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- gnniitiHiiuniiitiiKimiiuiiwiHiiimiiia 1, j Gunner |: I? i Depew |i | e Jllbert &C- 'Deptto | r S Ex-Gunner ?nd Ckltl Patty Officer, ; f, ? D. S. Navy?Member of the Foreign ? ? B L?(tioi> o? France ? Captain Gun ? s C Turret, French Battlerfiip C Miard? ? ' ? Winner of the Croix do Gu or ref ~ v t E | h E iiiiiiiiiiiuiilitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuTi^ J! Copyright, 1918. by Bellly and Hrltton Co.. Through 11 Special Arrangement With tiro George i tl Matutnw AdauiH Mervlce. | . I II iCP> v P CHAPTER XIV. li * ? P< The Croix de Guerre*. 91 When we had been on the shore 0j for about three weeks we found our-' w selves one morning somewhere near Sedd-el-Ihihr under the heaviest Ore I ever experienced; Our guns and the b, Turks' were at It full Mast, and the gl noise was worse than deafening. A section of my company was lying ^ ' out In a shell hole near the communication trench with nothing to do but wait for a shell to find them. We |{| were stiff and thirsty and uucoinfort- |H able, and had not slept for two niglit3. g( Iu that time we bud been under constant fire and had stood ofT several C( raiding parties and small attacks frotn ni enemy trenches. lr We had no sooner got used to the si sRell hole and were making ourselves si as comlortable as possible In It when ?i - ? aionK mini- n miiimi 01 wnui must nave nj been the Jack Johnson Rlze, and we ai w< re Hwumped. We had to dig three c< of the meh out, and though one of in ^ th< m was badly wounded we could not A send hiip hack to the hospital. In w fact, the shelling was so heavy that tc none of us over expected to coine out si of It alive. n< So, It was like keeping your own 01 death watch, with the shells tuning hi up for the dirge. It was Impossible to ai listen to' the shells. If you kept your w mind on the noise for any length of time It' would spilt your eardrums, I ei am sure. So nil wo could do was to w lay low in the shell hole and wait for fr something to happen. w Then they began using shrapnel on w us, and one of our mnchlne gunners, f< who got up from his knees to change g< Hit Head Taken Clean Off His Shoul- ? dere. position, hnd his head tuken clean off ^ his shoulders, and the rest of him ; h landed near my feet and squirmed a , lit fie, like a chh ken that had Just been [ killed. It was awful to see the body without any head move around that i way, and we could hardly make our- I selves touch It for some time. Then 3 wo rolled It to- the other e'.de of the I hole. ^ Then, to one side of us, there was j B more violent explosion than any yet. ' The earth spouted up and fell on us, and big clouds of hlnek smoke, sliding along the ground, covered our shell hole and hung there for aome time. One of our Bergennts, from the regular French Infantry, said It was a shell A from a Turkish 155-mm. howitzer. That was only the first one. The worst thing about them was the smoke ?people who think Pittsburgh Is j'1 Bmoky ought to see about fifty of those big howitzer ahellH bursting, one after another. . j* We could not tell what the rest of our lino was doing or how we were ^ standing the nwful fire, but we felt sure they were not having any worse j time than we were. In n few minutes ^ we heard the good old "75s" start pounding, and It wan like hearing an ^ old friend's voice over the telephone, w and everybody In our shell hole ^ cheered, though no one could hear us and we could bnrely hear each other. Still wo knew that If the "758" got J going In their usual stylo-they would do for an enemy battery or two, and that looked good to us. The "75s" ( made tho noise worse, but It was al- l)( ready about as bad as It could be^ n] and a thousand guna more or less would not have mado It any harder ,)( to stand. f( One of our men shouted In the sep* -jgeant's ear that the men In line ahead B( of us and to the right were trying to C( give us a message of some kind. The ol sergeant stuck his head above the ))( parapet and had a look. But I stayed n, where I was?the sergeant could see j,| for himself and me, too, as far as I ?