Mb (Ml
"SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE" EMPEY FIRST HEARS THE BIG
GUNS BOOMING.
Synopsis. Fired by the sinking of the Lusitania, with the loss of
American lives, Arthur Guy Empty, an American living in Jersey City,
goes to England and enlists as a private In the British army.
CHAPTER II.
i Blighty to Rest Billets.
! The next morning the captain sent
for me and Informed me : "Empey, as
a recruiting sergeant you are a wash
out," and sent me to a training depot
After arriving at this place, I was
hustled to the quartermaster stores
and received an awful shock. The
quartermaster sergeant spread a wa
terproof sheet on the ground and com
menced throwing a miscellaneous as
sortment of straps, buckles and other
paraphernalia into it. I thought he
would never stop, but when the pile
reached to my knees he paused long
enough to soy, "Next, No. 5217, 'Arris,
B company," I gazed in bewilderment
at the pile of junk In front of me, and
then my eyes wandered around looking
for the wagon which was to carry it
to barracks. I was rudely brought to
earth by the "quarter" exclaiming,
"'Ere, you, 'op It; tyke It aw'y; blind
my eyes, 'e's looking for 'is batman to
elp Mm carry it."
Struggling under the load, with fre
quent pauses for rest, I reached our
barracks (large car barns), and my
platoon leader came to the rescue. It
was a marvel to me how quickly he
assembled the equipment. After he
had completed the task, he showed me
how to adjust It on my person. Pretty
soon I stood before him a proper Tom
my Atkins in heavy marching order,
feeling like an overloaded camel.
On my feet were heavy-soled boots,
studded with hobnails, the toes and
heels of which were re-enforced by
steel half-moons. My legs were in-'
cased In woolen puttees, olive drab In
color, with my trousers overlapping
them at the top. Then a woolen khaki
tunic, under which was a bluish gray
woolen shirt, minus a collar ; beneath
tills shirt a woolen belly band about
six Inches wide, held In place by tie
strings of white tape. On my head
was a heavy woolen trench cap, with
huge earlaps buttoned over the top.
Then the equipment: A canvas belt,
with ammunition pockets, and two
wide cnnvus straps like suspenders,
called "D" straps, fastened to the belt
In front, passing over each shoulder,
crossing in the middle of my back, and
attuched by buckles to the rear of the
belt On the right side of the belt
hung water bottle, covered with felt ;
on the left side was my bayonet and
scabbard, and Intrenching tool handle,
this handle strapped to the bayonet
scabbard. In the rear was my in
trenching tool, carried in a canvas case.
This tool waB a combination pick and
spade. A canvas haversack was
strapped to the left side of the belt,
while on my back was the pack, also
of canvas, held in place by two canvas
straps over the shoulders; suspended
on the Dottom or the pack was my
mess tin or canteen In a neat little
canvas case. My waterproof sheet,
looking like a jelly roll, was strapped
on top of the puck, with a wooden stick
for cleaning the breach of the rifle pro
jecting from each end. On a lanyard
around my waist hung a huge jack
knife with a can-opener attachment
Tne pack contained my overcoat, an
extra pair of socks, change of under
wear, hold all (containing knife, fork,
spoon, comb, toothbrush, lather brush,
shaving soup, and a razor made of tin,
with "Made In England" stamped on
the blade; when trying to shave with
this It made you wish that you were
at war with Patagonia, so that yon
could have "hollow ground" stamped
"Made In Germany") ; then your house
wife, button-cleaning outfit, consisting
of a brass button stick, two stiff
brushes, and a box of "Soldiers'
Friend" paste; then a shoe brush and
a box of dubbin, a writing pad. Indel
ible pencil, envelopes, and pay book,
and personal belongings, such as a
small mirror, a decent rator and a
sheaf of unanswered letters, and fugs.
In your haversack you carry your Iron
rations, meaning a tin of bully beef,
four biscuits and a can containing tea,
sugar and Oxo cubes; a couple of
pipes and a pack of shag, a tin of rifle
oil, and a pull-through. Tommy gen
erally carries' the oil with his rations;
It gives the cheese a sort of sardine
taste.
