Eagle Valley news., June 13, 1918, Image 2

"SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE"
GUNS
Synopsis. Fired by the sinking oC the Lusltnnln, with tho loss of
American lives, Arthur Guy Empey, nn American living In Jersey City,
goes to England and enlists as n private In tho British army.
CHAPTER II.
2
Blighty to Rest Billets.
The next morning the captain sent
for me and Informed me: "Empey, as
a recruiting sergeant you are n 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 say, "Next, No. D217, '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 lm 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 n 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
this shirt a woolen belly band about
Fix 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 canvas straps like suspenders,
called "D" straps, fastened to the belt
In front, passing over each shoulder,
crossing In the middle of my back, and
attached by buckles to the rear of the
belt. On the right side of the belt
hung n 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 was a combination pick and
snade. 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
strops over the shoulders; suspended
on the bottom of 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 pack, with n 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 n can-opener attachment.
The pack contained my overcoat, an
. extra pair of socks, change of under
wear, hold all (containing knife, fork,
spoon, comb, toothbrush, lather brush,
shaving soap, 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 you
could have a "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
o box of dubbin, n writing pad, indel
ible pencil, envelopes, nnd pay book,
and personal belongings, such oh a
email mirror, a decent razor and a
nhcaf of unanswered letters, and fags.
Tn your haversack you carry your Iron
rations, menulng n tin of bully beef,
four biscuits and n can containing tea,
(Ml II If
MAMBM SOLDER
WHO VENT
MllOIKiWim
MACHINE GUNNERERYIHGIH FRANCE
Cpl7 OY
a
EMPEY FIRST HEARS THE BIG
BOOMING.
sugar and Oxo cubes; n couple of
pipes nnd a pack of shag, n tin of rifle
oil, and n pull-through. Tommy gen
erally carries the oil with his rations;
It gives tho cheese a sort of sordino
taste.
Add to this n ftrst-ald pouch and a
long, ungainly rltle patterned nfter tho
Daniel Boone period, and you have an
Idea of a British soldier In Blighty.
Before leaving for France, this rifle
Is taken from him nnd he Is Issued
with a Lce-Enfleld short trench rlllo
and n ration bag.
In Franco he receives two gas hel
mets, a sheepskin coat, rubber mack
intosh, steel helmet, two blankets, tear
shell goggles, a balaclava helmet,
gloves and a tin of autlfrostbltc grease
which Is excellent for greasing tho
boots. Add to this the weight of his
rations, nnd can you blame Tommy for
growling at a twenty-kilo route march)
Ilavlng served as sergeant major In
tho 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 n greasy dish of stew was
accidentally spilled over them.
I would sooner fight than be n 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 wns very brief. lie
asked our names and numbers and
The Author's Identification Disk.
said "Fit," and wo went out to fight.
We were put Into troop trains and
sent to Southampton, where wo de
trained, nnd had our trench rifles Is
sued to us. Then In columns of twos
we went up tho gangplank of n little
steamer lying alongside tho dock.
At the head of the gangplank there
was an old sergeant, who directed that
wo line ourselves along both rails of
the ship. Then ho ordered us to take
life belts from tho 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 llfo
belt I had a sensation of sickness.
After we got out Into the stream all
I could think of wns that thero wero a
million German submarines with a tor
pedo on each, across tho warhead. of
which was Inscribed ray name nnd ad
dress. After five hours wo carao alongside
a pier and disembarked. I hod at
tained another one of my nmbltlons.
I was "somewhere In France." We
slept In tho open that night on tho side
of tho road. About six tho next morn
ing wo wero ordered to entrain. I
looked around for the passenger
wmm
mm
conches, but all I could see on tho Mil
Ing were cattle cars. Wo climbed Into
these. On tho side of- ench car wns
n sign reading "Homines -10, Chovenu
8." When wo got Inside of tho cars,
wo thought thnt perhaps tho sign
pnlnter hnd reversed tho order of
things. After -IS hours In these trucks
we detrained nt llouen. At this plnco
wo went through nn Intensive training
for ten days.
