| Show i I ln D DB B JUf AN A T SOLDER SOI J WIIO WENT I I AI MACHINE W AAk M The good hearted good sentry knew he be was lying Iring about the pardon He knew nothing short of a miracle could save sao the poor lad Lloyd listened eagerly to his sentry's words and believed them A look of ot hope hope- came into his eyes and he raven raven- ravenously cusI ate the meal beside him In about an nn hours hour's time the chaplain chaplain chaplain chap chap- i lain came to see him but Lloyd would bare tave none of ot him He wanted no parson pare par par- son soo he was to be pardoned The artillery behind the lines suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly opened up with everything they had An Intense bombardment of ot the enemy's lines had commenced The roar roar of the tho guns was deafening Lloyds Lloyd's fears came back with a rush and he cowered on the earthen floor with his hands over his face The sentry seeing his position came In and tried to cheer him by talking to him Never Neer mind them guns boy the they wont won't hurt you They are ours Weare We Ve Weare are giving the Bodies Boches a dose of their u a bier reefs r 4 a 3 rr P M 4 He Betrayed His Country own medicine Our boys bors are ure going over the top at dawn of ot the morning to take their trenches Well We'll give ghe em era a taste of cold steel ste-el with their sausages and beer You Just sit tight now until they relieve you Ill I'll have to go now lad latI as ns Its It's nearly t time me for my relief and I 1 dont don't want them to see me a n with you So long laddie With this the sentry resumed the thc pacing of his post In In about ten aj min au minutes minutes' ute utes' utes time he hc was relieved relle and a D company man roan took his place Looking into the guardhouse the sen sentry sentry r noticed the attitude of LIO Lloyd J and with a sneer said to film Instead of whimpering in that corner corner cor cor- ner you ou ought to be saying your our pra pray pray- ers erst Its It's bally conscripts like you what's spoil In our record Weve We've been out here nigh onto eighteen months and youre you're the thc first man to desert his p post pest st st. The whole battalion a 18 and fun at t D comply company bad Dad luck to you I but hut you wont won't get moth another er chance to disgrace us They'll put your lights out In the After Arter listening to this tirade Llo Lloyd d In a n faltering voice asked They are not going to shoot me are they Why the other ether sentry said they'd pardon me For God e dont e don't dont tell me Im I'm to he shot I as m Ids his voice died away In Ina Ina ina a sob Of course they're there going to shoot you The other sentry was Jest a a kit kit- din you ou Jest like old Smith Always Alwa's a to cheer some one You aint got no more chance o 0 bela pardoned than I have of geWn to be colonel of ot my batt hatt i When the fact that all hope was gone finally entered Lloyds Lloyd's brain bruin a calm seemed to settle over him and rising rasing to his knees with his Ills arms arnt stretched ched out to heaven he prayed e tJ and andall andall all nil of or his soul entered Into the prayer 1 I O 0 0 good and merciful God give me strength to die elle like a n man mun Deliver Dell me mc from this cowards coward's death Give me mea a chance to die like my mates In the fighting line to die fighting for my country I J ask this s of or thee A peace pence hitherto unknown came to him and he crouched and cowered no nomore nomore more but calmly waited the dawn r ready to go to his death deth The shells were bursting all around the guardroom guardroom guard guard- room but he hardly noticed them i t nt there the oC the a sentry singing In a low tone cams came to him He was singing the chorus borns of the popular trench ditty I want to go home I want to go home I 1 dont don't want to go to the trenches no more Where the and sausages roar galore Take Tako me over the sea where the Allemand cant can't got get at me Oh Ob my I dont don't want to diet die I want to go home Lloyd Llod listened to the words with a strange Interest and wondered what kind of a home he be would go to across the Great Divide It would be the only home he had ever er known Suddenly there came a great rushing through the air a blinding a n deafening deafening deafen deafen- ing report and the sandbag walls of lie nw guardroom toppled over and ond then blackness When Lloyd recovered conscious conscious- I tess he hc was 1 lying on his right side acing neing what used to be the entrance of ln Ire guardroom Now It was only a jumble of rent and torn sandbags His lend henri seemed Deemed nursling bursting lie He slowly rose rosen roseM M n lilt ills hl el elbow I how and there In the east the theia I ia awn was breaking But what was hat liat mangled shape lying over there niong the sandbags Slowly dragging lf to It It he saw the body of the 4 r ulry One look was t enough nough to know that chat he lie was waR dead The soldiers soldier's head was missing The se sentry try had had his wish vish gratified He had gone home He was safe at last from the hang bangs s nail and the Allemand Allmand Like a hash flash a It came to Lloyd that he free Free to go over the top with his company compan Free to die like atrue atrue a atrue true Briton fighting for tor his king and count country 1 A great