| was concerned. I,( He shouted at us that the men In ci the other trench were trying to signal t) something, but be could not make It tr out because the clouds of smoke would \\ roll between them and break up the n< words. So he laid down again in the vi bottom of the hole. But after a while m he looked over the porapet and saw tt a man just leaving their trench, evl- w dently with a message for us, and he w had not gone five steps before he was s< &I0W5 _to fiU^ sndL On lil. U BUBKKf^ :7y, awed him got his, too, so they stopped rying then. And all the. time the "75s" were ending theirs to the Turks not far >ver otlr heads to' 900 yards behind is, and the howitzer* were dropping heir 240-pound bits of iron in every acant space and some that were not aoant. It was Just one big roar and j creech and growi all at once, like urning the whole dog pound loose n a piece of meat. The concussions felt like one long trlng of boxes on the ear, and our , hroats were so dry that it hurt to | wallow, which always mnkes your i ars feel better after a strong concus- I Ion. One after unother of our boys 'us slipping to the ground and digging is fists into his ears, and the rest of lieni sat on the parapet fire step with lielr heads between their knees and heir arms wrapped around their ends. Our sergeant came to me after a -bile and began acting Just like eople 'Jo at a show, only he shouted asteud >f whispered In uiy ear. When pople are looking at one show they [ways want to tell you how good some ther show Is. and that was the wuy 1th the sergeant. "You should see what they did to ' 1 at St. BloJ," he said. "They Just iptlzed us with the big fellows. They . Id not know when to stop. When you : ?e shelling that Is shelling, you will now It, my son." "Well, If this Is not shelling, what ' te devil Is It? Are they trying to , Id us or are you, mon vlcux?" which i a French expression that means Dmclhlng like "old timer." "My son, when you see dugouts ived lu, roods pushed nil over the inp, guns wrecked, bodies twisted tip i knots and forty men killed by one loll?then you will know you uro elng shelling." Then one of our men sat up straight eralnst the parapet and stared at us ad begun to shake all over, but we Mild not get him to suy anything or love. So we knew he had shell shock, nd another man watched him for a Idle, nnd then he began to shake, >o. The sergeant said that If we ayed there much longer we would at be fit to repel an attack, so he rdered us into the two dugouts we ad made In the hole, and only himself id another man stayed outsido on ntch. The men In the dugout kept asking ich other when the bombardment ould end, nnd why we were not reln>reed, and what was happening, nnd hether the Turks would attack us. It as easy to see why we were not relntrced?no body of men could have it to us from the ^reserve trenches, he communication trenches were ilte n distance from us nnd were ittered up at that. Some of the men lid we had been forgotten and that le rest of our troops had either rered or advanced and that we nnd *i ?e men In the trench who had tried > signal us were the only detachments ft there. 1 Pretty soon nnother man nnd I dleved the two men who were outdo on watch, and as ho went down ito the dugout the sergeant shouted ) us that he thought the Turks were Trnld to attack, lie also ordered one f us to keep a live eye toward our }nr in cusc any of our troops should y to signal us. When I looked trough a little gully at the top of io hole, toward the other trench, all 1 II I Could See Was Barbed Wire and Smoke. could soo was barbed wire and uoko and two or threo corpses. I . [?jrnn to shiver a little, and I was . Frald I would get shell shock, too. : f> I began to think about Murray and j uw hu looked when they took him j T the wull. But that did not stop the i IdverlQK. ho I thouKht about my grand*1 other and how she looked the last me I saw her. I was thinking about er, I guess, und not keeping u very j jod lookout, when a man rolled over te edge and almost fell on me. JIu 1 ?as from the other trenches. I carried ! Itn Intn fhn on/I * Knln and stood my watch until the 'lief came. We were doing half-hour lifts. When I got into the dugout again le man was coming to. lie was Just bout as near shell shock as I had t?en-?-by this time I was shivering j nly once In a while, when I did not ' fttch myself. He sold four men hnd pen sliced up trying to get to us he>re he came; that they had lost I men out of their 82, Including the rgennt-major In command and two irporals; that they'were almost out f ammunition; that the trenches on [)th sides of thein hnd been blown In [id that they were likely to go to leces at any moment. He said they II thought the Turks would attack hind their barrage, for he sqld the jrtnln of fire did not extend more tan a hundred yards In front of their ench. What they wanted us to do ns to relay n man buck with the ews and either get the word to ndance or retire or await relnforcelents, they did