"OVER
By An American Arthur Guy Empey
Soldier WhoWent Machine Gunner, Serving in France
EMPEY LEARNS THAT SOMETIMES A STREAK OF YELLOW
CAN TURN PURE WHITE.
SynopaJavFlred by the sinking of the Lusitanla, with the loss of
American lives, Arthur Guy Empey, an American living In Jersey City,
goes to England and enlists as a private In the British army. After a
short experience as a recruiting officer in London, he is sent to train
ing quarters in France, where he first hears the sound of big guns and
makes the acquaintance of "cooties." After a brief period of training
Empey'a company la sent into the front-line trenches, where he takes
hit first turn on the fire step while the bullets whiz overhead. Empey
learns, a comrade falls, that death lurks always In the trenches.
Chaplain distinguishes himself by rescuing wounded men under hot
lire. With pick and shovel Empey has experience as a trench digger
In No Man'g Land. Exciting experience on listening post detail. Ex
citing work on observation post duty. Back in rest billets Empey
writes and stages a successful pluy. Once more In the front trenches,
Empey goes "over the top" In a successful but costly attack on the
German lines. Soon afterwards Empey and his comrades repulse a
determined gas attack launched by the Germans. His next experience
Is as a member of a firing squad which executes a sentence of death.
CHAPTER XXIV Continued.
22
On his left, In the darkness, he could
make out the shadowy forms of trees ;
crawling on his hands and knees, stop
ping and crouching with fear at each
shell-burst, he flnully reached an old
orchard and cowered at the base of a
shot-scarred apple tree.
He remained there all night, listen
ing to the sound of the guns and ever
praying, praying that his useless life
would be spnred.
As dawn began to break, he could
discern little dark objecta protruding
from the ground all about him. Curi
osity mastered lis fear and he crawled
to one of the objects, and there, In the
ncertaln light he read on a little
wooden cross:
"Pte. H. S. Wheaton, No. 1070, 1st
London Regt B. F. Killed in action,
April 25, 1918. R. I. P." (Rest In
Peace).
When it dawned on him that he had
been hiding all night In a cemetery
his reason seemed to leave him, and a
mad desire to be free from It all made
him rush madly away, falling over lit
tle wooden crosses, smashing some and
trampling others under his feet.
In his flight he came to an old
French dugout, half caved In and par
tially filled with slimy and filthy wa
ter. Like a for being chased by tho
hounds, he ducked into this hole, anil
threw himself on a pile of old empty
sandbags, wet nnd mildewed. Then
unconsciousness.
On the next duy, he came to; far
distant voices sounded ' In his ears.
Opening his eyes, In the entrance of
the dugout he saw a corporal and two
men with fixed bayonets. .
The corporal was addressing him :
"Get up, you white-livered blighter!
Curse you and the day you ever Joined
D company, spoiling their line rec
ord! It'll be you up against the wall,
and a good Job too. Get hold of him,
men, and if he makes a break, give him
the bayonet, and send It home, the cow
ardly sneak. Come on, you, move,
we've been looking for you long
enough."
Lloyd, trembling and weakened by
his long fast tottered out. assisted by
a soldier on each side of lilm.
They took hi in before the captain,
but could get nothing out of him but :
"For God'a sake, sir, don't have me
shot don't have me shot !"
The captain, utterly disgusted with
him, sent him under escort to division
headquarter for trial by court-martial,
charged with desertion under Are.
They shoot deserters in France.
During hla trial, Lloyd sat as one
dazed, and could put nothing forward
In his defense, only an occasional
"Don't have me shot I"
Hit sentence was passed: "To be
ehot at 8 :B8 o'clock In the morning of
May 18, 1010." This meant that he
had only one more day to live.
He did not realize the awfulness of
his sentence; his brain seemed para
lysed. He knew nothing of his trip,
under guard, In a motor lorry to the
sandbagged guardroom In the village,
where he was dumped on the floor and
left whtla a icntry with a fixed bayo
net paced up and down la front of the
entrance, .
Bully beef, water and biscuits were
left beside hltn for his supper.
The sentry, seeing that he ate noth
ing, came inside and shook hltn by the
shoulder, saying in a kind voice:
"Cheero, laddie, better eat some
thing. You'll feel better. Don't give
up hope. TWll be pardoned before
morning. I know the way they ruu
these things. They're only trying to
scare you, that's all. Com now, that's
good lad, eat something. It'll make
the world look different to you."