gladness and warmth came cam over o him Carefully stepping over ever the body hOlly of the sentry he be started in nn a u mad end race down the ruined street of ff the village amid the bursting shells minding them not dodging through or aroun around hurrying platoons on their way to also go over the top Coming to toa a 11 communication trench he lie could not ret wt et through It was blocked with laugh laugh- n rig ng Cheering and cursing soldiers I out of the trench he lie ran along the top never heeding th thedo the tin do of machine gun bullets and shells not even hearing the shouts of the of of- n TS S. S telling him to get back into the I trench r He was going to Join his com- com Ian any who were in the front line He was vas going to fight with them He the i coward had come Into his awn While he hc was racing along Jumping iver ver trenches crowded with soldiers a ringing cheer broke Out ut all along the front line and his heart sank He knew he was too late His Hs company had gone over o But still sUIl he ran madly u lie fp would catch them He would die with them Meanwhile l his company had gone over They bey with the other companies companies com com- had taken the first and second G German trenches and had pushed steadily on to the third line D company company com com- pany led by hy their captain the one who had sent Lloyd to division headquarters te rs for trial charged with desertion had bad pushed steadily forward until they found round them themselves elves far in advance of ot the rest of the atta attacking force Bomb lug out trench after trench and using their bayonets the they came to a n German communication trench which ended I Ia In Ina a and then the captain and I what was left of his men knew theyer they i were er In a trap They would not re re- j I lire D company never retired anti and the they were D company Right in front of them they could see hundreds of Germans preparing to rush them with bomb and bayonet They would havo have some chance If ammunition and ond bombs could reach them from the rear Their supply was exhausted and the men realized It would be a case of ot dying as bravely as possible or making a run for It But D company would not run It was against their traditions I and principles s. s The Germans would have bave to advance I across an open space of three to four 1 hund hundred ed yards before they could get within bombing distance of th the trench I and ond then It would be all their own way I Turning to his company the captain saId eald Men Its It's a case of g going West for us We are out of ammunition and ancI bombs and the Boches have us in a trap They will bomb us out Our bayonets are useless here We will have hae to go over and meet them and its it's a case of ot thirty to one so send every very thrust home and die like themen themen the themen men of D company should When I give the word follow me and UD up and at them then live Give thorn them h I h-I 1 Lord If we only li In h. a machine gun we wc could wipe them o oot t I Here the they come get ready men I Just as he finished speaking the welcome welcome wel wet come pup pup pup of a machine gun n In their rear rung rang out and the Uio front line of the onrushing Germans segued seemed to melt away They wavered but once again came rushing onward Down went their second line The machine eau CUD taking tin an awful toil loU o of oC lives u. IE lL- lL r I o Il tt Then again they tried to advance ao ance out nut the machine gun un mowed them down Dropping their rifles rines and bombs they broke and fled In a wild rush back buck to their trench timid amid the tho cheers of ot D 1 company They rhey were forming again m 1 for another attempt when in the tho rear rearm m i of D company came n a mighty cheer The ammunition had arrived and with It a battalion of Scotch to to re-enforce re them They were saved The unknown machine gunner had come to the rescue In the nick of time With the re It was an easy task to take the third German line After Atter the attack was over the captain captaIn cap cap- tam tain e and three of his noncommissioned om cera wended their way back to the position where the tho machine gun had done its deadly work He lIe wanted to thank the gunner In the name of D company for his magnificent deed Th They arrived at the gun and anel an awful sight met their eyes Lloyd Llod had reached the front line trench after his company had left It A strange company was nimbly crawling up the trench ladders They were re- re going over They were Scotties and they made a magnificent sight in their brightly colored kilts and bare knees Jumping over o th the trench Lloyd Llod raced across No Mans Man's Land unheeding the rain of bullets leaping over dark forms forma on the ground some of which lay Iny still stUl while others called out to him as he speeded past He carne came to tho German front line but It was deserted except for heaps of dead and wounded wounded-a a grim tribute to the work worle of oC his company good old oldo D o company Leaping trenches and gasping for breath Lloyd could see seerIght seeright seeright right ahead of him his com company puny In a ended dead-ended sap sup of a communication trench and across the open awa away in front of them a n mass of Germans preparing preparing pre pre- paring for a charge Why didn't I D company