plop" would give me a start of fright.'
I never got used to this noise during
my service in the trenches.
I would watch the arc described by
the star shell, and then stare into No
Man's Land waiting for It to burst. In
Its lurid light the barbed wire and
stakes would be silhouetted against its
light like a latticed window. , Then
darkness.
Once, out In front of our wire, I
heard a noise and saw dark forms
moving. My rifle was lying across the
sandbagged parapet. I reached for it,
and was taking aim to fire, when my
mate grasped my arm, and whispered,
"Don't fire.". He challenged in a low
voice. The reply came back instantly
from the dark forms: "
"Shut your bllnkin' mouth, yon
bloomln' idiot ; do you want us to click
It from the Boches?"
Later we learned that the word, "No
challenging or firing, wiring party out
in front," had been given to the sentry
on our right, but he had failed to pass
It down the trench. An officer had over
heard our challenge and the reply, and
immediately put the offending sentry
under arrest. The sentry clicked
twenty-one days on the wheel, that is,
he received twenty-one days' field pun
ishment No. 1, or "crucifixion,'' as
Tommy terms it. "
This consists of being spread-eagled
on the wheel of a limber two hours a
day for twenty-one days, regardless of
the weather. During this period, your
rations consist of bully beef, biscuits
and water.
A few months later I met this sentry
and he confided to me that since being
"crucified," he had never failed to pass
the word down the trench when so or
dered. In view of the offense, the
above punishment was very light, In
that failing to pass the word down a
trench may mean the loss of many
lives, and the spoiling of some impor
tant enterprise in No Man's Land.
CHAPTER VI.
"Back of the Line." . .
Our tour in the 'front-line trench
lasted four days, and then we were
relieved by the brigade. ,:
Going down the communication
treneh we were in a merry mood, al
though we were cold and wet, and
every bone in our bodies ached. It
makes a lot of difference whether you
are "going in" or "going out."
At the end of the communication
trench, limbers were waiting on the
road for us. I thought we were going
to ride back to rest billets, but soon
found out that the only time an in
fantryman rides Is when he is
wounded and Is bound for the base or
Blighty. These limbers carried our
reserve ammunition and rations. Our
march to rest billets was thoroughly
enjoyed by me. It seemed as if I
were on furlough, and was leaving be
hind everything that was disagreer
abl and horrible. Every recruit feels
this way after being relieved from the
trenches.
We marched eight kilos and then
halted in front of a French estaminet.
The captain gave the order to turn
out on each side of the road and'wait
his return. Pretty soon he came back
and told B company to occupy billets
117, 118 and 119. Billet 117 was an
old stable which had previously been
occupied by cows. About four feet in
front of the entrance was a huge ma
nure pile, and the odor from It was
anything but pleasant. Using my
flashlight I stumbled through the door.
Just before entering I observed a
white sign reading: "Sitting 50, lying
20," but, at the time, Its significance
did not strike me. Next morning I
asked the sergeant major what It
meant. He nonchalantly answered:
"That's some of the work of the R.
A. M. C. (Royal Army Medical corps).
It simply means that in case of an at
tack, this billet will accommodate
fifty wounded who are able to sit up
and take notice, or twenty stretcher
cases."
Jtt was not long afti this thail-Vai
-e of 01(5 "20 lyS'' N N M
I soon hit the hay,and wa"3 ; f asv
asleep, even my friends- the "toojies'Jj
fafflidNto disturb me. v 1 ; I -:J
The) next morning at about' six
clock I was awakened by the lance
corporal of our section, informing mo
that I had been detailed as mess or
derly, and to reitortiW;hejfcbQkr)and
give him a hand. I helped him make
the fire, carry water from an old well,
and fry the bacon. iLids bfc 'dixies, Kvk(
used to cook the bacon in. After
breakfast was cbokeciri'carried aUfxle"
of hot tea, an4, the lid full of.bac.qn to
our section, and told "the corporal 'that
reakfast was ready. He looked at me
in contempt, jatid then shouted, "Break
fast up, come and-get.Jtn I immedi
ately got wise to the. trench parlance,
and never again Informed that "Break
fast was serv.ed." "':; ''
It didn't talke long for-.the Tommies
to answer this 'Call'V Half dressed;
they lined up with their canteens and
I dished out the t&a,. :VEuch Tommy
carried in,, his hand a thick slice of;
bread which had been Issued with" the
rations the night before.- Thenilihud
the pleasure of seeing them dig into
the bacon with their dirty fingers, ;The
allowance was one slice per man. The
late ones received very small slices.
As each Tommy got; his" share he im
mediately disappeared into the billet.