The good-hearted sentry knew he
was lying about the pardon. He knew
nothing short of a miracle could save
tb poor lad.
Lloyd listened eagerly to his sentry'
words, and believed them. A look of
hop cam Into his eyes, and be raven
ously at the meal beside him.
In about an hour's time, the chap
lain cam to see him, but Lloyd would
hav none of him. lie wanted no par
son ; he waa to be pardoned.
Tb artillery behind the lines ami
tool pAd up with vryihlnj they
THE
Copjiigbt 1917, by Arthur Guj Kmpj
had. An Intense bombardment of the
enemy's lines hud commenced. The
roar of the guns was deafening.
Lloyd's fears came back with a rush,
and lie cowered on the earthen floor
with Ills hands over his face.
The sentry, seeing his position, came
In and tried to cheer him by talking to
lilm :
"Never mind them guns, boy, they
won't hurt you. They are ours. We
are giving the Boches a dose of their
own medicine. Our boys are going over
the top at dawn of the morning to tnke
their trenches, We'll give 'em a tuste
of cold steel with their sausages and
beer. You Just sit tight now until they
relieve you. I'll have to go now, lad,
ns It's nearly tlmo for my relief, and I
don't want tlien'i- to see me a-talkln'
with you. So long, luddle, cheero."
With this, the sentry resumed the
pacing of his post. In about ten min
utes' time he was relieved, and a D
company man took his place.
Looking Into the guurdhouse, the
sentry notic ed the cowering attitude of
Lloyd, and, with a sneer, said to him :
"Instead of whimpering in that cor
ner, you ought to be Buying your pray
ers. It's bally conscripts like you
what's spollln' our record. We've been
out here nigh onto eighteen months,
and you're the first mnn to desert his
post. The whole battalion Is laughln'
nnd pokln' fun at D company, bad
luck to you I but you won't get another
chnnce to disgrace us. They'll put
your lights out in the mornln'."
After listening to this tirade, Lloyd,
In n faltering voice, asked: "They are
not going to shoot me, are they? Why,
Hi Betrayed His Country.
the other sentry said they'd pardon
me. For God's sake don't tell me I'm
to be shot " and his voice died away In
a sob.
"Of course, they're going to shoot
you. The other sentry was Jest a-kld-din'
you. Jest like old Smith. Always
n-trjln' to cheer some oue. You ain't
got no more chnnce o' beln' pardoned
than I have of gettln' to be colonel of
my 'batt' "
When the fuct that all hop was
gone finally entered Lloyd' brain, a
calm seemed to settle over him, aud
rising to his knees, with hla arms
stretched out to heaven, ha prayed, and
all of bis soul entered Into the prayer.
"O, good and merciful God, glv me
strength to die like a man! Deliver
tne from this coward's death. Olv me
a chance to die like my mate In the
fighting line, to die fighting for my
country. I ask this of thee."
A pence, hitherto unknown, cam to
lilm, and lie rioin linl nVd cowered no
more, but cuiiulj waited the dawn,
reaily to go to his death. Th thlli
It k'C j 1
&; .
T
OP
were bursting all around the guard
room, but be hardly noticed them.
While waiting there, the voice of the
sentry, singing in a low tone, came to
mm. ni was singing ine rnorus ot tne
popular trench ditty :
I want to go home, I want to to home.
I don't want to go to the trenohei no
mora.
Where the "whliibangi" and "tauiagea"
roar galore.
Take me over the lea, where the Allemand
can't get at me.
Oh, my, I don't want to dtel I want to go
home.
Lloyd listened to the words with a
strange Interest, and wondered what
kind of a home he would go to across
the Great Divide. It would b the only
home he had ever known.
Suddenly there came a great rushing
through the air, a blinding, a deafen
ing report, and the sandbag walls of
the guardroom toppled over, and then
blackness.
When Lloyd recovered conscious
ness, he was lying on his right side,
facing what used to be the entrance of
the guardroom. Now, It was only a
Jumble of rent nnd torn sandbags. His
head seemed bursting. He slowly rose
on his elbow, and there In the east the
dawn was breaking. But what was
that mangled shape lying over there
among the sandbags? Slowly dragging
himself to It, he saw the body of the
sentry. One look was enough to know
that he was dead. The soldier's head
was missing. The sentry had had his
wish gratified. He had "gone home."
He wns safe at last from the "whizz
bangs" and the Allemnnd.