Add to this a flrst-ald pouch and a
long, ungainly rifle patterned after the
Daniel Boone period, and you have an
Idea of a British soldier In Blighty,
Before leaving for France, this rifle
Is taken from him and he it Issued
with a Lee-Enfleld abort trench rifle
and a ration bag.
, In France he receives two faa hel
)
A VJL
ANAiWMSOLDDl
WIIOWENT
AfflUBGDYDlPEY
MACHINE! R(BYING IN FRANCE:
1917 BY
mets, a Bheepskln coat, rubber mack
intosh, steel helmet, two blankets, tear
shell goggles, a balaclava helmet
gloves and a tin of antlfrostblte grease
which is excellent for greasing the
boots. Add to this the weight of his
rations, and can you blame Tommy for
growling at a twenty-kilo route march?
Having served as sergeant major in
the United States cavalry, I tried to
tell the English drill sergeants their
business, but it did not work. They
immediately put me as batman in their
mess. Many a greasy dish of stew was
accidentally spilled over them.
I would sooner fight than be a waiter,
so when the order came through from
headquarters calling for a draft of
250 re-enforcements for France, I vol
unteered. Then we went before the M. O.
(medical officer) for another physical
examination. This was very brief. He
asked our names and numbers and
said "Fit," and we went out to fight.
We were put into troop trains and
sent to Southampton, where we de
trained, and had our trench rifles Is
sued to us. Then In columns of twos
we went up the gangplank of a little
steamer lying alongside the dock.
At the head of the gangplank there
was an old sergeant, who directed that
we line ourselves along both rails of
the ship. Then he ordered. us to take
life belts from the racks overhead and
put them on. I have crossed the ocean
several times and knew I was not sea
sick, but when I buckled on that life
belt I had a sensation of sickness,
After we got out into the stream all
I could think of was that there were a
million German submarines with a tor
pedo on each, across the warhead of
which was Inscribed my name and ad
dress. After five hours we came alongside
a pier and disembarked. I had at
tained another one of my ambitions.
was "somewhere in France." we
slept In the open that night on the side
of the road. About six the next morn
ing we were ordered to entrain. I
looked around for the passenger
coaches, but all I could see on the sid
ing were cattle cars. We climbed into
these. On the side of each car was
a sign reading "nommes 40, Chevenux
8." When we got inside of the cars,
we thought that perhaps the sign
painter had reversed the order of
things. After 48 hours in these trucks
we detrained at Rouen. At this place
we went through an Intensive training
for ten days.
The training consisted of the rudi
ments of trench warfare. Trenches
hud been dug, with barbed wire en
tanglements, bombing saps, dugouts,
observation posts and machine gun em
placements. We were given a smat
tering of trench cooking, sanitation,
bomb throwing, reconnolterlng, listen
ing posts, constructing and repairing
barbed wire, "carrying In" parties,
methods u&cd In attack and defense,
wiring parties, mass formation, and
the procedure for poison-gas attacks.
On the tenth day we again met our
friends "llommes 40, Cheveaux 8."
Thirty-six hours more of misery, and
we arrived at the town of F
After unloading our rations and
equipment, we lined up on the road In
columns of fours waiting for the order
to march.
A dull rumbling could be heard. The
sun was shining. I turned to the man
on my left and asked, "What's the
noise, Bllir He did not know, but his
face was of a pea-green color. Jim,
on my right also did not know, but
suggested that I "awsk" the sergeant
Coming towards us was an old grli
ilcd sergeant, properly fed up with
the war, so I "awaked" him.
"Think It's going to rain, sergeant)"
He looked at me In contempt and
grunted, " 'Ow's It a-goln' ter rain with
the bloomln' sun a-shlnln't" I looked
guilty.
"Them's the guns up the line, me
lad, and you'll get enough of 'em be
fore you gets back to Blighty."
My kne seemed to wilt and I
squeaked out a weak "Oh 1"
Then we started our march up to the
line In ten-kilo treks. After the first
day's march we arrived at our rest
billets. In France they call them rest
billets, because while In them Tommy
works seven days a week and on the
eighth day of the week he la given
twenty-four hours "on his own."