Pretty sdun about fifteen of oem made
a rush" to the cookhouse, each carrying
a huge slice of bread. , These slices
they dipped into the bacon grease
which was stewing over the fire. The
last man invariably lost out I was
the last man. ;
After breakfast our section carried
their equipment into a field adjoining
the billet and got busy removing the
trench mud therefrom, because at 8 :45
ft. m., they had to fall in for inspection ,
and parade, and woe betide the man
who was unshaven, or had mud on his
uniform. Cleanliness is next to- godli
ness in the British army, and Old Pepi
per must have been personally ac
quainted with St. Peter.
Our .drill .consisted: of .close-prder
formation, which lasted until noon.
During this time we'had two ten-minute
breaks for rest, and. no sooner the
word, "Fall out for ten minutes," was
given than each Tommy got out a fag
and lighted it
Fags are Issued every Sunday morn
ing, and you 1 generally get " between
twenty and forty r The brand gen
erally issued Is the "Woodbine." Some
times we are lucky and get "Gold
flakes," "Players" or "Red nussars."
Occasionally an issue of "Life Rays"
comes along. Then the older Tommies
immediately get busy on the recruits
and trade these for "Woodbines" '.of
"Goldflakes." A recruit only has to
be stuck once in this manner, and then
he ceases to be a recruit. There is a
Resting Back of the Lines.-
reason. Tommy is a great cigarette
smoker. He smokes under all condi
tions, except when unconscious, or
when he is reconnoitering In No Man's
Land at night. Then, for obvious rea
sons, he does not care to have'a light
ed "cigarette in his mouth. '
Stretcher bearers carry fags for
wounded Tommies. When a stretcher
bearer arrives alongside of a Tommy
who has been hit the following conver
sation usually takes place: Stretcher
bearer "Want a fag? Wheri; are yon
hit?" Tommy looks up and answers,
"Yes. In the leg."
After dismissal from parade, we re
turned to our billets and I had to get
busy immediately -with the dinner is
sue. Dinner consisted of stew made
from fresh beef, a couple of spuds,
bully beef, Maconochie rations and wa
ter plenty of water. There is' great
competition among -the; men to spear
with their forks the two lonely pota
toes. Back on the front line, after a
stay in rest billets, Empey gets a
shock when a German bullet cuts
down his first friend of the
trenches. He tells the story in
the next installment.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Make Light of Heavy Loads.
The streets of Jerusalem within the
walls are as narrow and crowded that
it is Impossible to drive a wagon
through them, and many of them are
built of a 6eries of steps upon the hill
side, so that it is a task to lead camels
or donkeys through them after sunrise
Therefore most of the carrying and
portering is done by men. They carry
the most surprising loads. I am told
that they will step along briskly with
COO pouuds on their backs, with stout
ropes holding the bundles to their for
bends. Excharra
Capital10 City ?,FuII of Uniforms Without Glitter
l W''S?T'rtX319al!l!?' 5n a few contra' respects, must in these days
IT renVin'f a' Civil "war "veteran of the time when the capital swarmed with
thsolditH- o(? the " Union. -here -w'ere-errflinly'iTevermoregeTierBlS'-flnd
admirals on the streets in 1SG1-C5 than
1a1 R R ICZ&L d f fm a i Jtfiore.ar Aorta,, writes: ENomail,'' In.
-TO n ill Bton-' TmnscrVpf Uniforms 1 are '
Mi r si . , j'.i i vf 'i - -w. -
j
TllvxT f 1
1 1 f
i : v ' . sort of custodianship at a club or a
public institution.. Not(a sword at a man's sklo nota gun on a man's
shoulder! Gold lace conspicuous by its absence--fron v soldiers, 'though
to be sure, the admirals are still permitted jto wear if All the people bustling
madly about like a lot of bank messenger or parcel jboys, intent unoa' noth
ing' but business.1 Instead oj soldiers bivouacked on , vacant lots, as In the
Civil' war,' Washington Is full of'1 great barracklike, '-tcmjorary building,
mostly made of some kind of stucco, though some pre of wood," within which
hundreds of women are writing in a whirling fashion on typewriters. Mixed
up with these women are' men in these drab suits, either superintending or
interfering .with their operations. This war,, so far , as the casual visitor
at Washington can observe, is being fought by a woman with a ty.pewritei.
All the space that was occupied during the Civil war by the war depart
ment and all its officers, clerks and servants would scarcely suffice today for
one of the numerous bureaus of the department which were entirely undis
covered in 1SG5. - And consider that In 1SG1-05 the typewriter did not. exis,
and that every letter, order, memorandum, record and reference . was written
by hand! . ' ' ' " ' -; ; '
Patron of Sand Art Reminds of Other Pictures
THERE is one woman in this town for whom. Michael Ang'elo lived, in vain.
" You couldn't call It a personal grudge, seeing she' .had never heard tell
of him until another woman happened to say things about his art and at
that, all she did was to claim that no
painter ever made better pictures than
the ones she saw on the beach at At
lantic City.