Tho training consisted of tho null
inents of trench wnrfnre. Trenches
hnd been dug, with barbed wire en
tnnglciuents, bombing saps, dugouts,
observation posts and mnchlno gun cm
placements. Wo were given a smnt
terlng of trench cooking, sanitation
bomb throwing, reconnoltcrlng, listen
Ing posts, constructing nnd repairing
barbed wire, "carrying In" parties,
methods used In nttnek nnd defense,
wiring parties, mnss formntlon, nnd
tho procedure for poison-gas attacks.
On the tenth day wo ngnln mot our
friends "Homines 40. Chcvenux 8.
Thirty-six hours more of misery, nud
yo arrived nt the town of F .
After unloading our rations nnd
equipment, we lined up on tho rond In
columns of fours wnltlng for tho order
to mnrch.
A dull rumbling could bo heard. The
sun wns shining. I turned tn tho mnn
on my left nud asked. "What's tho
M nolsp. ltllir lie did not know, but hi
fnco was of a pen-green color. Jim
on my right, nlso did not know, but
suggested that I "awsk" tho sergeant
Coming towards us was an old grU
zled sergeant, properly fed up with
tho war, so I "awaked" him.
"Think It's going to rain, sergeant!
He looked at me In contempt, nnd
grunted, " 'Ow's It n-goln' tor rain with
tho bloomln' sun n-shlnln'I" I looked
guilty.
"Them's the guns up tho line, mo
lad, nnd you'll get enough of 'cm be
fore you gets back to Blighty."
My knees seemed to wilt, nnd
squeaked out a weak "Oh 1"
Then we started our march up to the
lino 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 nnd on tho
eighth day of tho week he Is given
twenty-four hours "on his own."
Our billet was a spacious affair, a
targe barn on the left side of tho road,
which had one hundred entrances,
ninety-nine for shells, rnts, wind nnd
rain, nnd the hundredth one for Tom
my. I wns tired out, and using my
shrnpnol-proof helmet (shrapnel proof
until a piece of shrapnel hits It), or
tin hat, for a pillow, lay down In tho
strnw, and was soon fnst asleep. I
must have slept about two hours, when
I nwoko with a prickling sensation nil
over me. As I thought, tno strnw had
worked through my uniform. I woko
up the fellow lying on my left, who had
been up tho line before, and nuked
him ;
' "Does the straw bother you, mate?
It's worked through my uniform and I
can't sleep."
I In a sleepy voice ho answered,
"That ain't straw, thems cooties."
I From thnt time on my friends tho
I "cooties" were constantly with me.
"Cooties," or body lice, are the bane
of Tommy's existence.
I inc uriNiucrucy in uiu iii-iiv.ui: very
seldom call them "cooties," they speak
of them as fleas.
To an American flea means n small
Insect armed with a bayonet, who Is
wont to Jab It Into you nnd then hop
skip and Jump to tho 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 tho fcl
low next to you; he has the typical
energy nnd push of tho American,
whllo the "cootie" has the bulldog
tenacity of the Englishman; he holds
on nnd 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, nnd thnt Is not very often,
or how many times you rhungo your
underwear, your friends the "cooties"
are always In evidence. The billets nro
Infested with them, cspeclnlly so If
thero Is straw on the floor.
I have taken a bath and put on
brand-new underwear; In fact, n com
plete change of uniform, nnd then
turned tn for tho night. Tho next morn
ing my shirt would be full of them. It
Is n common sight to seo eight or ten
soldiers sitting under n tree with their
shirts over their knees engaging In a
"shirt hunt."
At night about half an hour heforo
"lights out," you can see the Tommies
grouped around n candle, trying, In Its
dim light, to rid their underwear of
the vermin. A popular and very quick
method Is to tako your shirt and draw
ers, and run the seams back and for
ward In the flame from a cnndlo and
burn them out. This practice Is dan
gerous, because you nro liable to burn
holes In tho garments If you nro not
careful.
Itccrults generally sent to Blighty
for n brand of .Insect powder adver
tised ns "Good for body llco." Tho ad
vertisement Is qulto right; tho powder
Is good for "cooties;" they simply
thrive on It.