not care which?only be ordered to do something. There ns not a commissioned officer left I Ith either of the detachments, you ie, and you might say we were up k U>o air-only w were really m far ______ in the ground a* we could geC"~"~ The man thought there were other of our line* not far behind us, bnt we knew better; so then he said he did not see how any one could get back from there to our nearest lines. I did not see either. Then we ull figured we were forgotten and would not come out of there alive, and you can I believe me or not, but I did uot much < care. Anything would be better than | 'nst kcn.vlng there in that awful noise with nothing to do, and no water. Our sergeant said he would not ask any man to attempt to carry the taessage, because he said It was not only ceriain deuth, but absolutely useless. And he began to show that he was near shell shock himself. Then I began to shiver again, and I thought to myself that anything would be better Hian sitting in this hole waiting to go "enfard," so I decided to volunteer. I did not think there was any chance to get through, but It seemed as If 1 had to do something, no mutter what. I had never felt that way before, and had never been anxious to "go west" with a shell for company, but I h^ve felt thut way since then several times, I can tell you. TJie man was telling us that some time before they h?d seen the Turks 1 bringing up ammunition from some storehouses, but they did not come anywhere nenr. He said their sergeant wanted our messenger to toll them that, too. lie would say a few words very fast, then he would shl'ver again, and his Jaws would clip together and he would try to ruise his liund, but could not. Then our sergeant asked the name of the other sergeant, nfld when the man told him he said the man was senior to hlinse..' nnd therefore In command and would have to be obeyed. lie seemed tp cheer up a lot after he said this nnd did not shiver nny mare, so I i ......i-? ? ?* ? - i nuuill VUlUUKUr then, so I snid to him, "Well, mon vleux, do you tliink we ure seeing real shelling now?" And' then I was going to say I would go, but he looked at me in a funny way for a second and then said, "Well, my son, suppose you go and find out." I thought he was kidding me at first, hut then I saw he meant it. I thought two things about It?one was that anything was better thnn staying there, and the other wus that the old dugout was a pretty fair place nfter all. Ilut I did not say anything to the sergeant or the other men?Just went out of the dugout. The sergeant nnd another man went with me nnd boosted me over the back wall of the hole. I lay flat oil the ground for u minute to get my bearings, und then started off. I set my course for where I thought the communication trenches were, to the right, and I Just stood up and ran, for I figured that as the shells were falling so thick and it was open ground I would not have uny better chance If I crawled. I tripped several times nnd went down, and each time thought I was hit, because when I got it in the thigh nt Dixmude it felt a good deal as though 1 hn^ tripped over a rope. And one time when I f*U n shell exploded near me and I began to sldver again, nnd I could not go on for a long time. All this time I did rot think I would get through, but finally, when I ronched what had been the communication trench I felt I had done the worst part of it, and I began to wish very hard that I would get | through?I was not at all crazy about going west. The mouth of the communication 1 trench had boon battered in and the , trenches it joined with were all filled up. There were rifles sticking out of them in several places, and I thought probably the men had been lurried alive In them. Rut It was too late then, If they had been caught, so I climbed over the blocked entrance to the communication trench and stnrted hack along It. It led up through a sort of gully, and I thought It was a had place to dig a communication trench ' In, because It gave the Turks something like the side of a hill to shoot at. 1 Every once In a while I would have to cllnih In and out of a shell hole, and parts of them were blocked where n shell had caved In the walls. In one place I saw corpses all torn to pieces, so I knew the Turks had found the range and had got to this trench la great shape. At another place I found lots of blood ami equipment but no bodies, and I figured that reinforcements had been caught ut this spot and that they had retired, taking their casualties with them. The Turks still had the range, and they were sending u shell Into the trench every once In a while, and I was knocked down again, though the shell was so far away that It knocked ( me down with force of habit more than anything else, I felt dizzy and shivered a lot, and kept trying to think of Mu. ray or unything else hut myself. 