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Show A Ceiscicilleis efejter:: Cy; paper S ndteate. WHAT do I think -f a tdinkln" ron.i. lentiuus ohjcunr?" answered an-swered Ikey llonney from the eorner f the the h;iv. "Well, what u;ih th'H hloo-nln' war on and hiokes -fin' w.-t-t bv the thousands, thou-sands, a pa-dilsf or o.nM'irnnmiM ohj-' "'i' in one of two things, he'n either a IKnk.n' coward or a bhouv pro-' brman. Hut it's funny the av ho me o' '.hem hi i-'h.t -ers, with their v et laid bte.-n Ui. k in HI I nh tv, r ha ties t heir minds v. ha n I hey 't.M out here in the mud. and n.' t th- .r lirst gilmp.j" of n wooden eiosc Its either a h: In' h-iuad up .uMini-t a wall, a hl'M-(ud n' V. ' ' ( ie(oi ia .To;- s i or a 'i (-si In peace" y n o .-r tin i r n hip-ts for them. A sir autre thing It in. but In e. tboe bloke never no ihrounh tne trench e.M In an ordhiarv way )!ko we do; it's a tase of ex trem.-s, no in bet w err i BturT. ".N"et time you're on a but ia j.a r t v fake a took n f 'be third rns from r ie left in the foui th jow : ou enter fie eTTieiorv. Vou know ti.it riith b. idf through tlie op hard J'lr't oT l a- entr.ince of that big Fi K. (Koyal I -.u n i nee r dug-oilt dug-oilt ; uell. urifh r that rio- ' fe-'ts H h oke who h-'L- k in 1 '.II i;htv i-r,'..ved ft M- a paciiift. He wouldn't bMnhln well volunteer, volun-teer, not. likeiv: thev had to drnft him. nn when thev did be refused to fmht, ho thev Kf'M k him in t h ," f. ('. (Sm- combatant mri.u aitd lintnie l him a ph-v--'nnd sbo'.-.d and put him to rep drift' r id; nd dhjirin' m a ve . Weil, it d'dn't tal:e on before he was pr opr rl v f 'd up with bis Job, and he threw down th" pldc and hovel and grabbed up a rifle an' bayonet. Oh. yes. be rlirk-d It nil riu-ht and w. nt weHt' In fad, h wn.q burierl In one o the trravei he helped to dig. I nuppoup some o' thnv) oiie;:e nfiicrrs railed It the 'Ironv of f;iii" or soine otlier hiinltin' 1 blch-founding phra-e, but we kno;v? that , it, was onlv f oimrton ordinary lifk. "rau-ie we n' known that if von "re Koine to et it, vou' II ret It. no ma ' it if au're a n"ut let nan'.- roti or a bloom in' i himnry W' p. "I 1 1 1 m blirhter T'm teiHntr about wnr. In mv r'lat'KUi when I v..im In ' eompanv. ftri' be lied t' l-'b e me l!ie propi r p'P w.tb hi.1 a ' pmi" nt i nnainst ii, riding and the Hket o' that. "The first time I nud b.im wa-i in St. Armand: our 'hat' was hi tlie rest hilleis awRitbi" n. new drnn before jrointr un the line a:;ain. Vou n we bad ( II l(-d It prettv rough fit rnm.ehcN. an a ph.toon looked Ilk'' blinkin' :"i""' when It lln-d up for parade. I was p a in.; 'hou e in that r-daifilnct rh'ht ihuom from lhat V.avln-d -In (bur' h ou the ( orm r win n IiIm Inbor ha t la on 'Mine t houf;ii and I n"k OVer hllb-t- jll-.t uppietllr. from tin- c.-ta-mlriid I was Hllm- n-'.-'i' a wdtnlow and w;.. hed them pa.--. A orrb-r burirh of flucdinohn of men I ne-er saw; It turned ,r.v hlinhlu' -tomacli to looh at th ),.,( vvitll Ibeh pa' t V tare.s. "looped- over shouhl'i- aiul -n ra -rl 1 1 u- g.il'. Hh'-hl I hen nnd t here I ad ml I e I he I lei m;tM f,,,- Hieir r.v-l.un of nuUeiH'il mihlaiv fialnlm: IT Krudand bad of b-'id a UlU" more of II. 'here neve,- would ll.ive I eell ii war, nnd rhdit r.ow We wouhl be In f.ll-htv with our wlve and nh'peiH. In-ni..ad In-ni..ad ' of e.lttlni: here lo Ihej.e 'o"dv ,lil,die-. v all ni' for a i:!i"ll lo ie u er v i t h out tii me anil ii'mhImi op ll " mi. f" labor hsitialbm took n". er bill.' I'-, -eve,,, I ol tin an a urn Into I hi o-i). naif' nnd Maf at a t.ihh' mat nie, .i,l!'"' lodh'.'U.-H Hi.