There are times when argument Is
so much language gone to waste, and
this seemed to be one of the times, be
sides The woman w ho had backed An
gelo knew ;that the patron of sand art.
was visioning with memory-eyes, some
dabber under the board walk, who was
doing fat angels and tilings to the fall
of nickels, while she leaned over the . - ' - - ' -railing
with a companion who had. kept loving step with her womanhood until
they came, to a cemetery gate. ' .Then she began to recall past pictures.
Here's one: A blue sea billowing. into a, beach, with two soldiers drawing
straight lines, on the sapdjo let the waves know how , far they may roll in.
Ilis hoyal Foolishness, inside the lines, sits in his throne, chair .to see that
the sea obeys his orders, and while he does it the breakers crash in and. in
and in; over the lines, up to the throne chair as if any Canute that ever
lived can hope to own a world that belongs to the people thereof
Here's a better one: A park in Syracuse, with Archimedes on a bench
drawing mathematical circles in the sand. You can see that- the Roman
invader rushing toward him is about to cut him down, and that Archimedes
Vjiows it. But there are more important things to be considered. ;
"Don't spoil the circle!"
You can hear his warning cry as his blood soaks into the sand, but you
. know'that Archimedes did hot die, because he is living now. 'And will keep
on living so I6ng as there is an earth and men on it, with stars above and
waters beneath, and . -
This is the best one of all:
Another place of sand with a white-robed Figure stooping to write a
sentence s -
Changes Wrought in Washington by the War
PENNSYLVANIA avenue used to be a stately thoroughfare on which you
could promenade nonchalantly from the capitol to the White House, view
ing at leisure the massive government buildings, the souvenirs in the curio
shops, the marble statuary and the
dreamily along In your open barouche on a Sunday afternoon with in occa
sional nod to a passing cabinet officer or congressman; now it Is. a N rth sea,
where on a splendid spring Sabbath is mobilized a fleet of allied Joy wag
ons" that strive constantly for the sane privilege of pursuing the even tenor
of their way unmolested. ' " ' 1
If the city of Washington is ever threatened by an unexpected Invasion,
as was Paris in the early days of the war, the secretary of war has only to
commandeer the motorcars in the District of Columbia as Gallienl mobilized
the taxicabs of Paris, and he can rush up troops enough from Camp Mead
and Camp Meigs and marines from Quantico, Va., 'to save the day. ;
What She Thought About the Early Spring Hat
SHE looked as If she had stepped out of a fashion sheet into the car. Being
a sunshiny day with chill streaks in if, she had combined a fur coat that
rippled down to boot tops of gray kid with a hat of glazed gray straw guarded
in front by a steel quill-cut-in the - ,
shape of a ?word. But you can't always
tell what', sort of impression you are
going to make on the everyday human
mind. Two passengers good-hearted,
double-chinned daughters of the people
seated across, considering Madam
Fasbiou.Sheet from the v'iewpointof
wearers of tabby black velvet hats,
bought last tall to. wear until warm
springtiipe and maybe after. The one
who was pony-skinned whispered ad
miring astonishment, but the other,
coated in a weave that began somewhere in New England as .Persian lamb,
voiced criticism with a loudness that showed for excellent lungs.
"Well, sir, before I'd wear a light straw hat on a cold day, like this, with
a fur coat like that, I'd stay home. Don't look worried over it, neither." , ,
"Well, it's the fashion an'' you gotta follow fashion if you got the
Spons everybody does. I think it's kinder stylish, myself. Must b cold fo
the head, though." ' . ' '
"I should say1 so. You don't hafter wear straw hats; before, Easter just
because the stores put 'em in the wind'rs. . A woman with tU theu cjothes
oughta sure have some scraps home to make herself a warm ht foi weather
like this. Before I'd come out in a summer hat like that on a day like this
I'd cut off a piece of my coat and make me a turb'n you can get uny shape
you want for ten Cents."
"My gracious, woman, you wouldn't ruin a dandy coat like ttat, would
you? That coat cost money and look at Daisy Blankers. She had on a
white straw hat at the movies the other night."
"She's nothin' to go by the poor coot only gottin' five a week and
wearin' yell'r shoes almost up to "her knee J'ints! That woman ooks as If
she made good money but all I gotta say is she don't show sense to math.'
But she did have more to say, only enough is always enough.
the
as
as
civilian suns.,. Jine fnapspnere oi me
... . . i. is AW
rllaco is Military. -Bnt the Civil war
Washington ndw, would not kpow the
city for a! war city nevertheless. This
drab dress, this intensely neutral cloth,
would not represent -soldiering 'to him
at an. n wouia seem to oetoicen some
creeping trolleys. It still has the same
old shooting galleries, and the "rooms
for 50 cents," and the hand-painted
Martha .Washington china plates, and
the miniature Washington , monu
ments, with thermometers attached, In
the shop windows, but Pennsylvania,
today, is an Applan way along which
surges .constantly a continual stream
of elbowing, energetic, endless human
ity and vehicles. Potomac park used
to be a place where you cold ride
touve
com
FASHfOfIS
YOU
m
P SICK CHILD
CONSTIPATED!