Like a flash It came to Lloyd that he
was free. Free to go "over the top'.'
with his company. Free to die like a
true Briton fighting for his king and
country. A great gladness and warmth
came over him. Carefully stepping
over the body of the sentry, he started
on a mad race down the ruined street
of the village, amid the bursting shells,
minding them not, dodging through or
around hurrying platoons on their way
to nlso go "over the top." Coining to
a communication trench he could not
get through. It was blocked with laugh
ing, cheering and cursing soldiers.
Climbing out of the trench, he ran
wildly along the top, never heeding the
rain of machine-gun bullets and shells,
not even hearing the shouts of the of
ficers, telling him to get back Into the
trench. He was going to Join his com
pany who were In the front line. He
was going to fight with them. He, the
despised coward, had come Into his
own.
While he was racing along, Jumping
over trenches crowded with soldiers, a
ringing cheer broke out all along the
front line, and his heart sank. He
knew he was too late. His company
had gone over. But still he ran madly.
He would catch them. He would die
with them.
Meanwhile his company had gone
"over." They, with the other com
pnnlijs had taken the first and second
German trenches, nnd had pushed
steadily on to the third line. D com
pany, led by their captain, the one who
had sent Lloyd to division headquar
ters for trial, charged with desertion,
had pushed steadily forward until they
found themselves fur In advance of
the rest of the attacking force. "Bomb
ing out" trench after trench, and using
their bayonets, they enme to a German
communication trench, which ended In
a bllndsnp, and then the captain, and
what was left of his men, knew they
were In a trnp. They would not re
tire. D company never retired, and
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 have
some chance If nminunltlon and bombs
could reach them from the rear. Their
supply was exhausted, and the men
realized It would bo a case of dying
as bravely as possible, or making a run
for It. But D company would not
run. It was against their traditions
and principles.
The Germans would have to advance
ncross an open space of three to four
hundred yards before they could get
within bombing distance of the trench,
and then it would be all their own way.
Turning to his company, the captain
said:
"Men, it's a case of going West for
us. We are out of ammunition and
bombs, and the Booties have ui In a
trap. They will bomb us out Our
bayonets are useless here. We will
have to go over am) meet them, and
tt'i a case of thirty to one, so send
every thrust home, nnd die like the
men of D company should. When I
give the word, follow hie, and up and
at them. Give them b 1 Lord, if
we only had a machine gun, we could
wipe them out! Here they come, get
ready, men."
British prepare for the "Big
Push," the forerunner ef the
battle of trie Somme. Read
about It In the next Installment
(.TO HIS ION TINUhUJ.)
Striving After Strength.
W think that w shall win trutk
by striving after strength. Instead of
knowing that we ahull gala strength
Just In the degree that v a
tmt, Phillip Urooka,
WORLD
WEI
OF CURRENT WEEK
Brief Resume Most Important
Daily News Items.
COMPILED FOR YOU
Events of Noted People, Governments
and Pacific Northwest and Other
Things Worth Knowing.
A new Ukrainian ministry has been
formed with M. Lisogub as premier,
says a dispatch from Kiev Wednesday.
With the approval of the emperor,
the Japanese Red Cross has awarded
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt a medal
of honor. :
Three British trawlers, although out
ranged by the- enemy guns, recently
fought four German submarines until
put out of action by the U-boats.
Forty-five thousand railway work
ers in Prussia and Hesse are incapaci
tated with influenza and passenger
traffic is much restricted in conse
quence, according to the Tageblatt, of
Berlin.
An exhaustive inquiry by govern
ment officials into allefeed plots of
German industrial representatives for
the establishment of German trade in
America after the war was started in
New York this week.
A dispatch from Washington to the
New York Sun quotes Fuel Adminis
trator Garfield as saying that produc
tion of coal in re.cord-break.ing quanti
ties has virtually eliminated the pos
sibility of a coal famine this winter.
Lieutenant James Saunders O'Neale,
nephew of Secretary of the Treasury
McAdoo, died on October 2 of wounds
received in action. Before entering
the Plattsburg training camp he was
a sports writer for the New York Trib
une. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt was pre
sented Tuesday with a portion of the
seat of the airplane which his son.
Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, was
killed in while flying in France. The
gift was made by Arthur E. Hunger-
ford, a returned Y. M. C. A. official.
It was announced in the house of
commons Tuesday that since the com
mencement -of the war British troops
have taken 327,416 enemy combatants,
including 264,242 Germans. There are,
It was also stated, 97,000 German com
batant prisoners in the United King
dom 'at present.
