Gate Valley Star (Gate, Okla.), Vol. 13, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 1, 1918 Page: 2 of 8
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GATE VALLEY STAR. GATE, OKLAHOMA
"OVE
By An American
THE TOP"
Arthur Guy Empey
Machine Gunner, Serving in France
Copyright 1917, by Arthur Ouy Knprj
EMPEY GIVES A DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK ON OBSER-
VATION POST DUTY.
Synopsis.—Fired by the sinking of tlie Lusltunla, with the loss of
American lives, Arthur (Juy Empey, itn American living In Jersey City,
goes to Knglund und enlists as a private In the British army. After a
•hort experience as a recruiting officer In London, he Is sent to train-
ing quarters In France, where he first hears the sound of hlg guns and
makes the acquulntunce of "cooties." After a brief period of training
Empey's company Is sent Into the front-line troches, where he takes
his first turn on the fire step while the bullets whls overhead. Empey
learns, as comrade falls, that death lurks always In the trenches.
Chaplain distinguishes himself by rescuing wounded men under hot
Are. With pick and shovel Einpey has experience as a trench digger
In No Man's Land. Exciting experience on listening post detail.
CHAPTER XVI—Continued.
—11—
"I came out with the first expedi-
tionary force, and, like all the rest,
thought we would have the enemy
licked in Jig time, and be able to ent
Christmas dinner at home. Well, so
far, I have eaten two Christmas din-
ners In the trenches, and am liable to
rat two more, thj way things are
pointing. That la, if VHti don't drop
a 'whizz-bang' on me, and send me to
rilghty. Sometimes I wish I would
get hit, because It's no great picnic
out here, nnd twenty-two months of It
makes you fed up.
"It's fairly cushy now compared to
what It used to be, although I admit
this trench Is a trifle rough. Now,
we send over five shells to their one.
We are getting our own bnck, but in
the early days It was different. Then
yon had to take everything without
reply. In fact, we would get twenty
shells In return for every one we sent
over. Frit* seemed to enjoy It, but
we British didn't; we were the suf-
ferers. Just one casualty after an-
other. Sometimes whole platoons
would disappear, especially when a
•Jack Johnson' plunked Into their
middle. It got so bad that a fellow,
when writing home, wouldn't ask for
any cigarettes to be sent out, because
he was afraid he wouldn't be there to
receive them.
"After the drive to Turls was turned
bnck, trench warfare started. Our
general grabbed n ninp, drew a pencil
across It. nnd snld, 'I>lg here.' Then
he went bnck to his ten. and Tommy
armed himself with a pick and shovel
nnd started digging. He's been dig-
ging ever since.
"Of course we dug those trenches at
night, but It wns hot work, what with
the rifle and machine-gun fire. The
stretcher bearers worked harder than
the diggers.
"Those trenches, bloomin' ditches, I
call them, were nightnmres. They were
only about five feet deep, and you used
to get the backache from bending
down. It wnsn't exnetly safe to stand
upright, either, because as soon as
your napper showed over the top a
bullet would bounce off it, or else come
go close It would make your hair stand.
"We used to fill sandbags nnd stick
them on top of the parapet to make It
Mgher, but no use; they would be
there about an hour and then Fritz
would turn loose nnd blow them to
bits. My neck used to be sore frotn
ducking shells nnd bullets.
"Where my battery was stationed a
hnsty trench hnd been dug, which
the boys nicknamed 'Suicide ditch,'
and, believe me, Ynnk, this wns the
original 'Suicide ditch.' All the others
are Imitations.
"When a fellow went Into thnt
trench It was an even gnmhle that he
would come out on n stretcher. At one
time n Scotch battalion held It, and
when they heard the betting was even
money that they'd come out on
stretchers, they grnbbed all the bets
In sight. Like n lot of bally Idiots, sev-
eral of the battery men fell for their
game, nnd put up real money. The
'Jocks' suffered n lot of casualties, and
the prospects looked bright for the
battery men to collect some ensy
money. So when the battalion was re-
lieved the gamblers lined up. Several
'Jocks' got their money for emerging
safely, but the ones who clicked It
weren't there to pay. The artillery-
men hnd never thought It out that
way. Those Scottles were bound to
be sure winners, no matter how the
wind blew. So take a tip from me,
never bet with a Scottle, 'cause you'll
lose money.