80 finally I got to the top of the little hill over which the gully ran, and on the other side I felt almost safe. Just dowu from the crest of the hill was one of onr artljlery positions, with the good old "7.r?s" giving It to the Turks u" fast as they could. I told the urtlllery officers what had happened, had a drink of water and thought I would take a nap. Hut when they telephoned the hn<-tf ?r? division headquarters the limn at th? receiver said something to the olhccr and he told me to stay there and he ready. I thought ?ure he would send me hack to where I came from and I knew I never could make It again, but I did not Hay anything. When I looked around I Haw that our real position was to the right of where the artillery was, and that there were three lines of trenches with French .Infantry In them. Bo the trenches I had come from were more like outposts than anything else, and were cut off. I felt pretty sure, then, that the hoys In them would never come back alive, because as soon as their lire let up the TurkH would advance, and to keep them buck our guns would have to wipe out our men, and if they did not. the Turks would. At first I was glad 1 had come out, hut then I remembered what the artillery Lincoln and Franklin didn't read many books, but they digested what they read. * ? www I?.W - _ I I I II I II ! ' ==gPggg officer had snhl and I figured I vnnlfl have to go brick and *t0y with them or bring them hack. Wither way there was not one elmnco in n hundred that any of lis wtmhi make it. Because When I got thro- gli It was really Just a miracle and aobody would have thought It could happen. Then the ofliccr told me to go hnck to the beach, where our naval guns were, and that I was detailed to them. Maybe you do not think I was glad? Hut there was rough work still ahead of ine, because when I got behind the third line I saw a wide open held that was light gray from the shell smoke hanging over It, and I could see the Hashes where the big ones were doing their work, and I had to go through that field. I fell time and again, sometimes when I thought u shell was near, and sometimes when I had no reason for It?only I was thirsty again, ami was shivering all the time, and was so weak I could not huve choked a goldfish. I do not remember hardly anything about going through that field, and you might say the next thing I knew was when I was overtaken by u dispatch runner, and got In a tin tub at the side of a motorcycle atid was taken to the guns. I felt ready for a Rip Van Winkle nap then, but the officer In command would not let me. He said they were short of gunners?the terrific shelling had killed off dozens of them?and as he knew I eould point a gun he hud ordered them over the telephone to get me to the beach as fast us possible. lie spottud the two warehouses I have spoken of for rae ami said it was up to us to put them out of commission. The gun was u 14-inch naval, and that looked Rood to me, so I bucked up a lot. The warehouses were about 10 or 11 miles owuy, I should judge, and about 30 or 40 yards apart. I felt very weuk, as I have said, and shivered every once In u while, so 1 did not think I could do much gtlnnlng worth whistling at. Hut they loaded the old 14-ineh and made ready, and we got the range and ull was set The officer told me to let her ride. So I snid to myself, "This Is one for you, Murray, old boy. Let's go from here." So I sent that one along and she luudcd direct and the warehouse went 8o I Sent That One Along, and She Landed Direct. np In fire and smoke. I felt good then, ami I laid the wires on the other warehouse and let her go. Hut she was too high and I made a clcun miss. Then I was mad, because 1 had sent that one over for myself. So I got the cross wires on the warehouse again and, I said to myself, "This Is not for anybody, just for luck, because I sure have had plenty of It toduy." , Then the Juico cainb through the wires and Into the charge, und away she went, and up went the second warehouse. That made two directs out of three, and I guess It hurt the Turks some to lose all their aiiiinunltlon. The officer kissed ine before I could (lurk and slapped me on the hack and I keeled over. 1 was Just all In. They brought me to with ruin, and they said