Our billet was a spacious affair, a
large barn on the left side of the road,
which had one hundred entrances,
ninety-nine for shells, rats, wind and
rain, and the huudredth one for Tom
my. I was tired out, and using my
shrapnel-proof helmet (shrapnel proof
until a piece of shrapnel hits It), or
tin bat for a, pillow, lay down In the
straw, and was soon fast asleep. I
must have slept about two hours, when
I awoke with a prickling sensation all
over me. As I thought the straw had
worked through my uniform. I woke
up the fellow lying on my left who had
been up the line before, and asked
him:
"Does the straw bother you, mate?
It's worked through my uniform and I
can't sleep."
In a sleepy voice he answered,
"That ain't straw, them's cooties."
From that time on my friends the
"cooties" were constantly with me,
"Cooties," or body lice, are the bane
of Tommy's existence.
The aristocracy of the trenches very
seldom call them "cooties," they speak
of them as Seas.
To an American flea means a small
Insect armed with a bayonet, who is
wont to jab It Into you and then hop
skip and jump to the next place to be
attacked. There Is an advantage In
having fleas on you instead of "cooties"
in that in one of his extended jumps
said flea Is liable to land on the fel
low next to you; he has the typical
energy and push of the American,
while the "cootie" has the bulldog
tenacity of the Englishman; he holds
on and consolidates or digs In until
his meal is finished.
There is no way to get rid of them
permanently. No matter how often
you bathe, and that is not very often,
or how many times you change your
underwear, your friends the "cooties"
are always In evidence. The billets are
Infested with them, especially so If
there is straw on the floor.
I have taken a bath and put on
brand-new underwear; in fact, a com
plete change of uniform, and then
turned in for the night. The next morn
ing my shirt would be full of them. It
is a common sight to see eight or ten
soldiers sitting under a tree with their
shirts over their knees engaging in a
"shirt hunt."
At night about half an hour before
"lights out," you can see the Tommies
grouped around a candle, trying, in Its
dim light, to rid their underwear of
the vermin. A popular and very quick
method Is to take your shirt and draw
ers, and run the seams back and for
ward in the flame from a candle and
burn them out. This practice Is dan-
The Author's Identification Disk.
gerous, because you are liable to burn
holes in the garments if you are not
ci:ful.
Recruits generally sent to Blighty
for a brand of Insect powder adver
tised as "Good for body lice." The ad
vertisement Is quite right; the powder
Is good for "cooties;" they simply
thrive on It
The older men of our battalion were
wiser and made scratchers out of
wood. These were rubbed smooth with
a bit of stone or sand to prevent splin
ters. They were about eighteen Inches
long, and Tommy guarantees that
scratcher of this length will reach
any part of the body which may be at
tacked. Some of the fellows were lazy
and only made their scratchers twelve
Inches, but many a night when .on
guard, looking over the top from the
Are step of the front-line trench, they
would have given a thousand "quid
for the other six Inches.
Once while we were In rest billets an
Irish Hussar regiment camped In an
open Held opposite our billet After
they had picketed and fed their horses,
a general shirt hunt took place. The
troopers Ignored the call "Dinner up,"
and kept on with their search for big
game. They had a curious method ot
procedure. They hung their shlrU over
a hedge and bent them with their en
trenching tool handles.
I asked one of them why they didn't
pick them off by band, and he an
swered, "We haven't had a bath for
nine weeks or a change of clabber. If
I tried to pick the 'cooties' off my shirt
I would be here for duration of war."
After taking a close look at his shirt,
agreed with him ; It was alive.
In th next Installment Sen.
geant Empty tell of tha reallxa
tion of hit ambition his ar
rival In a first line trench and
of how he wished he were back
In Jereey City.
(TO B CONTINUED.)
Cheap notoriety la dear at any prlca,
WORLD
HAPPENINGS
CURRENT WEEK
Krifit KflSUme MOSt mDOrtant
r I
Ua V News liemS.
' I
COMPILED FOR YOU
Events of Noted People, Governments
and Pacific Northwest and Other
Things Worth Knowing.
Milton bebastian Lansing, HO years
old, a nephew ol Kooert umsing, sec-
retary of state, enlisted in the navy at
Los Angeles Wednesday.
