GOOD ROADS, GOOD HOMES, BEST CHEESE C loverdale VOL. 13. The Nestucca Valley First, Last and all the Time. CLOVERDALE, TILLAMOOK COUNTY, OREOON, N0 V EM 3 E R 1,11917 s M Y s FOURTEEN M onths THE-FRONT \\ A T A n American B o y ’« Baptism o f Fire By WILLIAM J. ROBINSON Copyright, Little, Brown & Co. W ILLIA M J ROBINSON The most graphic account of tho great war that has yet been written comes from the pen of a twenty-two- year-old Boston boy, who has iust re­ turned from France, where as dragoon guardsman, dispatch rider and motor­ car driver he served fourteen months under the British flag. Out of thirty- one motorcycle d'spatch rider» he waa one of four suivivoia, 0-------------------------------------------- 0 C H APTE R I. Sent to the Front. X A C T L Y one week from a certain day tv Lieu I landed in England r r i o r to my arrival in Eng­ from the United States I was land the idea\of participating in notified that my job was gone, as the the great tear hud never entered company that I represented was in my head. I went abroad on busi­ the hands o f receivers. ness, and 1 expected to return I was disappointed, o f course, trot to this country as soon as my tried to look ut the thing philosophical­ Mark was compu ted. It seemed, ly and to make the best o f it. 1 bought though, that fute decreed other­ my ticket for home, but as the boat wise. I had been i/i England a on which 1 intended sailing did not good many times before, and in leave for several days I proceeded to France and Belgium, too, for enjoy the remainder of my stay in that matter. My father was a England. sea captain, and I was bom Things were certainly moving at that aboard his ship. In fact, I lived time. Very soon I was as enthusiastic | as any o f them, and in. London I made the first six years of my life on inquiries a9 to whether I could J o I d shipboard. This last trip across the army. the Atlantic made the twenty- I was toid that I wouVI have no d if­ third time for rnr, so I teas quite ficulty at all. but on second thought I at home in the British isles. Al­ decide 1 to let we/D enough alone. The most before I knew it I had tak­ day before 1 was to sail from Liver­ en the step that was responsible pool I hesitr.ted again and talked it for the most terrible yht won­ over with an army officer. H e was so derful experience that ever came nice about explaining everything to me to me. that I decided that 1 might do lota of In telling my story I hare tried worse things than to see a little of to take the important events and the biggest scrap the world had ever sc.t them down in chronological known. order. I have endeavored alio That night. I thought about rhe mut­ to link them together so as to ter some more und esirne to the conclu­ jnake it possible for the reader sion that if they would take toe into to follow me thnr.igli the princi­ a cavalry regiment J would Imre a pal happenings during my time try at It. Th/- next ¡morning i enlisted of service. Many of the more and was ma*le a trooper in the Fifth sordid details of this great war Dragoon guards. T in t same afternoon I have been obliged to hare out. I was on my way no Alderahot, but I have dwelt neither on the hor­ had I known w hat I was going to go rors of war nor yet on the glory, through L don't think l would have but I have hied to picture the been so light hearted ius I was. In the daily routine - of the fighting evening I was fitted oirt with my en­ mun's life as it really is. tire kit and informed that from now on I was a soldier. 1 was unsigned to a bed In tfcw bar­ - - - - - - - - T- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - S i t Taylor, at tho Courier office for racks, and from that time my trou­ bles commenced, I was in v.dth a File Insurance. PREFACE. E Teach Your Boy the Balue of a Bank Account . T A R T vour boy oil right in the battle o f life. Deposit something to his credit in the bank. I f he is working for a salary, ask him to place something aside weekly. If be is in business, show him the importance o f keeping a goodlv balance in bank. There’s no telling when ad opportunity may present itself whereby a little ready cash may be the foun­ dation of a fortune. We do all kinds of banking. S' NESTUCCA VALLEY BANK Cloverdale, Oregon. ♦ NO. 14 crowd of old soldiers, rneu who had served from two to twenty years In the army, and, while they were very decent chaps, they seemed to resent the fact that a "eivie" had been pushed in ou them. 1 was at onco christened A widow in speaking o( her late husband said: “ He was always a good '"Yank,” and 1 believe they found a provider." In tho mind of ties bereave 1 woman, this was a high tribute to few other things to call me too. iter husband's dim actor. It is often true that flic best husband is the one The next morning at f> o'clock the sergeant came around and dug me out. who saves a part of his income for the future. By this plan lie is able to He took me down to the stuldes and provide all nece-i ities mul many of the luxuries; but constantly accumulate put me in w Itb a bunch o f rookies who money and property that will safeguard his family against want when he is weren’t any happier thnn l was. \Ve were then Instructed in the gentle nrt unable to work or after W s death. of grooming n horse. I couldn't seem to do anything