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Show Marine Tells of His . First Fight Paris. He was a United States Marine. Ma-rine. He hailed from Chicago, and I judged his age to be twenty-two or twenty-three. I did not learn his name, but during the short hour we spent together he poured out to me his personal impressions of the fighting, fight-ing, in which he had taken a share, at Chateau Thierry. He naively apologized when he 'learned I was an American, saying: "Of course, when I've been in and out of the trenches a few times I expect it will all grow stale, and I shan't want to talk about it." He was just a normal boy, and he related his experiences and impressions im-pressions without pose or boastful-ness. boastful-ness. "When we took over that part of the line we were told it was a quiet sector," he said, "but it didn't remain long quiet. We learned afterwards that at first the Germans thought we were British, our uniforms being somewhat some-what alike, but when they discovered that we were Yanks they began to get curious about us. They were sure satisfied pretty quick." Had Empty Feeling. "What were your own personal feelings feel-ings the first time you went over the top?" I asked. "Well," slowly, "I suppose I was frightened. I had a sickening, empty ! feeling somewhere inside me. Just before we were to start our captain said : 'Now, boys, there's no need to feel bad about it. These men over the other side are feeling just as had, in fact a mighty sight worse,' I remember remem-ber his words distinctly, because they were the last he said, except to give the command to start. We had to advance through a field of greeu wheat, soppy with dew, so that we got wet through and could hardly keep our feet on the slippery ground. Our captain and lieutenant were killed right at the start, and also the first sergeant. "We had only the gunner sergeant left, and all around the men were falling, fall-ing, and the air was filled with the noise from bursting shells, cries of dying men, the groans of the wounded, the singing of bullets, and the clatter of the machine guns. "I've never been what you'd call a praying chap, but I prayed hard then, and many times since." After a moment I said : "Yes, and then ?" "Well, we saw pretty soon that if we didn't hurry up and get to the wood there wouldn't be any of us left to take it so we just hiked like as If well, as if it was an express train that we just had to catch or bust. And when we got there it didn't take us long to clear the Boche out. He would go on firing until we were right on top of him with the bayonet and then he'd yell out 'Kamerad.' "Ever, in the midst of the fight I couldn't help laughing out at the man alongside of me. He had seen ills I chum fall and came on just wild, and wlien lie was going for one German the Boche yelled : 'Kamerad, I've a wife and ten children in Berlin,' and the marine said : 'If you went back to Berlin there'd be ten more children to h with you,' and rammed him with his bayonet." "What happened after you cleared out the Hun?" I asked. "By that time we were reduced U about half our company, and were ordered or-dered to dig ourselves in. You should have seen me dig! "Men were falling all around and two bullets went through my pack as I crouched as near the ground as possible digging like h . So I took my pack off and put It on the parapet to the side of ine, and the Germans kept on popping at it. While I was digging every time I looked up to j throw the dirt out I could see a flower I moving to and fro in the wind just ' in front of me, and then once I glanced j up just in time to see that flower l nipped off as if by an invisible hand I and lie on the gound. Somehow that I made me realize almos; more than anything any-thing how near death was." |