Whan the flarltnpsH nf t.h AclinRe
rwrit. nvr Yakima. Wash.. Saturday,
scores of Indians wnrkin? in hon fields
near the city hastily sought their rerry uuicn, ai xne west enu oi neu
camps and covered themselves under gate canyon, in the Helena forest; on
their hlnnlcpt. Deep creek, in the Lolo forest; in the
. l
Married 13 times, "Uncle" John
Dempsey, oldest resident of Marion,
111., died Tuesday, four days before his
100th birthday. He purchased his
coffin seven years ago and married his
13th wife five years ago.
Lowell, Ind., a town of 1800 people,
will close up its business houses two
days a week during July and August,
and most of its merchants, clerks and
professional men will help the sur
rounding farmers harvest their crops,
because of the shortage of labor.
Two hundred soldiers Tuesday night
were rushed in auto trucks to Little
Creek, three miles north of Newport,
Ore., to fight a forest fire. After
working ail night, assisted Dy a neavy
shower of rain, they got the blaze un-
der control. About zuu acres were
burned over.
ims,miam ,;n Wo
chant marine of 25,000,000 deadweight
tons, Chairman Hurley, of the Ship-
nine- board, declared at South Bend.
Ind.. Tuesdav n an address giving the
- ' . . . -
Mmnu tof0mnt nf , .
w
vt iuui maH mi hit
J r ,w'
A blasting hot wind for two days
with the thermometer at 97 degrees in
the shade has given a setback to the
wheat crop outlook in Northern Mon-
lana. 10 tne norm oi ureal raus me
situation is reported as very serious,
while to the south the winter wheat
may yet be saved by rain,
An appropriation of $1,761,701,000
for the American merchant marine is
provided in the sundry civil bill re-
ported to the house Wednesdav bv the
' . .. ... "
annronr at nna eomm ttae. The meas-
ure carries a total of t2.862.752.237 in
direct annrnnriatinns and the house is
expected to add upwards of $50,000,-
000 more. -
Germany's submarine raiders, which
some 16 days ago made their first ap-
tarance in American waters since the
Sniartinn nt war nrntw r0 t,n
fi, a tuu
no reports of additional sinkings had
been received at the Navy department
late Tuesday night to add to the official
toll of 18 craft sent to the bottom.
Workingmen of the United States
will be satisfied only with a peace
brought about by the complete over
throw of the German military ma
chine, according to President Samuel
Gompers, who made the principal ad
dress Tuesday at the opening session
of the annual convention of the Ameri
can Federation of Labor in St Paul.
federal court decrees prohibiting
newspapers from publishing articles
held to embarrass the administration
of justice, although not acts com-
mitted within the presence of the
courts, were sustained by the U. S.
Supreme court in upholding judgment
against the Toledo Newspaper com-
pany, publisher, and N. D. Cochran,
editor-in-chief of the Toledo, Ohio,
News-Bee, for contempt of court.
President Wilson has written a sec
ond letter to Governor Stephens, of
California, urging the pardon of
Thomas J. Mooney. The President
asked for clemency for Mooney in
March, but Governor Stephens replied
that he could not act until an appeal
for the convicted man had been passed
The courthave
upon by the courts,
refused the plea.
Traumatic neurosis is "shell shock,"
it was explained at the meeting Thurs-
day in Chicago of the American Med-
ico-Psychological association, and it is
as apt to strike the grandmother as the
soldier in the trenches.
President Wilson sent a message of
sympathy to the family of former Vice
President Charles W. Fairbanks.
Praise for Mr. Fairbanks was given
also in the house by Representatives
w i oi,i:.. .-a n; n
...
W -
of the Commercial TeleirraDhers' Union
of America, announced on his arrival
in inicago irom Washington that a
date had been set for a nation-wide
strike of telegraphers to enforce their
demands for recognition of the union.
A resolution calling lor congres
sional investigation of accidents at avi
ation camps was introduced by Repre
sentative Hua ted, of New York. Acci
dent in the last nve weeks, the reso-
muon says, snow uiai some nave Been
due to defective construction or negli-
gent inspection.
MONTANA FORESTS ABLAZE
Early Start Believed to Portend Much
Damage Town is Threatened.