fire tire on them Why were they so strangely silent What were they they I waiting for Then he ire knew their knew their ammunition am nm- was exhausted But Rut what was that on his right A machine gun Why didn't It open fire and save them He would make muke that guns gun's crew do their dut duty duly Hu Rushing Bushing hing over oyer to the gun he saw why it had hud not opened fire Scattered around Its base basela la lay hay six Rix still forms The They had brought their gun JUn to consolidate the captured position but a German machine gun gum had hall decreed they would never fire again Llo Lloyd d rushed to the grasping grasp graspIng ing lag the traversing handles trained It Iton Iton iton on the Germans He lIe pressed the thumb piece but only n a sharp click was the result The gun was unloaded Then 11 he be realized his helplessness ness He Ho did not know lenow how to load the gun gUD Oh why hadn't he attended the machine machine- gun course in England Englund Hed He'd been offered the chance but with n a blush oi of shame he remembered that lie he had been afraid The nickname of or the machine gunners had frightened him Th They called the Suicide were club Now b because ause of this fear his company would be destroyed the men of D corn com patty pany would have to die because he heAlbert heAlbert heAlbert Albert Lloyd Llod had been heen afraid of n u name In his shame he cried m like e e c baby Anyway he could die with them then and rising to his feet he lie stumbled over oyer the bo body of one of the gunners who emitted a faint taInt moan A gleam an of hope flashed through him this man could tell him how to load the gun Stooping over ocr the body lit la gently shook it and the soldier opened his eye ee eyes Seeing Llo Lloyd d he lie closed them again and In n a faint voice said Get awa away you blighter leave m me alone I 1 dont don't want any coward around me The fhe words cut Lloyd like a knife but lie he was desperate Taking the revolver revolver re ru re- re volver out of the holster of the dying man he lie pressed the cold muzzle to the tin soldiers soldier's head and replied Yes it is Lloyd the coward ol of Company D D. D but so help me God Cod H If Hyou you dont don't tell me mc how to loud load that gun un Ill I'll put a bullet through ough your our bruin brain A sunny smile came over the coun coon countenance of the dying lying man mun and nd he hI suit 8 1 In a faint whisper pcr Good old boy hoy I I 1 knew you OU wouldn't disgrace our company company company- Lloyd Interposed For Gods God's sake sale If you want to save sa that company you are so proud of oCt tell teIl me how to long load that d d-d d d gun I As If reciting a lesson in school the soldier replied In n a weak singsong vol Insert tag end of belt In feed block with left hand pull belt left front Pull crank handle back on roller roller roll roll- er let go and repeat motion Gun Isnow is isnow isnow now loaded To fire raise mise automatic safety latch and press Gun Is s now firing If It gun stops ascertain ascertain ascer ascer- tain position of crank handle handle- handle to But Lloyd Llod waited for tor no more With wild Joy at his heart he lie took a n belt from one of the ammunition boxes lying lying ly 1 ly- ly In ing beside the gun and followed the dying mans man's Instructions Then he pressed presed the and a burst of fire rewarded his eff efforts The gun was working Training It on the Germans he be shouted shout shout- ed for Joy as their front rank went ent down Traversing the gun back and forth along the mass of Germans he hc saw them break bleal and LInd run back to the cover coer of ot their trench leaving their dead and wounded behind He had saved his company he Lloyd the coward had the thumb thumb- done his Ms bit Releasing piece he looked at the watch on his wrist He was still alive ollye at 3 38 a I a bullet sang through the theair theair theall air all and Lloyd fell forward across the gun A thin trickle of blood run ran rundown down hIs bis face from n u little black round hole In his forehead S Toe Tl sentence of the court had been duly carried out r rip TUe captain slowly raised the limp torte drooping over the thc gun gun and Vii Ing lag the blood from the white face recognized recognized rec ree It as Lloyd the coward of D company Reverently Re covering co the face with his handkerchief he lie turned to his noncoms and in n a voice olce husky with emotions addressed them Boys Doys Its It's Lloyd the deserter He has redeemed himself died the death of a hero hero died died that his mutes might live That afternoon a solemn procession wended Its way toward the cemetery ry In the front a stretcher was carried by two sergeants Across the the stretcher the Union Jack Jacle was carefully spread Behind the stretcher came a captain and three forty-three men men all oU that were left Idt of ot D company Arriving at the cemetery they halted halted halted halt halt- ed In front of an open grave All AU about them wooden crosses were broken and trampled Into the ground A grizzled old sergeant noting this destruction muttered under his breath Curse the cowardly blighter who wrecked those crosses I If It I could only get these two hands around his neck his trip West would be short The corpse on the stretcher seemed to move or It might have been the wind |