The war department does not plan
to call all men within the draft up to
45 years by January 1, Secretary Ba
ker said Wednesday in discussing
press dispatches crediting John R.
Mott, international secretary of the Y.
M. C. A., with saying that he had been
so informed by Mr. Baker.
Eighteen new ships of 98,900 total
deadweight tons were added to the
American fleet during the week end
ing October 25. The deliveries, an
nounced by the Bhlpping board, In
cluded the Victorious, an 11,800-ton
vessel built at Alameda, Cal, and the
Cape May of 10,100 tons, built at Spar
rows Point, Md.
Victor L. Borger, former, congress
man, and three other prominent so
cialists, who were indicted last week
by the federal grand jury on charges
of violating the espionage act, pleaded
not guilty Tuesday when arraigned be
fore Judge F. A. Geiger at Milwau
kee, Wis. Berger was released on
bonds of $10,000 and the others on
bonds of $5000 each.
Restrictions on the manufacture of
furniture, eliminating all new patterns
for the duration of the war and cur
tailing active patterns 50 per cent are
announced by the War Industries
board.
A bill increasing the travel allow
ances of army officers on duty from 7
to 8 cents was sent to congress Thurs
day by the War department with the
explanation that 7 cents a mile is
inadequate.
Sinking of the American cargo
steamship Lake Borgne off the coast
of France without loss of life was an
nounced Thursday by the Navy de
partment The ship foundered after
striking a rock.
Thomas W. Lawson, the Boston fin
ancier and independent candidate for
United States senator, was injured
when his limousine was overturned on
the State road in Northboro, Mass.,
late Wednesday.
The whole of the province of West
ern Flanders and part ot Eastern
Flanders and Halnaut having been re
covered from the Germans, the Bel
gian government has decided to estab
lish Its administrative departments In
Brugea.
U. S. CANNON ARE LARGEST
Mammoth L'jng-Range Guns Pound
Huns in France.
Washington, D. C. Details of the
achievement of the navy department
in making available for use on the
western front of great 16 inch naval
guns, which press dispatches have re
ported to be hammering the German
railway centers back of the Oise-Serre
front, were made public Saturday by
Secretary Daniels."
The naval guns which have been in
operation since September 16, orig
inally were intended for new battle
cruisers but a change in the design
in the vessels left the guns unavail
able for that use. Rear Admiral Earle,
chief of the navy bureau of ordnance,
then recommended that the guns be
sent to the western front and he was
directed to proceed with the design
and construction.
The guns are manned and operated
by officers and men of the United
States navy, under the command of
Rear Admiral Plunkett, ex-director of
the office of gunnery exercises aud
engineering performance. The first
party of officers and men to handle
the guns arrived in France June 9;
the first shipment of material left this
country June 20 and the entire organ
.zation was completed and ready to
move to the battlefront in France late
in August.
The guns are of 50 caliber, 66 feet
long, weigh about 100 tons without
their carriages, and are said to throw
a heavier projectile and have a greater
muzzle velocity than any weapon ever
placed on a mobile land mounting.
The weight of the explosive used with
each projectile is many times greater
than that used in the freak German
long range guns, and in point of their
destructive force they are incompar
able. The organization to man one gun
requires an entire train, including the
gun car itself, ammunition cars, a
crane car, and construction, sand, tim
ber, kitchen, fuel, workshop, berthing
and staff radio cars. Many of the cars
were especially manufactured, and the
locomotives, 83-ton types with four
pairs of drivers. One car is a com
plete machine shop, equipped with
forge, lathes, grinders and drill press.
The gun car as well as the ammuni
tion cars are heavily armored, 1600
square feet of plate being required.
MONOPOLY IN RUSSIAN
MAIDENS IS DECREED
London. Russian maidens under
the jurisdiction of certain provincial
Bolshevik Soviets become the "prop
erty of the state" when they reach
the age of 18 years and are compelled
to register at a government "bureau
of free love," according to the official
Gazette of the Vladimir Soviet of
workers' and soldiers' deputies, which
recently published that Soviet's decree
on the subject.
Under the decree, a woman having
registered, "has the right to choose
from among men between 19 and 50
a cohabitant husband."
The consent of the man chosen is
not necessary, the decree adds, the
man chosen having no right to make
any protest.
A similar privilege of choosing from
among the registered women is given
every man between 19 and 50 "with
out the consent of the woman." This
provision is described as "in the in
terest of the state."