Missoula. Mont With scores of
fires, some covering large areas and
blazing unchecked, others small and
yet within control, burning in dry for-
Aota r,t Waafam Mnntnnn nnri Northern
Idaho, the fire situation in the terri-
, . XT- 1 t
vory emDracea wiuiin uiairici. iiu. i ui
the Forest service is the most acute
it - - x i i, M4. u : nt
uiul 11 uaa ever ueeu ai tins uutc u
the year, forestry officials declare.
Indications point to a tire season
worse than that ot 1917, tney saia,
since it is starting fully a month ear
lier.
More than 500 men are fighting fires
in the national forests of this district,
150 of them engaged in an effort to
save the town of Essex, in the Flat
head forest, on the Great Northern
railway. One hundred others are
fighting a fire near Belton, at the west
end of Glacier National Park.
Two hundred and fiftv men are still
fio - hr.ino - the fire on Marble creek, near
tne St. Joe forest in Northern Idaho,
where thousands of acres of valuable
privately owned timber land are being
burned over. The blaze was declared
to be the worst in the district.
Other hres were reported on Lanyon
- ri rt .i i l i J 11.11
Bitter Root mountains and in the Cab
inet forest.
RUSS-SLAV FACTION
ASKS AID OF ALLIES
Formal Appeal Made to America to
Send Expedition Halt Huns
Cadets Send Message.
Washington, D. C. An appeal to
the United States and the allies to
send an expeditionary force to Russia
to repel the German invaders, forward-
ed by the central committee of the
Cadet party in Russia, was transmitted
to the State department Wednesday by
the Russian embassy,
It is asked that the expedition, if
sent. be Put under .International control
w u 7 8 - i
Th Cadet party, as it is popularly
iij : u r-rto4-;,v
ca"c"' ' 'yu
tional Democrats who were tirst in
power after the overthrow of the Ro-
manoff dynasty. It was removed from
l Dii Mr:
uuvvct uv me jjuiducvim
The United States has not defined
jts attitude toward the allied desire
for iolnfc action from the East, al-
though it is understood the government
holds that t wou d be nopportune to
attempt to check the Germans in Rus
sia, unless it is shown the Russian
people wish it and that the move would
not be misunderstood.
The message of the Constitutional
Democrats declares the situation in
Russia can- be ameliorated by the ac-
... :J ii 1 1 : rr-l
"ve iu ui uie nines. uuvouco ui
the German armies, it ia declared,
Otherwise cannot be halted
The appearance of a strong allied
iorce in uie r,asi, it is aeciareu, win
have a decisive bearing on the issues
01 war' .... . .... .,
. If an expedition IS sent it IS asked
that every means be taken to safe-
guard Russian interests and rights.
U .has pointed out that there
" "--'
way f the P'8 f allled and Ame.r"
ican troops in Kussia proper, save in
the small sectors on the Arctic ocean
where the British and French flags are
now seen.
Technically that is a part of the ter
ritory now under the jurisdiction 'of
General Foch in his capacity of com
mander-in-chief of all the allied and
American troops.
If he desires to risk starting a cam
paign at such a remote point, it is said
that he may use Americans for this
purpose in his discretion.
The other avenue of approach by an
army to European Russia would be bv
way of Siberia, and unless the allies
are willing to turn that task over to
'Japan alone, which it is feared the
Russians would resent there is no
transportation available for the plac-
ing in Siberia of the numerous Ameri
can and allied army that would be re
quired for a successful campaign.
Cars Enter Firing Zone.
Camp Lewis, Tacoma, Wash. Five
times Wednesday automobile drivers
endangered the lives of themselves and
passengers and interfered with "at-
acks'.' on GeJman advance Psts ich
American imaniry were approacning.
It was the first time the B target
range was used and the motorists
somehow got past the sentries who
were guarding all roads and drove di
rectly into the line of lire.
They were seen in time and the field
telephone flashed the order "stop
firing," so no one was hit
New Star Loses Brilliance,
Pasadena, Cal. Astronomers at the
,( i ... i . i .
uul " ooservawry, near
here, were of the opinion Wednesday
that the new star which appeared Sat
1... A, .11 . I .11
Iuruay nigm in uie consignation AquuiB
and rapidly grew in brilliance, reached
' luminosity early lues-
day. The spectroscope indicated
had dimmed slightly. At its brightest,
it was said, the new star was exceeded
in brilliance by possibly but one fixed
star, birius.