right, and they didn't 4 Per Cent Paid on Savings and Tim e Deposits. Best Banking Facil­ hesitate to tel! me so either. ities in Town. Then we were marched down to a breakfast of bread, bacon end tea. but we had ns much ns we wanted. I felt a w hole lot better after eating. Hreak- Established in 15 02 fast over, we had room inspection, and as soon as that was over we w ho wera Tillamook, Oregon rookies were marched down to the rid- ■ ing school and handed over to the ty­ rant who ruled there. | I had expected to find horses all sad Is bound to bear o f It from Hie men of | died, and it certainly Quite a shock i Well, I didn't know whethci I'd haw other units, mid if any derogatory re­ to learn that we got our saddles only l tlie* nerve to do it or not, blit tilt’ mop* marks are passed he feels himself boil. when we hnd earned them. In other I I thought about it the more I thought • >r bound to fight the one who Is re­ I he might lie right. I hadn't passed words, we had to pass the bareback ' through the door to the barracks lie sponsible for the retnartc. I f you should chance to ask a Royal test before we even felt a saddle. fore the kidding started again, and 1 Horse artilleryman what regiment ho There were no long explanations as to knew what would follow. belonged to he would immediately how a thing should be done. We were So I screwed up all the courage I told once uud in as few words as pos­ hnd, and, seeing n big chap who was straighten tip and answer you some­ what after this fashion: sible. ~ Then we had to do it. making a lot of talk, 1 swung as hard “ I belong to the Jtoyal Horse artil­ A fter we had mastered the art of us I could anil let him have It. 1 vaulting on a horse's back we got the wou't say anything about wbnt hap­ lery, the extreme right of the line "walk march,” then the “ trot march.” pened to me, but the next afternoon l and the pride of the British array." Then we hnd to drop the reins and ride found I'd beer, unlucky, as usual. The Then he would go on to tell when with folded arms, and so it went until man I had picked was a heavyweight his regiment was formed, what it had 12 o'clock, when we got an hour's rest. champion o f the British army in South accomplished, how ninny honors It has, It was the same thing in the after­ Africa during the Boer war! Things how many Victoria crosses *the men be­ longing to it have won, how many tl- noon. were much better after that, though, A ll one could hear was the rid­ and I made some mighty good friends tlcd officers belong to it, und so on, al­ most indefinitely. ing master singing his commands: among tbor* fellows. Nearly all tlie regiments have nick­ ''Walk, march. Trot, march! H alt!” At first it amused me greatly to hoar names, and these names ure very pop­ And every once In awhile he’d yell: the men talk about the rt intents they "Hollow your backs! Hollow your belonged to, but latoF 1 came to under­ ular. The ltoy a I Scots claim to lie tho backs! You’re not driving a cab now. stand that their regiments meant more oldest regiment lu the British anu.v, ho they are popularly known as “ Pon­ That’s a horse you're on. He's got a to them than anything e! e. In peace tius Pilate's bodyguard." The tSIoucea- tint“ when a mail Joins the army lie 1-, ter regiment is tile only one in the ibllged to learn the h. .¡,.iy of the rc;:l British army entitled to wear cap merit he Joins from the day It was badges in tho back as well as in the formed to the present day Tr- dill* :i front, and the reason this privilege has plays a great part to the life of a reg been granted them Is that in some pre- ular so.dter, mill If the e is a delicate spot In the history of h.s regiment he Continaed on last page. ($ (Boob (protnber for (0e jE)ome T I L L A M O O K COUNTY B A N K T H R E E GOOD ONES 287 Acres («ood house, two burns and other buildings. 15 bead cat­ tle« J) horses. Plenty of Feed to winter stock. Price, $6.500 Full uarticulars at this office, I W a» Christened “ Yank," «nd They Found Other Thing* to CeM Mo. head and tall and legs and everything. Why, I wouldn't trust yflii blighters to drives my duck to water. There Isn’t one o f you who could ride a table,” etc. W e were dismissed at 4.30 and told that this was our routine for ev­ ery day until we bad passed out and earned our saddles. I don't think I was ever so tired in my life ss I was that night, and I de­ cided to turn In right after supper. That shows how much I knew about a barrack room. After supper all those who couldn't get pci-mission to go out eeemed to blame it on me. for I was battered around until they were tired o f it, and when I finally got into my bed I was In a pretty bad way. I soon found out that It w as futile to try to get even. Such an attempt only made matters worse, and the only thing to do seemed to la* to gTin ar.d bear it. The next morning we went down to riding school again and bad the same
t that In the afternoon they turned us around so that our backs were toward the bodies' beads and made os ride that way tbe rest o f the ftny. As I w a« crossing the parade ground In tbe evening a fellow who was In my room asked me how I felt. I tol l him in two words. # ‘ Well,” be said. " If you want to be let alone you do as I tell you. Tonight when you go Into the room pick out the biggest man you