I"Over the Top" By An American Soldier Who Went ARTHUR COY EMPEY Machine Gunner Serving In Franc fPf.7 CHAPTER XXI. jjjj About Turn. Hie next evening we were relieved by the ?th brigade, and once again returned to rest billets. Upon arriving at these billets we were given twentyfour hours In which to clean up. I had Just finished getting the mud from my uniform when the orderly sergeant Informed me that my name was in orders ^o leave, and that I was to report to the orderly room In the morning for orBers, transportation and rations. i nearly had a fit, hustled about packing up, filling my pack with sourenirs such as shell heads, *dud bombs, lose caps, shrapnel balls, and a Prus-. ban guardsman's helmet In fact before I turned in that night I had every Mng ready to report at the orderly loom at nine the next mornlne. fs the envy of the whole section, ng around, telling of the good was going to have, the places I visit, and the real, old English intended to guzzle. Sort of it into them, because they all md now that it was my turn, I ilns to get my own back. Ine I reported to the captain, remy travel order and pass. He me how. much money I wanted w. I glibly answered, "Three d francs, sirhe just as glibly me one hundred. rting at brigade headquarters, y pack weighing a ton, I waited, >rty others, for the adjutant to us. After an hour's wait, he ut; must have been sore because n't going with us. quartermaster sergeant issued days' rations, In a little white ration bag, which we tied to ts. " two motor lorries came along > piled in, laughing, joking, and I he best of spirits. We even loved Germans, we were feeling so happy. journey to seven days' bliss in ity had commenced. he ride in the lorry lasted about hours; by this time we were covl with fine, white dust from the I, but didn't mind, even if we were rly choking. t the railroad station at F we >rted to an officer, who had a white d around his arm, which read "R. (Royal Transportation Officer), us this officer was Santa Claus. he sergeant in charge showed him orders; he glanced through them said: "Make yourselves comfortl on the platform and don't leave; train is liable to be along in five ptes?or five hours." I came in five hours, a string pf len match boxes on big, high lels, drawn by a dinky little engine I the "con." These match boxes I cattle cars, on the sides of which I painted the old familiar sign, Inmes 40, Chevaux 8." le R. T. O. stuck us all into one I We didn't care; it was as good I Pullman to us. |o days we spent on that train, I ting, stopping, jerking ahead, and times sliding back. At three stawe stopped long enough to make tea, but were unable to wash, so we arrived at B , where we to embark for Blighty, we were ack as Tureos and, with our unsn faces, we looked like a lot of ps. Though tired out, we were 1 had packed up, preparatory to Ining, when a R. T. O. held up his for us to stop where we were pme over. This is what he said: b, I'm sorry, but orders have just [received cancelling all leave. If lad been three hours earlier you | have gotten away. Just stay In pain, as it is going back. Rations le issued to you for your return py to your respective stations, ly rotten, I know." Then he left, lead silence resulted. Then men Id to curse, threw their rifles on lor of the car; others said nothlemed to be stupefied, while some |he tears running down their m. It was a bitter disappointment I' we Dimaeu hi me eugmeer ui aln; it was all his fault (so we ed); why hadn't he speeded up a >r been on time, then we would gotten oft before the order arNow it was no Blighty for us.< ; return Journey was misery toj Tmt cant deacdtedt AMOIOW sotwm 10 WENT * * ffllMJYMY fflNriER,?filflfRANCE?? ?1917 err MTHURWUVCY When we got back to rest billets, found that our brigade was In the trenches (another agreeable surprise) and that an attack was contemplated. Seventeen of the forty-one will never get another chance to go on leave; they were killed In the attack. Just . i ' Dead Bodies Everywhere. think if that train had been on time, ' those seventeen would still be alive. I hate to tell you how I was kidded ! by the boys when I got back, but it was : good and plenty. 