Berlin, la., ia No More.
Berlin, Ia. Berlin, Ia., will be no
more. As a result of a meeting heae
of the mayor and the city council it
was decided to notify the postofTice
officials in W ashington that the citi
tens here have changed the name of
I the town to Lincoln.
u.
S. WHEAT CROP
S BILLION BUSHELS
ederal Forecast Shows Second
Largest Crop on Record.
OTHER CROPS RECORD
Continuation of the Recent Favorable
Growing Conditions May Yet Put.
1918 Harvest in First Rank.
Washington, D. C A bumper wheat
crop this year, which before harvest
may develop into a production of 1,
000,000,000 bushels, was forecast by
the department of Agriculture in its
June crop report giving the first indi
cation of the size of this year's spring
wheat output.
Basing its estimate on June 1 condi
tions, the department forecast a total
wheat production of 931,000,000 bush
els, which would place this year's har
vest as the second largest in the his
tory of the country.
In June of 1915 a total wheat pro
duction of 950,000,000 bushels was
forecast and the quantity gradually
crept upward until the final figures for
the year showed the crop to be 1,
025,800,000 bushels.
The acreage sown to spring wheat
this year is larger by 2,000,000 acres
than ever sown before and 21.5 per
cent larger than last year, aggregating
2,489,000 acres.
The condition of the crop on June 1
was 95.2 per cent of normal, or 1.5 per
cent better than the 10-year average.
A production of 344,000,000 bushels
was forecast. That is 11,000,000
bushels more than harvested last year
and only about 7,000,000 bushels less
than the record spring wheat harvest
of 1915.
Winter wheat, growing on the sec
ond largest acreage ever planted,
showed a condition 3 per cent better
than the 10-year average, with 83.8
per cent of a normal crop. A" produc
tion of 587,000,000 bushels was fore
cast, which is 50,000,000 bushels more
than forecast from conditions existing
May 1. Such a crop would be the third
in size grown in this country.
The oat crop also promises to be of
record proportions. On an acreage 2.1
per cent larger than last year, when
the record crop 1,687,000,000 bushels
was grown, June 1 conditions war
rant a forecast of 1,600,000,000 bush
els. Only last year's and the crop of
1915 exceeded that quantity.
Rye production will be a record, the
forecast being 81,000,000 bushels,
which is slightly less than was fore
cast in May. Last year's crop was
60,100,000 bushels, which was a
record.
HOOVER STRIKES AT PRICES
Administrator Orders Nation-Wide Re
form in Food Staples.
Washington, D. C. A country-wide
move to reduce the cost of food to the
consumer and standardize methods of
compelling the observance by dealers
of "fair price lists" was ordered Sat
urday by Food Administrator Hoover.
Lists will be published in every
country, town and city, and consumers
will be asked to co-operate with offi
cials in forcing merchants to bring
their prices to a uniform level.
In carrying out the new standardiza
tion plan, the administration will es
tablish price-interpreting committees
composed of representatives of whole
salers, retailers and consumers.
The board will determine fair retail
prices on basic commodities that com
prise a large part of the nation's diet
The published lists will give the range
of maximum Belling prices, showing a
reasonable price which will reflect the
prices that should obtain in "cash and
carry" stores, and a higher price rep
resenting a fair price for the "credit
and delivery Btores.
The local administrator for 'each lo
cality will act as chairman of the price
Doard. bach board will have detailed
reports of actual wholesale prices and
win ascertain fair margins of profit
the retailer should be satisfied with.
Newspapers will be asked to co
operate by setting aside a particular
position weekly for publication of the
lists, with footnotes on the food prob
lem and the use of substitutes for the
foods most needed abroad.
A close check will be kept on ob
servance of the lists. Consumers will
be expected to report to the local food
administrator any store charging more
than the established price for any com
modity. Governor Lister Is Weak.
Olympia, Wash. Governor Lister
returned to hist living apartments in
Olympia Saturday afternoon and an
nounced that he would handle state
business In his rooms for the next
week instead of at the capital. He is
still under medical treatment which
began in Chicago two weeks ago and is
forbidden physical exertion. The na
ture of his illness was not announced.
The governor was absent from the
state nearly a month on his Eastern
trip, when he originally expected to
return in two weeks.