I was singing when I come to. When they tried to sing, to show ine what song it was, I figured It was "Sweet Adeline" they meant. Hut I do not believe I came to, singing, because I never sang "Sweet Adeline" before, that I know of, or any other song when anybody was In range. Rut I heard it lots of times, so maybe I did sing It ut that. ' Then I went to sleep feeling fine. The next morning the detachment from the fossard wns withdrawn, and I saw some of the men who had been In the two trenches, but I was not near enough to speak to them. So 1 do not know how they got out. You never saw a happier bunch In your life than we were when we piled Into the lifeboats and started for the fossard. The old ship looked pretty good to us, you can bet, and we said If we never put our hoofs on that place again It would be soon enough. i We were shelled on our way out to ^ tho Cassurd, and one boat was overturned, but the men were rescued. I Two men In the launch I was hi were wounded. Rut wo did not pay any attention to that shelling?the Turks 111111 jusi us wpii nave neen Wowing peas at us through u soda straw for all we eared. I noticed that when we came near the Cassard the other boats held up and let cur launch got Into the lend, and that we circled around the Ca?uurd's bowa and caine up on the starhoard aide, which was unusual. Rut I did not think anything of It until I came over the side. There were the side hoyn lined up, and the Old Man was there, with the ship's steward beside him. He took the log bonk from the steward and showed It tc me, and there was my name on It. Now when you are punished for anything you are logged, hut I could not figure out what I had done to get punished for, so I wns very much surprised. Rut the Old Man slapped me on the hnok and everybody cheered, and then I saw it was not punishment, but Just the opooBlte. | t u^p,? VI ,H ?' WIIIMI 1 . 1 ' ' When people ask roe what I have j rtyelved my decoration for (Croix de j Guerre), I -tell them I do not rightly know, and that Is a fact. I do not know whether it was for going back from those trenches or for destroying the storehouses. So I alwuys tell them | I got It for working overtime. That j Is whut the Limeys say, or If they have the Victoria cross they say they got It for being very careless. Ask one of them nnd see. All of us were certainly glad to be aboard the Cassard again, and If any place ever looked like home to me It was the old ship. Our casualties were very high and we were therefore ordered to put hack to Brest. We had a great little culebrutlon that night, and next morning weighed anchor and started buck, ufter clearing for action. I was still pretty blue about Murray, but very much relieved as to the safety of my own skin, and I figured that after the Dardanelles and my last duy there they had not mude the right bullet for me yet. The rest of us felt about tho same way and we were singlug all the time. (To Be Continued) THE ILLITERACY COMMISSION The South Carolina Illiteracy Commission has taken up its headquarters at the University of South Caro- I lina, which is appropriate both on I account of the educational nature of this work and also that it may he in close touch with the chairman, Professor I'attersoii Wurdlaw. Other members of the Commission are J. E. Swearingen, Mrs. J. L. Coker, Miss Mabel Montgomery, George I). Brown, S. II. Edmunds, ami C. E. 1 Burts with Miss Wil Lou Gray as the efficient field worker. The Illiteracy Commission is preparing to wage a campaign for the 1 I establishment of adult schools in every county of the State. In order that the work may be effectively done 1 it is necessary that the Legislature appropriate funds and that the teachers of the State be trained in this work. The Legislature will be asked to appropriate $25,000.00 for the work of establishing and maintaining these adult schools. Such facts as the following prove the wisdom of this expenditure: Massachusetts gave her citizens j 7.4 years schooling. The United States averages 5.23 l year schooling. While South Carolina gives her j citizens 3.18 years schooling. Of ail the States in thc Union j South Carolina ranks: 1 1. Lowest in expenditure per capita for education. 2. 