- war and Voire th.ar opinion?, ahout the 'in,, halx' at I,, - hh- blol'. e I'm n fall. in' ahifui V.ac tile load' rf of the bUN'll. he fr-lll'd lo hiav a I'li.ii'li on e -,-! I h I n T In r.'ii-ri r.'ii-ri ,, I Iv.tened I'l hllll a lew IllillUlef. . hu'UIng hiv. w'lr.bl about unlit I f blordv u.-l j;ol mi my ii.i.; i.'hinli inf; up mj lmiv." of houre an1 T b.ui raid halt a f:am for tnv board, Uk I leunvd 0 er to ham a iid ki id : " 'Vo i must He one of those bloonim' conscientious o''i'l"rs we read a hou t i n t ne pa p'-is, one o' t :,k ih liters who am't h Ib-vi in fiirhtln'. but is wil'm to :-i' ha- k In lillnntv and b-t us bloKe out here do our bloody fihMn' for you. while ou crt.s a bhnkin' goid screw r-.'h.trv) Kitting on a hinh a tool In nonie "He turne! to me ami answered: Mt'f the bkey o' you who volunte.rid for this war w hat keeps it no' n'. If yon had all refused to go at I'triu, there wouldn't be n nv war" "I couldn't see it hi wav at all, and went rlnht ba k at him with: 'Ves, and if It wasn't for us volunteering. the Moody Tier man flan would now be flying over Ihn klnn! .a in palace and Kinn Oeoi ne wouhl he in the Tower of London.' "lie t hounh t a minute or two and answered: 'Web. v. bat of if.' One flairV as too I as a inn her. and as for I he hloouim' kin-, w ha t did be over do for win bul make von pav taxes so he could Moo-nln' well nit around doing nothing?' I ' That was too much for me. that blinkin jelh f IMi a - si inning mud at our kinn, so I h t my temter. . and laktiiK my glass of Vin Lougc in mv hand I leaned over cln:c to him and Kald: "When you men-lions men-lions ihe kinn'.s name it Is rustomary to drinK to his benli h. Per bars he never d id a nv I hi nn npecial for me. but I have nerr done anythlnn special f"r Mm, and even at that I've done a damned slnlit more than you have for him, so take tills win.- and drink Ids health, or I'll dent that napper of yours so vou won't be able to wear that tin bat ni" youre.' "He not M nd of pale a nd answered : 'Prink the king's health, not likely. U s through him and bis Woody top hats In pa r lia ment t ha t I'm out here. U'hv In the blinking hen don't he do his 'own fu-htinn nnd let us poor blokes alone?' "I raw ted and was1 lual going f r bit him. when a big Irish ma n out rf t he 1 :o a 1 Irish Ki fles next to me i;i a bs Ihe glas.s of wine fioin mv hand, and, looking the hi ight er In the face, yr lis at hi in : " 'W ell. If ihe king ain'l dmie tmtldns for jmi 1 hmlisli, lie's done lr.s for ir lrUh. hut 1 volunleeri'd to come out bete i for him, and here I a in. a nd nhd of it, loo, and hopes some dav to net Into Her liii with the kinr.'s forces. Vow won't drink Ida health: wr II. you can bathe hi-, health.' With that lm thiew the winr Into the htbjhtct'-s face and snu--died him h, th'- no: e with his fist. The fellow went over like a log, with t ho hi diu.a n Hllll aiioiu for him. If v, n hadn't of Willi d him off I Iblnk be would have kllleii Ilia I couscieiifious oldcctor. I hail clicked three davs '. H. (conrined to harrack-i) and didn't want lo get arrested, mo in the confusion 1 marie track- for my billet. The ne t l time I met the bloke was when we hurled old Smith, nut of t he Tenth platoon, in the ceinel.-rv at La f.'f.a". He wan one of the grave diggers.. All during the burial service ),,, Mtood looking al the 1'niori .lnol with a .jueer look ou bis face. When old Smith was loueied inlo Ihe ground and tlie dirt was thrown on him, Ihe con.'