LOOK AT TONGUE
HURRY, MOTHER! REMOVen PPI
SONS FRblvfTOtrSTOltlXbVf,
LIVER, BOWELS. -
tff V"
TOV
GIVE "CALIFORNIA SYRUP OF
"f-'FIG S1 Ff C ROSS, B1 LiOUS"";!
h,P,R.-
No . matter what . ails your child, a
gentle, thorough laxative should al
ways be the first treatment given.
If your little one is out of sorts,
half-sick, Isn't resting, eating and act
ing naturally look, Mother ! see if
tongue Is coated. This is a sure sign
that the little stomach, liver and bow
els are clogged with waste. When
cross, irritable, feverish, stomach sour, '
breath bad or has stomach-ache, diar
rhea, sore throat, full of cold, give a
teaspoonful of "California Syrup of
Figs," and In a few hours all the con
stipated poison, undigested food and
sour bile gently moves out 'of the lit- '
tie bowels without griping,1 and you
have a well, playful child again.
Mothers can rest easy after giving
this harmless "fruit laxative," because '
It never fails to cleanse the little One's 1
liver and bowels and sweeten the stom
ach and they dearly love Its pleasant
taste. Full directions for babies, chil
dren of all ages and for grown-ups
printed on each bottle.1 ' "
Beware of counterfeit fig " syrups.
Ask yotir druggist for a bottle of "Cal-:
lfornia Syrup of Figs ;" then see that
It is made by the "California Fig Syrup
Companj"-i-Adv. '"
The Last to Use Them. - - (
"Started your garden yet?" f 1
"No. You see I have to1 wait un
til the neighbors get ' through using
my garden tools." - , - ;
" '"
FOODS TASTE BETTER COOKED
TOBACCO TASTES BETTER
TOASTED ; .":
Since the day of the caveman,' who
liked his meat raw, civilization has
learned a lot about th,e scientific treat
ment of the things we eat.
Naturally none ,of us would now
prefer to have our meat raw, our po
tatoes as they come from the ground,
our coffee unroasted. ,
And naturally follows the great dis
covery recently made by The Ameri
can Tobacco Co. that tobacco tastes
better TOASTEDI
This wonderful new idea simple
like - all great : inventions was first '
used in producing the famous LUCKY
STRIKE Cigarette made of toasted
Burley tobacco. ;-
Burleyhas a mellow flavor, entirely
different from the tobacco usually
used for cigarettes. It is a pipe to- '
bacco and LUCKY STRIKE Cigarettes,
taste like a pipe. Adv. u ; ..
- Naturally. ' :
"Do - you remember the time when
here was such a rage for red hair?"
"Oh, red hair is dyed out."
SEND FOR FREE BOOKLET
, , ON THE CURE OF PILES
Offered to be sent to any address,
this little booklet, easily understands
able by anyone, will be beneficial In ex- .
plaining the cause and. cure of. piles. .
without the use of the doctor's knife. '
or the need of a physician while being
treated, " . .
Send a postal today to the Reed Dis
tributing Co., 146 Godwin St., Paterson,
N. J.i makers of the 20-year famous
Eagle Pile Remedy. A copy should ,
be In the hands of every sufferer. .
Eagle Pile Remedy Is the only, treat
ment of Its kind, which is an internal
treatment that reaches the cause and
permanently effects the cure. Harmless -
to take, and pure in ingredients. Your
druggist wili supply you a box, guffi-
cient for a week's treatment for one
dollar, the standard .price brings you ,
a supply direct from the makers. Send
today to the above address.-7-Adv,
Many a man looks upon marriage as
sort of a blotter witli which he ex
pects to blot out all his past.
- To Be Strong and Healthy
Ton most have Pure Blood. GHOVK S TASTELESS
chill TON1U Purities and Burichcs the Blood and
Builds up the Whole System. It contains the weli
known tonic properties of Iron and Quinine. Ton
can feel its good effect oa the Bkiod utter the flrst
few doses. Price 60c.
Many a man's dyspepsia is due to.
the mistaken belief on the part Of his
wife that she can cook.
Acid Stomach, Heartburn and Nausea
Qulckiy disappear with the ue of Wright'i
Indian Veeetab,e Pills. Send for trial box
to 372 Pearl Si.., New York., Adv.
It is often but a single step front,
he divorce court to the stage.
FEVPR SM.
(