Show 4 f AN o l d i SERVICE 1926 INC me bY y Cliff Clifford rd b E Ernest Lynn n WHAT WHA HAS GONE BEFORE To 10 the home of Prof Prot and Mollie 1 Elwell in Ind one one- night In October of 1898 comes tomes Martha 1 Dalton n a nurse bearing a woman oman who had fainted on the train on which Martha 1 had had been beeh tra traveling Elwell Il Is s an artist He Ile has a son Jim aged 5 Late that night ht twin girls are born to the woman who dies without revealing her name hare The adopt the girls The Th story then moves forward eighteen years The twins now growing to beautiful womanhood have been named Margaret and I Elizabeth and nicknamed nicknamed Rusty and Betty Bett- America enters the World war and Jim Elwell e enlists Two nights before he lie c leaves he discovers that one om of ot the twins loves him and he hein hein in in turn loves loes her Ho lIe tells his I I i j I I i I I mother but does dues not tell which one one because he wants h her r to love both both of 01 them the same In the event he lie does not lIOt return Two months later h he sails sall for France NOW BEGIN THE STORY CHAPTER XIV The rhe privileges accorded Jim El Elwell El- El well welt during the seven months fol- fol following following fol tol- lowing his arrival in France were no different from those of or a ton lion other soldiers of Uncle Sam over there They entitled him to work eat sleep and drill In a cantonment cantonment cantonment can can- camp For it was discovered very shortly short shortly ly after reaching France that the American was wa an unprepared unprepared unprepared pared army The rhe first United States troops were landed In France in Ma May and nd June Tune of or 1917 The first shot fired by bv any of them was Wf on 1 1 four foul months after their land- land Ing Americas America's contribution to the World war divided Itself roughly Into three periods namely The period between March and August of ot 1918 when the United States troops fought under French command at and also between between between be be- tween the and the Marne 1 that between August 6 and September September September Sep Sep- 15 when Pershing organIzed organized organized organ organ- the- the American First army and led it to battle at St. St and then that period between St. St Mihiel Ml- Ml hiel and the armistice the campaign campaign campaign cam cam- of ot the Meuse Ieuse-Argonne Hence It was that up Ul until March farch of ot 1918 Jim found himself I alon alone with something more th than n a million other United States StatE'S soldiers sol aol diers playing the old watchful and I waiting game of at just looking on It was a year real after the United States had declared war that the first divisions were preparing for forthe forthe forthe the big American action described In hi official documents as the Manet Mane Mane- Marne Marno It t was the Yanks division to which Jim Elwell had been transferred trans- trans j erred f that i reached cached France In August o of ot 1917 In a 1 May of ot 1 1518 1918 18 eight active divisions had arrived arrive By that time Jim had again been transferred Decoration day found him hint In billet with the divi divi- division division sion afon south of of Beauvais This division divi divi- sion sian later lattI was ordered to proc proceed ed to the Memo Marno area orea As they the river tI the troops 9 of ot which Jim Elwell El Eli Elwell El- El well buck private W was s a part t en encountered countered hundreds and thousands of refugees s fleeing before the In Invading invading in- in hordes Old men women and children with such f c-f their household effects as they could pile into ca carts wheeling along In ht In ont fi-ont ont of ot them or o beside them Some I crying others cursing still others I with stolid expressionless faces Remnants of the French division retiring reth after afler defeat also were ere met These waved to the advancing Americans ns new hope in their eyes Comrades the they called them Private Perkins late lata of at Princeton Princeton Prince Prince- ton said to Private Elwell Poor they look all In been through an awful a time of or It I l' l guess Jim replied Well Veil well we'll be there span soon ourselves ourselves our our- seh selves es I guess June 4 was the day on which the theS S Second division faced the Germans Gerans Then Their Brie Hup reached northward from the national highway and encircled the little e village of Bocage Ie from flom that time on the center of ot the Am American n sector Following is a description of ot this sector from flom Frank ramie H. H history and antI maps manic of the tIle World orld sac The Bois de Belleau stretching before the larger largel portion of the American front constituted a considerable considerable con con- area of dense woods which extended from the little bro brook l just east of Lucy lc northward to the highway running east eaSl from Torcy lorcy and forking just i outside the village of Belleau Beyond Be- Be yond yand this fork one branch climbed the hills east of Belleau Wood and continued to Chateau Theother The other turn turned d south slid arti ran along the the eastern edge of at of the woods through the tho Village of joining the th Paris Paris-Metz Paris railway at Vaux I Where the road following the southern n edge edgy of ot the forest and crossed the brook brool just east of Lucy is w where the first American marines marines' ma ma- rifles rines' that fell In battle in France were vere burled buried The western slope which faced fhe marines compelled the Americans Americans Americans Ameri Ameri- cans to move under direct observation observation tion and thus to suffer Burrer heavy losses The highest point of this wood looked over the ruined village vl vil- vl lage lag of ot Belleau and the crossroads and was crowned iby a a. little stone tower On June 6 at daybreak the second second sec eec ond end of ot their occupation of at this front the marines attacked the enemy D But t their attack was not nota a success and they began trying 1 to hack