"At one part of our trench where
n communication trench Joined the
front line a Tommy hnd stuck up a
wooden signpost with three hands or
arms on it. One of the hands, point-
ing to the Germnn lines, read, 'To Ber-
lin ;' the one pointing down the com-
munlcatlon trench read, 'To Blighty,'
while the other snld, 'Suicide Ditch,
Change Ilere for Stretchers.'
"Farther down from this guide post
the trench rnu through an old ortr.nrd.
On the edge of this orchard our bat-
tery had constructed un advanced ob-
servation post. The trees screened It
from the enemy nlrmen and the roof
was turfed. It wasn't cushy like ours,
no timber or concrete re-enforcements.
Just walls of sandlmgs. From It a
splendid view of the Germnn lines
could be obtained. This post wasn't
exactly safe. It wns n hot corner,
shells plunking all around, and the
bullets cutting lenves off the trees.
Many n time when relieving the slg-
naler nt the 'phone, I hnd to crawl on
my b?lly like a worm to keep from
being hit.
"It wns nn observation post sure
enough. That's all the use It wns. Just
observe all dny, but never a message
back for our battery to open up. You
see, nt this point of the line there
were strict orders not to fire n shell,
unless specially ordered to do so frotn
One of tho Big Cunt Barking.
brigade headquarters. Bllme me, If
anyone disobeyed that command, our
general—yes, it was Old Pepper—
would hove court-martialed the whole
expeditionary force. Nobody went out
of their way to disobey Old Pepper in
those days, because he couldn't be
called a parson; he wns more like a
pirate. If at any time the devil should
feel lonely nnd sigh for a proper mnte,
Old Pepper would get the first call.
Facing the Germans wasn't half bad
compared with an interview with that
old flrebrund.
"If a company or battnllon should
give way a few yards against a su-
perior force of Boches, Old Pepper
would send for the commanding offi-
cer. In about half an hour the officer
would come back with his face the
color of a brick, nnd In a few hours
what wns left of his command would
be holding their original position.
"I have seen nn officer who wouldn't
sny d n for a thousand quid spend
five minutes with the old boy. nnd
when he returned the flow of lunguage
from his Hps would make a navvy
blush for shame.
"What I am going to tell you Is how
two of us put It over on the old scamp,
and got away with It. It was a risky
thing, too, because Old Pepper wouldn't
hnve been exactly mild with us If he
hud got next to the game.
"Me and my mnte, a lad nnmed Har-
ry Cassell, a bombardier In D 238 bat-
tery, or Innce corporal, as you call It
in the Infantry, used to relieve the
telephonists. We would do two hours
on nnd four off. I would be on duty
in the advanced observation post,
while he would be nt the other end of
the wire In the battery dugout signal-
ing station. We were supposed to send
♦hrougli orders for the battery to fire
when ordered to do so by the observa-
tion officer In the advanced post. But
very few messnges were sent. It was
only In case of an actual attack that
we would get a chance to earn our
'two nnd 6lx' a dny. You see, Old Pep-
per hnd Issued orders not to fire ex-
cept when the orders came from him.
And with Old Pepper orders Is orders,
nnd made to obey.
'The Germans must have known
about these orders, for even In the day
their transports nnd troops used to
expose themselves as If they were on
pnrnde. This sure got up our nose,
sitting there dny nfter dny, with fine
turgets in front of us but unable to
send over a shell. We heartily cussed
Old Pepper, his orders, the govern-
ment, the people at home, and every-
thing In general. But the Boches
didn't mind cussing, and got very care-
less. Bllme me, they were bally In-
sulting. Used to, when using a certain
road, throw their caps Into the air a>
a taunt nt our helplessness.
"Cnssell had been a telegrapher In
civil life nnd Joined up when wnr was
declared. As for me, I knew Morse,
learned It at the slgnnlers' school buck
In 1910. With an officer In the obser-
vation post, we could not carry on the
kind of conversation thnt's usunl be-
tween two mates, so we used the
Morse code. To send, one of us would
tap the transmitter with his finger
nails, and the one on the other end
would get It through the receiver.
Many un hour wns whiled away In this
manner passing compliments back und
forth.
"In the observation post the officer
used to sit for hours with a powerful
pair of field glnsses to his eyes.
