Show T e 0 ilk T r N T I 1 I 1 jy t if MACHINE N A 17 cly wt RN I 1 im L FOREWORD over the top is a true story of trench warfare on the french front written by an american soldier who got into tho great war two years ahead of his country sergeant empey tells what the fighting men have done and how they have done it he inov knows s because he was one of them his experiences are grim but they are thrilling and they are light en id by a delightful touch of humor I 1 CHAPTER 1 I from mufti to khaki it wi wi wid d in an office la in jersey city I 1 was bitting sitting at my desk talking to a lieutenant of the jersey national guard on the wall a bis big war map decorated with variously colored little flags showing OWIng the position of the opposing armies on the western front in france trance in front of me on the tho dek desk lay n new york paper with big flaring headlines LUSITANIA AMERICAN LIVES LOST the windows were open and a feeling of earing pervaded the air through the open windows ln dowa came the trains strains of a hurdy gurdy playing in the street et reet I my boy to be ile a soldier I 1 Lusi lusitania tanta sunk american lives lost I 1 1 I ralee my boy to be ile it soldier to us these did not seem to jibe the lieutenant in silence opened one of the lower drawers of his desk and took from it an american flag which he solemnly draped over the war ml on the wall then turning to me with a grim face laid aid how ilow about it sergeant you had bcd better get nut flut the muster ro roll 11 of tie the mounted scouts as I 1 think they will bo be needed in the course of a few daya days we busied busted ourselves till late in the evening writing out emergency tele ams for the men to report when the call ifould come from then v e went home I 1 crosbi crosia i over to new york tork and as I 1 went up fulton treet street to take the subway to brooklyn the light lights in the tall buildings of new york seemed to be burning brighter than usual as if they too had read Lusi taniji cunk I 1 american lives lost I 1 they seemed to be gioN glowing ving with anger and righteous indignation and their rays wigwagged the massage mrs sage repay I 1 months parsed the lying handy but covered with dust then one momentous morning the heu lieutenant tenant with a sigh of disgust removed the flag flat from the war wip aid returned to Ms his desk I 1 ely followed this action by throwing I 1 telegrams into the wastebasket til tam we looked at sit each other in silence tence et ile was squirming in his chair and I 1 felt de preyed and uneasy the telephone rang and I 1 answered it IL it was a business call for me requesting my services foi fal an tin out of town assignment business was not very good so this us very welcome after listening to the proposition I 1 to be swayed by a strong forca within me and answered 1 I am sorry that I 1 cannot accept your offer but I 1 am wn leaving for r igind next welk and hing up the receiver the lieutenant aug around in his chair and MAW at ice me la in blank astonishment ish ment A inipi inisi Ini pi sen tation came come over rue but I 1 defiantly Ansu answered ered his tits look with well its eo I 1 im in going and I 1 went the trip across was uneventful I 1 landed at tilbury then got ot into a of matchbox cars and proceeded to london there about 10 p w I 1 took a ft room in a hotel near st SO Ian Ilan craa cras station for live an I 1 elx six fire autra the room was minus the ire fire but the extra elt seemed to keep me warm that alight there N as a zeppelin raid mid but I 1 see much of it because a the silt SIR la the curtains was soo V small and I 1 had no amiro 11 to make it larger next morning the telephone bell rang and anti someone asked are you there therel I 1 I 1 wai wat hardly anyway I 1 learned that tho 17 aps fps Ps had returned to their fatherland eo so I 1 went out into ahw th street expecting to see scenes of awful devastation and a cowering populace but everything was dormal people were calmly proceeding to their work crossing the I 1 accented accosted a bobbi with qan an you direct me lae to the place pismo 0 of he ile asked me what damage in surprise I 1 anaw answered cred my why the damare caused by he the zepa zepe with a wink he replied there was no danage damage we missed them ag agate after several fruitless inquiries of the passe passersby rully I 1 decided to go oo 00 my ray own la in search of ruined bull buildings dingi and scenes of destruction I 1 boarded a bus chith carried me through tottenham court road ing posters were everli here the one that impressed me most waa was a life size picture of lord kitchener with ith his finger pointing directly at me under the caption of your king and country need you no matter which way I 1 turned the accusing finger followed me I 1 aa was an american america in mufti and had a little american flag in the lapel of my co coat at I 1 had no king aud my country had seen been fit at not to need me but still that pointing printing finger made me feel small and III at ease I 1 got off the bus to try to dissipate 11 this feeling by mixing with the throng of the sidewalks presently I 1 came to a ret ruffing of f flee inside sitting at a desk was a lonely tommy atkins I 1 decided to interview him in regard to joining t the he british army I 1 opened the door lie ile looked up and greetle gre etl mo me with ith 1 q I ey a y byte want to tyke on I 1 looked at illa and answered avell aril Vr il wh whatever ateer that Is 1 ill 11 take a chance at it without the aid old of an interpreter I 1 found out that tummy tommy wanted anted to know if I 1 caceda to join the british army he ile asked me ina did you ever bear hear of the royal noyal fusiliers Fusi liers I 1 well in london you know yanks are supposed suppo qed to know everything so I 1 w as not going to appear ignorant and answered sure after listening for one half hour to tommys tale of their exploits on the firing line I 1 declied to join tommy took md me to the recruiting headquarters where I 1 met a typical english captain he asked my nationality I 1 immediately pulled out my toy american passport and showed it to him film it was signed 00 guy empty empey by lansing after looking at th the passport he informed me that 11 he was sorry but could cot not enlist me as it would be a breach of neutrality 1 I aisted that I 1 was not neutral because to me it seemed that fc real Auie Adie rican could not be neutral when big bix things wen were IQ in progress sa but the captain would not enlist me NN ith itis disgust in my heart I 1 went out in the street