1 Our machine gun company took over j their part of the line at seven o'clock, J the night after I returned from my ; ear leave. At 3:80 the following morning three j waves went over and captured the first and second German trenches. The j machine gunners went over with the | fourth wave to consolidate the cap- i tured line or "dig In," as Tommy calls it Crossing No Man's Land without i clicking any casualties, we came to . | the German trench and mounted our \ 1 cmna nn tho nnrflrinq nf RATTM*. I never saw such a mess in my life ' ?bunches of twisted barbed wire lying abotit, shell holes everywhere, trench all bashed In, parapets gone, and dead bodies, why, that ditch was full of them, theirs and ours. .It was a regular morgue. Some were mangled horribly from our shell fire, while others were wholly or partly burled In the mud, the result of shell explosions cavlng in the walls of the trench. One dead German was lying on his back, with a rifle sticking straight up in' the air, the bayonet of which was burled to the hilt In his chest Across his feet lay a dead English soldier with a bullet hole in his forehead. This Tommy must have been killed just as he ran his bayonet through the German. Rifles and equipment were scattered { about, and occasionally a steel helmet [ could be seen sticking out of tbe mud. j At one point, just in the entrance to j a communication trench, was a stretch- ; er. On this stretcher a German was j lying with a white bandage around his ; knee, near to him .lay one of the ! ctrotnhar.Kaopapfi tho rod prnns nn hid I arm covered with mud and his helmet ! filled with blood and brains. Close by, j sitting up against the wall of the j trench, with head resting on his chest, > was the j other stretcher-bearer. He ; seemed t while under fire. You couldn't see day! light through the clouds of dirt from ! his shovel. ! After losing three out of six men of ; our crew we managed to set up our j machine gun. One of the legs of the tripod was resting on the cbest of a i half-buried body. When the gun was firing, It gave the Impression that the body was breathing. This was caused by the excessive vibration. j Three or four feet down the trench, about three feet from the ground, a foot was protruding from the earth. We knew it was a German by tha black leather hnnt. One of Oltf. ttai roor w bufiT ?KH oinoflnirintt do It. I have been on it a few times, most7 for "Yankee Impudence." During our stay of two weeks Id est billets our captain put us through course of machine-gun drills, trying ut new stunts and theories. After parades were over, our guns' rews got together and also tried out i>me theories of their own In reference :> handling guns. These courses had othlng to do with the advancement of :ie war, consisted mostly 01! causing :lcky Jams In the gun, and then' the sst of the iirew would endeavor to losite as quickly ati possible the cause f the stoppage. This amused them )r a few days and then thing!) came to standstill. One of the boys on my gun claimed iat he could play a tune while the an was actually firing, and demontrated this fact one day on the target i age. We were very enthusiastic and added to become musicians. After constant practice I became alte expert in the tune entitled "All onductors Have Big Feet." iVhen I had mastered this tune, our vo weeks' rest came to an end, and ice again we went up the line and K)k over the sector In front of G-? ood. At this point the German trenches Hi around the base of a hill, on the ip of which was a dense wood. This ood was Infested with machine guns, h!!ch used to traverse our lines at lit, and sweep the streets of a little 11 age, where we were billeted while , reserve. < There was one gun In particular hlch used to get our goats, It had the ?et range of our "elephant" dugout itrance, and every morning, about the me rations were being brought: up, Its lUets would knock up the dust on the ad; more than one Tommy went eut or to Blighty by running Into era. This gun got our nerves on edge, id Fritz seemed to know It, because ? never gave ub an hour's rest Oor >putatlon as machine gunners was at ake; we tried various ruses to locate ad put this gun out of action, but ich one proved to be.a failure, and rttz became a worse nuisance than rer. He was getting fresher and more ireless every day, took all kinds of bertles with us?thought he was lnInclble. Tlien one of our crew got a brilliant lea and we were all enthusiastic to nt it to the test Hure was his scheme: When firing my gun, I was to play iy#tune, and Fritz, no doubt, would ill for it, try to Imitate me as an Sded Insult. This gunner and two fliers would try, by the sound, to loite Fritz and his gun. After having 9t the location, they would mount vo> machine guns in trees, in a little ump of woods to the left of ou^ cemesry, and while FrltZ waS !h the middle f his lesson, would open up and trust > luck. By our calculations, It would ike pt least a week to . pull off the amt If Fritz refused to ; swallow our bait, would be Impossible to locate his >eclal gun, and that'si the one we were fter, because they all sound alike, a ow pnp-pup-pup. Our prestige was hnnging by ft tread. In the battalion we had to enare all kinds of insnlts and fresh remarks as to our ability In silencing ritz. Even to the ba ttalion thai: German igun was la sore spot Next day, Fritz opened up as usual, let him fire away for a while and len butted in with my "pup-pup-pupop-pup-pup." I kept this up quite a hile, used two belts of ammunition, ritz had stopped firing to listen. Then e started In; sure enough, he had illen for our game, his gun was trying > imitate mine, but, at first he made a orrlble mess of that tune. Again I atted In with a few bars and stopped, hen he tried to copy what I had layed. He was a good sport all right, ecause his bullets were going away ver our heads, must have been firing lto the air. I commenced to feel rfendly toward^hlm. Thin duet went OH for five days. nrna a rrAArl nnnll onfl 1 OH TH Pf 1 *iui wao a 5VUU pupit mum ??