Opportunities for choosing husbands
and wives' are to be presented once
each month, the decree stated. Chil
dren born of such marriages are to be
come the "property of the state."
Stringent rules and penalties are laid
down for the protection of girls under
18. The decree further states that it
has been based on the "excellent" ex
ample of similar decrees already is
sued at Luga, Kolpin and other places.
- A similar "project of provisional
rights in connection with the social
ization of women in the city of Khvel
insk and vicinity" has been published
in the Gazette of the workers' and sol
diers' deputies of that city.
Six-Day Flight Success.
Washington, D. C. Using two army
training airplanes, three aviators have
completed a flight from Houston, Tex.,
to Washington. The aviators left El
lington Field at Houston October 17,
and completed the trip in six days.
The flight, said to be the first be
tween the two points, was undertaken
in part in the Interest of the fourth
liberty loan, the aviators dropping loan
liarature on towns In Missouri, Illi
nois, Indiana and Ohio.
Nut Sheila Need I Great.
New York. The government needs
1,000,000 pounds of nut shells and
fruit stones daily for manufacturing
gas mask charcoal and at present Is
unable to purchase one-third that
amount. This and the failure of the
public to co-operate fully by saving
and sending In this form of waste from
the kitchen have made It necessary
for the chemical warfare headquarters
here to renew It appeal.
GERMANY AWAITS
ARMISTICE TERMS
Solf, in Latest Reply to Wilson,
Says People Rule.
MILITARISTS OUSTED
Note Declares Berlin is Ready for First
Step Toward Peace Versailles
Council is Called.
Copenhagen. Germany's answer to
President Wilson's latest communica
tion says:
,;The German government has taken
cognizance of the answer of the Presi
dent of the United States. The Presi
dent is aware ot the far-reaching
changes which have been carried out
and are being carried out in the Ger
man constitutional structure, and that
peace negotiations are'being conducted
by a people's government in whose
hands rests, .both actually and consti
tutionally, the power to make the de
ciding conclusions.
"The military powers are also sub
ject to it.
"The German government now
awaits proposals for an armistice,
which shall be the first step toward
a just peace, as the President has de
scribed it in his proclamation.
(Signed) "SOLF."
Washington, D. C The unofficial
text of Germany's reply to President
Wilson was received Sunday night too
late to be seen by President Wilson
and other officials.
The question of an armistice and
peace is already being considered by
the allied governments and the United
States. It will be discussed at a meet
ing of the supreme war council at Ver
sailles, France.
The Cerman reply is expected to
clear the way for a general discussion
of the individual views of the entente
powers on peace terms and an agree
ment among the nations fighting Ger
many so that a united front on these
questions may be presented to the
common enemy. A London dispatch
announced that Premier Lloyd George
and Foreign Secretary Balfour had
gone to Paris with military and naval
advisers, indicating that the confer
ences between the representatives of
the allied powers and the United
States soon were to begin.
Germany's reply does not change the
diplomatic situation. Those in the
confidence of President Wilson have
said that his dealings with the Ger
man government ended with his note
Informing it that the request for an
armistice and peace had been trans
mitted to the allies and that further
action rested with those governments.
The German reply may or may not
prove that Germany will accept such
terms of an armistice as may be pre
sented. LUDEND0RFF QUITS;
KAISER ACCEPTS
Copenhagen. General Ludendorff,
first quartermaster-general of the Ger
man army, has resigned, says a tele
gram from Berlin. In accepting his
resignation, the emperor has decreed
that the lower Rheinish infantry regi
ment, No. 39, of which General Luden
dorff long had been commander, shall
bear his name.
London Official announcement was
made in Berlin Saturday night that
Emperor William had acceded to the
request of General Ludendorff, the
first quartermaster-general, that he be
permitted to resign.
Fighting Ceases In China.
Washington, D. C Cable advices
Sunday from Pekin said the policy of
reconciliation of the new president of
China, Hsu Shlh Chang, has already
met with considerable success. Hos
tilities have ceased and the leaders of
the southwestern provinces who have
been opposing the central government
at Pekin have sent delegates to confer
with the new president The progress
of the conference,, it is said, has been
satisfactory.
Austria's Reply la Ready.
Basel, Switzerland. Austria's re
Joinder to President Wilson's note la
ready, according to Vienna papers. It
was submitted to authorized quarters
Sunday, and will be sent at once to
Washington. It la couched in the most
conciliatory term.