Tho older men of our battalion wero
wiser and mado scrntchers out of
wood. These wero rubbed smooth with
n bit of stono or snntl to prevent splln
lets. They were about eighteen Inches
long, nnd Tommy guarantees thnt n
semtcher of thin length will rench
nny part of the body which inny bo nt
incked. Somo of tho fellows wero Iniy
nnd only mndo their scratches twelve
Inches, hut many n night when on
guard, looking over tho top from tho
Ilro step of tho front-lluo trench, they
would hnvo given a thousand "quid"
for tho other six Inches,
Once whllo wo wero In rest billots an
Irish Hussar regiment camped In nn
open field opposlto our billot. After
they hnd picketed and fed their horses,
n general shirt hunt took place. Tho
troopers Ignored tho call "Dinner up,"
and kept on with their search for big
game. They had n curious method of
procedure. They hung their shirts over
a hedge nnd beat them with their en
trenching tool hnndles.
I nsked ono of them why they didn't
pick them off by hnnd, and ho an
swered, "We haven't had a bnth for
nlno weeks or n chnngo of clabber. If
I tried to pick tho 'cooties' off my shirt,
I would bo hero for duration of war."
After taking n close look at his shirt, I
agreed with him ; It was nllve.
In the next Installment Ser
geant Empey tell of the realiza
tion of his ambition his ar
rival In a first line trench and
of how he wished he were back
In Jersey City.
(TO II i: CONTINUED.)
PLENTY OF STORAGE PLACES
Woman Who Has Made Home Into a
Veritable "House of a Thou,
sand Closets."
Ono Utile woman living not for from
New York, says Harriet Klsson Gilles
pie In tho Mother's Magazine, has been
able by tho expenditure of a moderate
sum of money to transform an Imprac
ticable closctlcsi dwelling Into one In
which housekeeping 1s not only a
pleusure. but whero tho problem of
storing away clothing has been satis
factorily solved.
Among her friends It Is known as
"tho house of a thousand closets,'
which Is ncnrly If not literally true.
Every little cubby hole below tho
shingles has been utilized for closet
space. Thero nro bunks of closets on
both the second and attic floors, to siiy
nothing of a cedar closet with sun and
air and electric light, for tho recep
tion of tho owners choicest posses
slons. Some of tho closets nro ccdnr
lined, others shenthed with mntched
boards of North Carolina pine, tyull
shellncked to keep out thu moths nnd
frequently sprayed with a liquid In
which oil of cedar plays n part.
A printed list of every article con
tatned In tho drawers nnd cupboards Is
tacked In plain sight In order thnt tho
frantic search for Inanimate things
that seem suddenly to huvo taken
wings and flown away, may bu entirely
obviated.
New Southern Industry.
Tho advantages of New Orleans ns a
port were emphasized In tho opening
of a canning factory for tho dlstrlbu
tlon of real green-sen turtles. With the
exception of u small factory at ICey
West, It will ho the only establishment
of Its kind In America. Tho factory has
been situated at Miami, Flu., hut tho
excessive freight rates and a lack of
steamer service to Central American
ports led to Its removal to Buy St.
Louis. It will handle nothing but green
sea turtles caught Iti Central American
wntcrs, and these wilt ho put up In
four different forms clear green turtlo
soup, thick green turtlo soup, turtlo
beef In Creole style, and "calllpee,"
which Is the meat of tho turtlo taken
from tho breast, back and flippers. The
factory will turn out about lfi.000 enns
a day, or a total of 700,000 pounds n
ear, Including all products. Thero Is
also a by-product called turtlo oil,
used medicinally. Fishing Gazette.
Japanese "8teel Queen" Retires.
Mrs. 'Jerulto hokninurn of Osaka,
popularly known as "Tho Steel
Queen," has announced her retirement
from business. She Intends to travel
about tho empire giving freo film
shows for (ho better education of tho
masses. She Is making olaborato prep
arations to instruct tho uneducated
about tho peoples of other nations of
tho world. Her views of American
cities arc especially extensive and well
selected. Her efforts will bo concen
trated on tho factory towns, whero
much Ignorance exists. Mrs. Nakamu-
ra Is thirty-four years old and has
been a widow for eight years. Her
husband died deeply In debt, but sho
undertook tho management of his steel
mills and has not only paid off all
debts but Is herself rated many tlmoo
millionaire. Sho converted tho con
cern Into n stock company beforo hor
retirement.