-c leu t mm nb-(e nb-(e tor (Watklns was his 11,11111 came owr h, me an. I fabf " ' hear he 1 pohillng nt old Smllh'a crave) is IS -.ear:; old and ban but a wile ami linen nippei hack In ldh:hlv. He u.i (o,, old lor Ihe draft. wa-m't m'.' Tlii'ii he mu'tt In. e ohm h i red "" "I fiioiwrted, ' f I'otil'Jf he olunleered, mill I here he ., deader Ih.in hh, hut III u a'-er a nubl , hi w I I'e :,nd k id w III be proud of Mnf and that- more than i.nr ki I, w ill be about you." "lie '-neaked olf without a triw erllig Thr-eM daya lain I maily dioimed dead w hi n our lance r orp"ral i-.i:i e inio our I I i'e t w 11 h a bloody nose and a be uti -f nly trimmed lamp. Wren I :ked h:!T, how he 'o: knocked ahout. ho lold nie that fellow (int of the non -com na a n I corp--. named atkins, had mus-ed Inn tip h is 1 he. -a use he had called hiiii a w hi; e- II vvred t ou a rd. "W.i 1 kins d urked t went y-one da ys No. 1 on the wheel and when bis sentence was finished they transferred bim to a figlitlnr unit and, bang! into our platoon bo comes. "Many a talk T bad with hhn about that pacifist su.fi be hadn't chanced a bit In bis ideas-hut be k.-pt his month shut about the king and the top luia at home. "Then we went Into the trenches and I knew his ttnish wa.s near. A filing squad or 'rest in peace" was to 1k his lot. They fill got one or the other hooner or later. "Afiiu two days In. KrlLt got rough and opened up with a pretty si iff bom- hardnnml. "Waikins waj ,n the fourth souad In a dugout In the sapport tren. Ii w hen a minnie" nxislore.i a direct hit on the roof and raved ber In. Kver one but Watklns was killed. How he oscawd was a marvel, the- rest of the s-piad bo-ing bo-ing smashed up somet hlng awful. We colleded the p-ecra and burled then) the next dav. Walk ins helped dig the graves "Lor tw 1 day Waikins scarrelv spoke a word, just went round with a far-awav lok on his f o e. "i.n tbr ihii.l ni-M after the burial volunteers were -ailed for a bombing raid, and I ronld s. an . lv believe mv oars when 1 beard that Waikins lid volunteered. volun-teered. It was the truih all right he went along, "We rrawlrd out Into Nn Man's Land under rover of our barrage and waited Watklns was next to me. Swddenlv a star .shed went up and we crouched down in Its light T w as la Ipg so t ),., t I could see Watkins - bllme ,n0 p,, v ,,, no rltle or hayuiet. I wbisjiered iu,r to hitn. "Where's your rifle'." Me answered 1 threw H nwav.' IVforr- 1 had time t',i replv, the signal to nidi ihe i;eiin.in trench was RUen and I lost sight 'of hint. "It was rvninh going ln tbo German trench and we hud unite a little of hand-to-hand lighltng. Mar shells were p.oitig up all around ns. t me of our blokes in front of mo wa mt going around t ie corner of a ir.ner.e when a big t;r,nI(n no: bltu through the throat with bis havo-net havo-net and be went flown. Sniiici hlng spi n-pnst n-pnst me like a wild- at aiul chw.-.i wnb lite Vviiz. Thev both went down to- gether. Just then another iloiniait ,.1M,p at nie 1 1 otn I lit out 1 a nee of , , j r and 1 wm hiwv. J managed to pot Mm I hm our beuhmnnt and (wo nn n uue round, and gave ih order to get hod- to our tren.'iuw. The lieutenant Mumbled over the three ImhMos ill front of u ,Mie of them ;:rnaned. It was Watkinv ,! right. I'uaruied, he had sprang at the ( i e rn 1 n 1 1 and with hL-i hare h;, n, , choked bim lo death, but he had :1 n,, v lagged b.a one t wound in his right Mdo Wit managed lo got Mm buck to our liem beM, bul he died o ( nr (l. c-.tep p, fo,e oaslrlni: In be look.d Up at th.i 'ueu" I eo;i nt a nd. with a ia in on Ids f i.-e - ... 1 "fell the bloomlu' khn; and tl , 'p.,, :" ,1,;,t ' '""'I '','' I'nglaud .,;, , hope lhat. like old Smith, mv nip,,;.,', be pioild of Iheir father. lo-d v , ,', k!m. - - ' and then he died. "We hurled him next nioinlto;. ,, niV 'Ud. don of cooclrutlom. oh(e lois'an.) iV'dlsta no , hamvd. Thev re riVl. r COW .(Mb! or pi 0.1 irnniiliM "Vou s.i Walkln.H wa-nt .ith,-, )r was a Hid. Her of n- king, ami a damned ;P'od one, oo " 4 |