their way through the for for- est eat Their losses were heavy ani am continuous although the Germans had t W reinforce their troops time and again It was on June 25 after relieving the lr French that the Second division division divi divi- sion slon of which h Jim Elwell was a unit joined the marine brigade They were wele assigned the task of routing the Germans That same name day they took the entire forest and Jim well El-well learned what war was The Tile S Second cond division did Its Work ork and did It well On July J 5 Ii it turned over Its front to New ew England troops and from then on it Va was looked upon even b by the G Germans as one of at the best American shock troops And while Jim Elwell unveil who pla played ed his small part in this vi tor got ot no medals for his work worl h he got got but but we are s getting ahead of ot oui out stor story From the many ledges and rocks of the wood the Germans were dIrecting di directing directing dI- dI a withering machine gun fire They had dug their curious protecting fox Cox holes to provide the guns with cover And Jim advancing In the face of bullets along with the wave of I American troops saw man after afterman afterman afterman man fall in fall In front of at him to either cither I Iside side of oC him Heard the sing of ot those deadly little lead messengers the scream of ot shells the cries of wounded Saw Private Perkins late of Princeton fall talI with a bullet through his breast saw him smile I 1 a ghastly smile and die I Jim Jinn Elwell kept telling himself I that he lie was tuns afraid But he kept moving on A man beside belde him screamed and dropped Jim shuddered dered Yes he kept telling himself he was afraid The uproar was hideous The acrid smell of or gunpowder burned in his nostrils From Irom the woods ahead puffs of smoke kept bursting burst burst- t f ing each tach puff Jute packed with death he told himself I And then a a. strange emotion took tool hold of ot him and It seemed that ho hI was wall moving in a a. dream It all was untrue unbelievable It was not he Jim Elwell that was here keeping keeping keep- keep ing step with death No Xo Jim Elwell Elwell El- El Eli i well was back In it back with Mollie ollie and Prof back backwith backwith backwith with the twins Ahlie Ah AhlIe Ah- Ah lIe He was back no now fighting with that bully who had hael had paused at the Elwell back fence to throw insulting Insulting insulting Insult insult- ing remarks at the twins Yes he lie was fighting With him and the theman theman I I Iman man had hit lilt hint him hit him in the left shoulder 1 For 01 the shoulder suddenly burn burn- l I ed and then grew numb and he recoiled re reo re- re c oiled coiled from the shock and bled But It would take tale more than one blow to keep him down He lie was getting up now getting up and and and- But Bot that t was was blood running do down t the tits front float of ot his blo blouse se Blood and anal he was feeling taint faint But be he was up again and moving forward Again that smell of ot powder In ill n his nostrils And the din around him him him- c cries ries explosive sounds and the tat rat tat rat of ot the mad raa-f chine guns guns and and then seeing little puffs puff of ot dirt coming up from the ground as the bullets i plowed owed I into It Ho JIe was feeling very faint now Strange that Rust Rusty w wasn't around to throw that croquet ball and rescue rescue res res- cue cae him trim Where was ivas Rusty anyhow anyhow any any- anyhow how Hey there ni man nien n someone som someone one shouted at him youre hit dont don't you know It t Why in lh hell helI dont don't you go back Jim smiled saw saw- sawa a misty figure with an automatic pistol In its hand But he had n nover lver seen this man before and he grinned a sickly grin and kept on And then suddenly a loud exploSion explosion sion somewhere o batch back of or him and anti something came up from the ground r-ou r and nd hit him Hit lilt him In the leg and abet he dropped down He lay tay there for several minutes and this time when he tried to get U 1 his legs just refused to do the work They buckled under him I and he half haIrs haIr s sat t half haIt lay down Ina in ina ina ini a queer huddled position I And now it all came back to him III Hm clearly He lie was waa not back in CaT Can denville de after all air This was r l Yon n and he lie was a soldier and an actual battle This was w war al' al was like t r He lie tried to move e move and fail fai Ai I ICon Con Continued on ln following pt pi v Broken Threads vi 1 i 1 a Continued from preceding page I he beg began an to sob H He lie hadt had forthe fortt for for- tt n the pain pairl in his shoulder but butis is eg where that rock ruck had hit l m as was hurting horribly I His head now s' s jv was swimming no he e tried to o think of Mollie lol l and andio io tot and the twins but somehow couldn't couldn t think of anything The ground where he la lay layas i as abstained S stained red Jim sighed gen gen- j and nd the sounds faded from his Ills rs and the sight of moving men mena a as suddenly shut off His Ills head 11 ver on his arm and andaY aj aY ed d there Figures moved over the battle battle- Md The din had died down now id the woods from Crom which had hadn n mo that deadly machine gun fire I e ere still There were messen- messen r rg ii o of mercy that now now moved I ross the area where brief brieC hours fore e the messengers of death had haden haden eri en en hurled They were lifting up the dead wounded Someone at last me across the still figure figuie that the queer huddled position l lees es drawn up un close to the chin ad resting on one arm ille rile the other hand stretched out and fell Just short of the thele le I Strong hands lifted Jim Tim Elwell from the ground and bore him cl els J on a stretcher to an nce 11 filled with the living and the thead thead ad and those who were to die fc It To be continued A bullet in in his shoulder and a asee ece see of shrapnel in in his leg But n Elwell is not through yet |