25 per cent, of population illiterate?next to the worst in the whole n..tion. In order that the teachers may be |, trained in this work a special Institute was held in Columbia December 13 and* 14. The program consisted of round table discussions of adult n school problems, demonstration work, ' and inspirational addresses. There i was present at the Institute not only ( teachers appointed as County Lead- 1 ers hut many mills sent representatives in order that those teachers a ho have night work in their charge may be more efficiently equipped for their work. A BIG JOB FOR HOOVER ' As Mr. Hoover did such wonders .n enabling America to save food, prevent hoarding and to supply the Allies with food, saving lht. very lif" ?f HoL-ilim ;.n.l i? 1. France, he has been requested to j 'ake churgo of the food situation in j Europe. This is a pretty big coin- | , tract. Again thu comparison of J??- j teph of old comes to mind. Joseph was the first food conservation expert in the world's history. 15ut Jo- ( seph had seven years of plenty in \ vhich to save up for seven years of ' famine, where as Hoover '. ill he expected to go into those countries that the robher and murderer has left bare, where famine has stalked for j four years, and so apportion the food supply that all those millions will have enough. Some job! The spirit | of Joseph be with thee, Herbert! Don't demobilise your patriotism yet?continue to buy W.S.S.. The j government needs the money. Help furnish th money to bring ' he boys back?buy all the W.S.S.you : can. TRY IT SUBSTITUTE FOR NASTY CALOMEL Start* your liver without making you ick and cannot salivate Every " druggist in town?yoor , druggist and everybody's druggist has noticed a great falling ofT in the J sale of calomel. They all give the same reason. Dodson's Liver Tono is taking its place. "Calomel is danjferous and people ;nnw it, while Dodson's Liver Tone it perfectly safe and give better re- j suits," said a prominent local druggist. Dodson's Liver Tone is personally guaranteed by every druggist who sells it. A large bottle costs but a few cents, ami if it fails to give easy relief in every case of liver sluggishness and constipation, you huve only to ask for your money back. Dodson's Liver Tone is a pleasanttasting, purely vegetable remedy, harmless to both children and adults. Take a spoonful at night and wuke up feeling fine; no biliousness, sick headache, acid stomach or constipated bowels. It doesn't gripe or cause inconvenience all the next day like violent calomel. Take a dose of calomel today and tomorrow you will : feel weak, sick and nauseated. Don't j lose a day's work! Take Dodson's Liver Tone instead and feel fine, full of vigor and ambition. Adv. 6. : ... . - . - nil I I AUTOMOBILES FOR SALE Good Buic Six and and Saxon Four for sale. 2p W. D. CAMPBELL, At Farmers Bank. Do Your Ghris . Shoppin --VVE HAVE A N Aluminum A I I Ware, Boy; Velocipedes, j Shotguns And in fact almost anything carr Store. Come in and let ua ?ho? tore your headquarter* while ii | FARMERS' HAl i Bring Your Bo Problems To Ih Ju?t at this time, lems of peace mui man should watch 1 and should form bai upon. Make THIS your whatever might devi efficient co-operation you throw around 3 safeguard*. Isn't tl THE FARM RUBY, SOUTf T. H. BURCH, R. M. NE President. V. fW! I ?uun? usou I WTTED fXNK?U Buy The Help Win FOR SALE EV %ank of % Oldest Bank Ii R. E. Rivers, President. M. J. Hough, Vice-President. \ jjg Undc SOUTHERN LIFE AND 1 || ABILITY INSURANCE PR( Injured receive an income I |? and permanent disability, 1 f- the full amount of the polic) i ... no deductions whatever be f payments made during the 1 | Chesterfield L ? C. C. DOUG1 ^ ALSO FIRE, ACCIDENT, HE $j INSURV W? Buy ?d S?ll Real I l | ' SHINGLES FOR SALE ' I will handle No. 1 Pine Shingles and No. 1 Cedar Shingles. Will lcsep these oq hand. See mO'for pricss. J. AARON SELLERS. ? m i m i ? 155518b ? i rn+ I * : I ;tmas g Early [ICE LINE OF? Ware, Silver b' Wagons, Flashlights, >, Rifles !! ied in an up-to-date Hardware r you our stock. Make our n town. RnwARF rn iw-r f? i ttlLl VV/? | nking r problem* of war?and perkapa prob?t be faced. Tbi* meana that arary lia buaineaa more cloaely than aaar. iking eonnectiona that be can RELY bank, and you can be certain tkat elop, you can rely upon prompt and Furthermore, our officer* will kelp your buaineaa the atrongeat poaaible kia worth conaidering? ERS BANK 1 CAROLINA WSOM M. L. RALEY, -Preaident Caahier. ?51 TtmMri iv Tm STATU IMEWT m And The War ERYWHERl hesterfteld 1 Chesterfield ! C. C. Douglaaa, Caakier. 11 D. L. Smith, Aaaiat. Caabier. j I r The rRUST COMPANY'S "DIS^VISION" not only does the or life, in the evetn of total but the Beneficiary receive* r at the death of the Insured, ing made for the disability Insured's Lifetime. \ oan O Ins. Uo. ..ASS, Manager ALTH, HAIL, LIVE STOCK \NCE E?tat? Momjt Lo??a4