#?apldly, In fact, got better than his sacher. I commenced to feel jealous, ifhen he had completely mastered the ine, he started sweeping the road gain and we clicked It worse than ver. But he signed his death warrant y doing so, because my friendship nraed to hate. Every time he fired he layed that tune and we danced. The boys In the battalion gave u9 tie "Ha! Hal" They weren't In on ur little frameup. The originator of the ruse and the ther 1:wo gunners had Fritz's location aped to the minute; they mounted heir two guns, and also gave me the ange. The next afternoon was set for be grc nd finale. Our three guns, with different elevalons, had their fire so arranged, that, penlnu up together, their bullets rould suddenly drop on Fritz like a allstonn. About three the next day, Fritz startd "pu]?-pupping" that tune. I blew a harp blast on a whistle, it was the slgal agreed upon; we turned loose and 'ritz's gun suddenly stopped in the riddle of a bar. We had cooked his m ioa Vin/1 mnrVcul Affpr WOC, liUU VU1 JL uoc uau nuiuvu. [ring two belts each, to make sure of ur Jot, we hurriedly dismounted our Tins and took cover In the dugout. We new what to expect soon. We didn't lave to wait long, three salvos of whizz-bangs" came over from Fritz's rtlllery, a further confirmation that had sent that musical machlne-gunier_on his Westw^rdj)ound Journey. j.' "1 ? ~v<' w1 g>.',rj*"!* n^Ge?1'' | That gun never Eotnerea ai agamr" i We were the beroei of the battalion, I our captain congratulated us, said It 9 ; was a neat piece of work, and, conse- J J quently, we were all puffed up over the j; stunt There are several ways Tommy uses j to disguise the location of his machine gun and get his range. Some of the j most commonly used stunts are as folj lows: At night, when he mounts his gun1 over the top of his trench and wants to get the range of Fritz's trench hej adopts the method of what he terms i "getting the sparks." This consists of firing bursts from his gun until thej bullets hit the German barbed wire. | He can tell when they are cutting the! wire, because a bullet when It hits a wire throws out a blue electric spark. Machine-gun fire is very damaging to j wire and causes many a wiring party t to go out at night when It is quiet to < repair the damage. j To disguise the flare of his gun at < night when firing, Tommy uses what is ( called a flare protector. This is a stove- j pipe arrangement which fits over the 1 barrel casing of the gun and screens i the sparks from the right" and left, but ' not from the front So Tommy, always resourceful, adopts thlB scheme: About three feet or less In front of the gun he I X I / i \ : / i ?Iooros. . >^K 100 YDS lib ifftcuH mcKT cuiT I (Showing How Fritz Is Fooled. drives two stakes into the ground, < about five feet apart. Across'these 1 stakes he stretches a curtain made out1 of empty sandbags ripped open. He ! soaks this curtain in water and fires i through it The water prevents it ; catching Are and effectively screens, ~the flare of the firing gun from the{ I enemy. _ _ \ ' } I Sound is a valuable asset In locating la machine gun, but Tommy surmounts ithln ohstnrlp hv nlnrlnz two machine I guns about one hundred to one hun[dred and fifty yards apart The gun ion the right to cover with Its fire the sector of the left gun and the gun on ] the left to cover that of the right guru This makes their fire cross; they iare fired simultaneously. By this method it sounds like one gun firing and gives the Germans the ,lmpres8lon that the gun Is firing from ja point midway between the guns ! jwhilch are actually firing, and they ac- , cordingly shell that particular spot. , The machine gunners chuckle and say, "Fritz Is a brainy boy, not 'alf he ain't" But the men In our lines at the spot i "being shelled curse Fritz for his Igno- 1 ranee and pass a few pert remarks : down the line In reference to the ma- ^ chine gunners being "windy" and , 'afraid to take their medicine. (TO BE CONTINUED.) 