Through a cleverly concealed loophole
he would scan the ground behind the
German trenches, looking for targets
and finding many. This officer, Cap-
tnln A by name, hnd a habit of
talking out loud to himself. Some-
times he would vent his opinion, same
as n common private does when he's
wrought up. Once upon a time the
captain had been on Old Pepper's staff,
so he could cuss and blind In the most
approved style. Got to be sort of a
habit with him.
"About six thousand yards from us,
behind the Germnn lines, wns a road
In plnln view of our post. For the last
three days Fritz hnd brought compa-
nies of troops down this road In broad
daylight. They wet'e never shelled.
Whenever this happened the cnptaln
would froth at the mouth and let out
n volume of Old Pepper's religion
which used to moke me love him.
"Every battery has a range chnrt on
which distinctive landmarks nre noted,
with the range for each. These land-
marks are called targets, and nre num-
bered. On our buttery's chart, that
road was called Target 17, Range
00()0, 8 degrees 30 minutes left.' D 238
bnttery consisted of four *4.5' howit-
zers, and fired a 85-pound II. E. shell.
As you know, ti. E. means 'high ex-
plosive.' 1 don't like bumming up my
own battery, but wo had a record 1a
the division for direct bira, tad our
boys were Just pining awrty for a
chunce to exhibit their skill In the
eyes of Fritz.
"On the afternoon of the fourth day
of Fritz* contemptuous use of the road
mentioned the captain and I were at
our posts as usual. Fritz was strafe-
Ing us pretty rough. Just like he's doing
now. The shells were playing leap-
frog all through that orchard.
"I was carrying on a conversation
In our tap' code with Cassell at the
other end. It ran something like this:
"'Say, Cassell, how would you like
to be In the saloon bar of the Klng'z
Arms down Rye lane with a bottle of
Bass In front of you. and that blonde
barmaid waiting to fill 'em up again T
Ford Owners Attention!
A POSITIVE CUKE FOE ML PUITOS
Evr-Tyt• Ford
SPECIAL PISTON RINGS
■lop oil carbon deposit* and
fouled spark plugs.
Increase compression and speed
wonderfully.
rir ron THiiuim ti six sotto
bt urna is oasolus aid oil
Guaranteed to do the work or
your money back.
M OO PER SET OP 0 RINGS
■▼KB-Tytm made In all site* for
anto. tractor and gasoline engines,
ilk roar nnarost dealer or writ*
m imvctt piston um cosr/urr
fcMriratr. st. lows, no
The next Installment relates
how two artillerymen "put one
over" on Old Pepper.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
VAPOR BATHS IN LAPLAND
Writer's Strenuous Experience of
Cleansing Process Finishes With
Being Bastinadoed.
In Wide World Frank Hedges But-
ler describes a vnpor bath In the land
of the Lapps. He says:
The bathhouse Is a small wooden
structure generally situated some way
from the dwelling house. It is divided
into two compartments, one to undress
In, while the other contains the oven
which produces the steam. The oven
Is arched with large stones or pebbles,
and heated by a fire placed beneath.
Undressing In the first room, one en-
ters the heated compartment. Afi<** a
short rest on a wooden form or bench,
which contains a place for the head,
the attendants come In and bathe you.
Cold water Is thrown over the stones
and the hissing vapor soon sends up
a cloud of steam. The higher you sit
from the floor the greater the heat. As
more water Is thrown over the red-hot
stones the vapor becomes so intense
that one can hardly breathe. We were
soon gasping for breath and covered
with a profuse perspiration which Is-
sued from every pore of the skin.
Hanging up In the room were tender
branches or twigs In a green state and
retaining their leaves. Dipping these
In water, the attendant began lashing
und whipping me across the legs,
shoulders, loins nnd back, till toy body
seemed quite red with the switching.
The bastinadoing over, I was then
washed with a soft flannel covered
with soap, after which a Jug of the
coldest water was thrown over my
head and body.
GRAIN and HAY
SHIP TO
FOWLER COMMISSION CO.
Established 1890
17-18 Board of Trade, Kansas City, Mo.
TARKIO
When You Use
You Run No Risk.
BEST FEED for Cattle, Hogs and Sheep
Has been tried and stood the test.
Write or call for prices and further lnformatloa.
TARKIO MOLASSES FEED CO. .