I 1 had gone about a block when a recruiting sergeant who had followed me out ot of t the h e office tapped me on the shoulder with his ew agger stick and eald said sy I 1 can get you in the army we have a cef cf tenant down don at the other office olnee who can do anything lie ile hns just come out of the 0 T CL officers training corps aps and do docs not know what neutrality le Is I 1 decided to take a chance and accepted his invitation for an introduction tro to in the tile lieutenant I 1 e entered the office and it went ent up to him opened up my pae port and old said before going further I 1 wish to state that I 1 am an tin american not too proud to tight anil und want to join your army lie ile cooled at nil im in a non I 1 hylant m manner ainner and answered sti s t xi fit right we take anything auy thing over bero I 1 I looked ked at fit him kind of hard id replied so I 1 notice but it wei wet t ofer his bend bead lie he pot got out an enlistment blank and placing hia his finger floser oa on a blank line prid sign hore I 1 answered not on your tintype 1 I 1 beg your our pardon then I 1 explained to him that I 1 wild not ign it without first reading it it I 1 zend it over and signed for duration of ar W some of the recruit recruits were lucky they signed for men seven year years then he asked me too my I 1 1 answered 4 ogden utah sald oh yes jost just ids ol 01 new now yorka with a sk smile I 1 replied well its Ws up the state a little then I 1 was taken ware the doctor fit and was wag ard passed as physically uniform then I 1 reported issued a back to the lieutenant he suggested that being an american I 1 go ou on recruiting cr service and try to thame shame some of the backers lac kers into joining th the e army all you have to do be he eald said Is its to go out on the street slid and when you see a young fellow in mufti who looks physically phI cally fit just stop him and give him thia this kind of a talk arent you ashamed of yourself a Dri tisher physically fit and in mufti when your king and country need you dont don t you know that oat your country ie Is at tit war and that the place fir every young briton Is on the firing line here I 1 am au american in khaki who came four thousand ralles miles to fight for your king and nad country and you as yet hare rot enlisted why dont don t you join isow inow Is the time this argument ought to get many recruits empey emrey eo so go 90 out and see what yoo yon can do he ile then give me a email small rosette of red white and blue ribbon with three little streamers hanging down this was the recruiting insignia and was to be worn on the left side of the cap armed with a swagger stick and my patriotic roq rosette ette I 1 went out into tottenham ten ham court road in quest of cannon fodder two or three poorly lr esel civil tana lans cased roe me and ril although though they appeared physically fit I 1 said to elf they dont don t want tb tu join the army perhaps they hare have someone dependent oa on them for support eo so I 1 did not accost them coming down the estreet I 1 saw a young dandy top hat bat and all alth a fashionably crested girl Nal walking king beside him I 1 muttered you are my meat and when he came abreast of me I 1 stepped directly in his path and a nd stopped him with my swagger stick baying saying tou you would look fine in khaki why not change that top hat bat for a steel celinet he linet aren arent t you ashamed a of yourself a husky young chap like you in mufti hen men are fire needed in the i trenches ches here I 1 cm am nn an american came four thousand wiles from ogden utah just outside of new york to fight for our king and country don t be a slacker buck up aind get into uniform come over to the recruiting office and have you enli ted lie ile yarned and answered 1 I dont care if yon came forty thousand 11 no one asked akel yon to 1 I and he walked on the girl gave me a sneering look I 1 was as speechless speech lesi I 1 recruited for foy three weeks end and nearly got one recruit thia this perhaps was not the greatest stunt in the world worlds but blat it got back nt at the officer who had told me ye ym we take anything over here I 1 had bad len heen spending a good loc lot ef of my recruiting time in the of the wheat sheaf pub there was a very e blonde barmaid who kill time I 1 was cot not as serious in those days ns I 1 was a little later when I 1 rea macd bed the front well ell it was the ixta sixth day and my recruiting report was blank I 1 was getting low in the pocket bar maids much tso use for sial anyone rone who cannot buy drinks 0 go o I 1 looked around for recruiting material you know a man on recruiting service ervice r gets a bob or shilling ehll ling tor for every recruit he entices into joining the army the recruit la Is red to get this bot but he would not be a recruit it he were wise to this fact would hel he down at the end of the bar was a it young fellow in mufti who was wa very patriotic he had about four old six nies ales aboard he ile asked me mo if he could join showed me his left bad two finger i wen wert missing but I 1 said that did not raster as we take anything over here the left bond hand la is the rifle hand as th tha piece Is carried at the slope en on the left shoulder eh kear 4 ly everything in england Is by the left even general trade leeps keeps to the port side I 1 took the applicant over to head quarters where he was hurriedly examined recruiting burgeons aur geona were busy in those days and did not have flav mich mi ch time for thorough gh physical emanil nations sty recruit waa was passed as a fit by the doctor and turned over to a corporal to make note of his sears I 1 was wall mystified mys tined suddenly the th corporal burst out with blime me two 0 of his finger 3 ar n r gone con e turning to ra me ho he eald ball aal yal certa certainly luly have you nerve with you not alt alf you aint to bring thi this beggar in the doctor came over and explode want do you mean by bringing in a man in this condition conditioner ir looking out of th tha corner coer ef of my we eye I 1 buewl ced that the hodiw who had r crafted me had joined the group and I 1 conid could not help answer linz well gir I 1 was told that yoo you took anything over here I 1 think they called it yankee im idellie Idell ice ce anyhow it ended my ing in training 9 quarters salme me where in france F empey f hec hear tha the big gun a booming and mke makes tha the acquis acquaintance of the coo con fieo tie re read ad about hl his expert ence ens in the t he next installment TO BB |