Her Coming Out, as It Were,
Woo Mary was In tho room when
tho telephono rung and her sister Eliz
abeth, aged eleven, was being Invited
to go skntlng. Mary In great excite
ment ran to her mother, saying!
What you think, innmmn, Elizabeth
lias her first attempt with a boy I"
m
11 d VJsC
TO RAISE INCUBATOR CHICKS
How to Induce Old Hen to Take Placo
of Artificial Brooder Transfer
at Night.
(Prepared by tho United HIM Oopnr(
Meat of Aurlcnlturo.)
Hens nro often used to rnlNo Incu-bntor-hntchod
chicks nud to tnka tho
plnco of tho nrttlkiul brooder, a prac
tice thnt In In operation on many poul
try farms. A few eggs nro put under
tho hen four or live days before tho
lucuhntor U to hutch. In tho evening
following tho hatch rir tho lucuhntor,
after tho chickens aro thoroughly dry,
ono or two nro put under tho hen, ami
If she Is found to mother them proper
ly, tho next evening ns many more nro
added ns she can brood or varo for
properly. Hens will successfully
brood 10 to 10 chickens early In tlm
breeding season, and 18 to 23 In wnrm
wonther, depending upon tho sUo or
tho hen. This method of handling
chickens doeH nwny with the artificial
brooder, nnd where one has only n
small number of chickens to raise It Is
a very easy manner In which to handle
them, and also a good method when
tt Is desired to raise separately special
lots of chicks. It should bo borne In
mind. In adding chickens to a hen
which already has some to brood, thnt
It Is best to add those of the sumo
color and ngo as tho ones alrendy with
her, ns tho hen will often pick tho In
ter arrivals if they nro of a color dif
ferent from tho ones she Is alrendy
brooding,
COOPS FOR HENS AND CHICKS
Loss Is Large Where Unrestricted
Ranoe Is Allowed Ouard
Against Cats nnd Rats.
(I'rrpured by tho Unlto.t Htntfs Depart
ment of AKrtoulturit )
If tho mother lien Is allowed to
range unrestricted with her chirks
she frequently tnkes her brood
through wet grass and as a result
somo nro chilled nnd die cspeclnlly
the weaker ones which nre likely to
ho left behind. Where this cnreless
system of management Is practiced
the loss of young chicks Is large.
When a coop Is provided for the hen
such losses nro largely prevented.
Any style of coop which Is dry.
ventilated nud can If cJtisi-d nt night
to protect the brood against cats, rnts
nnd other such animals nnd which
while confining the hen will allow tho
chicks to pass In and out freely after
they aro a few days old, will be sat
isfactory. The hen should be con
fined until the chicks are weaned,
though a small yard may he attached
to tho coop, If desired, to allow tho
hen to exercise. The fence can bo
raised from the ground far enough to
allow the chicks to go In or out, but
Coops Used on Government Poultry
Farm.
not high enough for tho hen to es
cape. By using a coop the chicks can
find shelter and warmth under tho
hen at any time, nud the weaklings
after a few days may develop Into
strong, healthy chicks.
The brood coop should bo cleaned
at least once a week ami kept freo
from mites. If miles nro found In
tho coop, It should bo thoroughly
denned and sprayed with kerosene oil
or crude petroleum. From 1 to 2
Inches of sand or dry dirt or a thin
layer of straw or lino hay should ho
spread on the floor of tho coop.
Brood coops should ho moved weekly
to fresh ground, preferably whero
there Is now grass. Shndo Is very es
sential In rearing chickens, especially
during wnrm weather; therefore, tho
coops should bo placed In tho shado
whenever possible. A cornfield makes
flno range for young chickens, ns ow
ing to cultivation of the ground, they
get many bugs and worms nnd hnvo
fresh soli to run on most of tho time
and enjoy abundant shade.
MANY ERRORS OF BEGINNERS
Difficult Problems Will Be Presented
Before 8uccess In Any Large
Degree Is Attained.
(Prepared by tho United Btntos Dopart-
mom or. Agriculture)
Beulnners In tho noultrv InislnoRu
will nrobahlv malto niniiv mlslnkou uml
dlfllcult problems will ho presented for
solution neroro siicccsh in any largo
measure will bo attained. As soon mm
It, Is found to ho a paying Investment,
more capital nmy bo put lulu tho plant.