1 1 Woman Afraid Tn Look Into Mirror SAYS SHE FEELS IT IS HER CHRISTIAN-DUTY TO GIVE DETAILS. # , " I "Yes, I was actually afraid to look in a mirror for fear of what ! I would see, and I think it is a duty to tell about it," said Mrs. Annie L J Marshall, of 313 Lafayette St., ( Schenectady, N. Y., as she began a " remarkable story. "I was pale and thin and used to | lie awake at night," she explained. "This sleeplessness and nervousness finally affected my throat, as I could not speak above a whisper. The least sound frightened me and I got ^ so I could not bear to have people talk to me. "T woe cn wonlr T f>nriM nnf * ~ ? I my work, and I would have to throw myself on the bed before I finished I just suffered all the time and there seemed to be no joy in life for me. My sister told me about Tanlac, a new medicine for weak, run down people, and begged me to | take it. I had no faith in it, I had tried so many medicines, but I knew I could not feel any worse, so I got a bottle of Tanlac. "And, oh, what a change! I be gan to feel better right away, and my appetite increased as I ate j three good meals a day of really nourishing food. I began to sleep soundly. As I began to build up, my color became better, my eyes brighter and I gained weight. Soon the neighbors began to speak of my improved appearance. My nervousness gone, I began to enjoy hearing people talk and like their company It was no task to do my housework, and after I had done it I could r dress up and go calling or to the * J movies. It was so different, and it all occurred in just a little while." ' Tanlac, the master medicine, is n sold exclusively by P. B. Speed, Abbeville; A. S. Cade, Bordeaux; J. T. * Black, Calhoun Falls; J. H. Bell & 2 Sons, Due West; Cooley & Speer, * i BBsaggssBBw^aj ---ii ags jowndesville; R. M. Fuller & Co., IcCormick; J. W. Morrah & Son, fount Carmel; Covin & LeRoy, Wilington. Price, $1 per bottle straight. -Adv. Everyone Should Drink Hot Water i in the Morning Wash away all the stomach, liver, and bowel poisons before breakfast To feel your best day in and day out, - > jo feel clean inside; no sour bile to soat your tongue and sicken your >reath or aull your bead; no constipa ion, bilious attacks, sick headache, solds, rheumatism or gassy, acid stomkch, you must bathe on the inside like ron bathe outside. This is vastly more Important, because the skin pores do not absorb impurities into the blood, irhlle the bowel pores do, says a wellknown physician To keep these poisons and toxins Hrell flushed from the stomach, liver, tldneys and bowels, drink before breakfast each day, a glass of hot water irith a teaspoonful of limestone phosphate in it This will cleanse, purify ind freshen the entire alimentary tract, j before putting more food into the stomach. Get a quarter pound of limestone phosphate from your pharmacist. It ' Is inexpensive and almost tasteless, except a sourish twinge which is not unpleasant. unnK pnospnaiea nut Rrater every morning to rid your system of these vile poisons and toxins; hi so to prevent their formation. To feel like young folks feel; like you felt before your blood, nerves and muscles became saturated with an accumulation of body poisons, begin this treatment and above all, beep it up! As soap and hot water act on the skin, cleansing, sweetening and purlfytefc so * limestone phosphate and hot water be-" fore breakfast, act,on the sttimsd^' ' liver, kidneys and bowels. FW1R1S BEGIN ON SALTS r .-v i / : A flush the Kidneyi at onoe when Baekachy or Bladder bothers?Meat forms uric acid. r No man or women who eats meet rago> Lurlr can make a mistake by flushing the kidneys occasionally, says a welf known authority. Moat forms uric acid which clogs the kidney pore? so th4y sluggishly filter or strain only part of ' the waste and poisons from the blood, then you get sick. Nearly all rheumatism, headaches, liver trouble, nervouslese, constipation, dizziness, sleeplessness, bladder disorders oome from sluggish kidneys. k The moment you feel a dull ache in thai kidneys or your back hurts, or if the ' urine is cloudy, offensive, full of. sedi- "i ment, ^irregular of passage or attended by a sensation of scalding, get about four minces of- Jad Salts from any reliable ' pharmacy and take a tablespoonful ia a glass of water before breakfast for a * few days and your kidneys will then act fine. This famous salts is made from the acid of grapes and lemon juice, combined with lithia and has been used for generations to flush clogged Sidneys and stimulate them to activity, also to neutralize the acids in urine so it no longer' sauses irritation, thus ending bladder disorders. . v v f j&i Jad Salts is inexpensive and can? V , V' ' not injure; makes a delightful effervescent lithia-water drink which all regular meat eaters should take now and then to keep the kidneys clean and the J +Ka?okr? aiw{/ltna OOPIAtll ln/?? ' UIUUU pui C, IUCiI U VJJ ney complications. SAGE TEA TURNS GRAY HAIR DARK at tt*s Grandmother's Recipe to Bring Back Color and Lustre to Hair. ______ V ;_ . ! That beautiful, even shade cf dark, flossy hair can only be had by bre