561-7 Live Stock Exchange, Kansas City, Mo.
Ship Your Cream Direct
tOO ~ Accurate Retaraa
wnw
Pr.-p.Srvk, <««
Write for tags and prices to
Amricas Batter Co., 540 Walsst St, luus dty, Ha
ir i a DEVELOPING
Kodaks
Send for Catalogue and
Finishing Price List. Tlw Draw Phste tUterisk Cs.,
Eutmia KoJsk Cs., <21 10tk Str «*. d.sr.r, CslsraJs
Are you marketing your ^ A
If not. you should. Now I.FQQfllft#
that dairy products are VI Vllllll
most necessary and valuable too, every farmer
should do his utmost to Increase the produc-
tion of butler fat. This year promises to be
the banner year for the cream producers.
Ton should profit too. Ship your cream to
THE MERIDEN CREAMERY CO.
21st and Ceetral Sts. Kansas City, Mo.
BUCKEYE
GRAIN BINS
Will Save Your Crops
500 and 1,000 bushels capacity.
Prompt shipments from Kau-
nag City. Heavy reinforced.
Write tor circular and prices.
THE PIERCE CO.
1112 Waldfcia BUf., Kuw Oty, Ms.
PATENTS
Bates reasonable Highest retoranoea. Bestssrrleaa.
"'"DYER 4t CO.°SS"
Alfalfa
Imoi
Pralrl
Timothy
- To
Interesting Life Statistics.
On the authority of experts repre-
senting forty-three leading life Insur-
ance companies In the United States,
It appears that a spinster lives longer
than a married woman. Business wom-
en live longer than business men. A
woman who takes an endowment pol-
icy lives longer than a woman who
takes an ordinary life policy. It Is not
ensy to explain why an unmarried
woman survives a matron, nor why s
business woman survives a busi-
ness man, but the longevity of thfl
endowment woman is believed to be
due to the determination to live until
the policy matures. Will power is
hardly less Important In many cases
than physique, nnd must always be
reckoned with. Even in disease a man
or woman possesses a natural tend-
ency toward health, nnd cures which
often nre attributed to medicine are
really the assertion of the will.—Cap-
per's Weekly.
Love In Flshdom.
This Is no "fish" story as the term
Is usually referred to, but It Is a story
about flsh. Jim Foster, student of flsh
nfTnlrs, vouches'for Its authenticity.
Jim hns a collection of big live flsh
In a small aquarium In a down-town
restnurnnt and for 12 hours every night
he watches them perforin.
"The flsh nre very affectionate," de-
clared the flsh student. 'They are
good-tempered and kind toward one tn-
other. See those two largest flsh?
They nre 'married,' I guess, or else
love with each other. They alwuys
kiss each other good night and nibble
affectlonntely at ench other's mouths.
The femnle of the two never puts her
cold flns on the male one's back. And
In the morning—sny, It's amusing to
wotch them yawn and stretch them-
selves."—Detroit Free Press.
City, Mo. I
Want HAY
We bny f. o. b. your track or will handle oa
commission. Write na what you have to offer.
765-67 Live Stock Exchange, Ksnm City, Mow
BIOS ARTIFICIAL COMPAKY
acrvasR m
918 MAIM STREET, KANSAS CITY, MO.
Rolls Developed Free
Prints IXxSM, 8c each; SHxtli, 4c, up to Ut
Postcards 6c: packs dereloped lie, cash
_ with ordsr. Call or tend; prompt attentloa
f to mall orders. Piihumi™ num*. tes >. dht
' Im Af*., WkkJu, Sua. t^ikiuillurwulk
Use for Ciotheopina.
Clothespins make an excellent play-
thing for bnbles. They can be used for
babies or soldiers, or to make fences,
trees, log houses uhd ninny other Inter-
esting things. Playthings thnt can be
taken apart and put together again are
good to have; also blocks with which
the child can build all kinds of objects
—engines thnt he enn push nlong the
floor, bulls to bounce nnd throw, doll
cnrrlnges, washing sets, etc. Dolls with
clothes that button nnd unbutton nnd
coiue off may be used to tench the chil-
dren how to dress and undress them-
selves.
The fruit of old age Is the memory
and rich store of blessings laid up la
oarly liXa.—Clear*
Keep Potato in Warm Place.
It was hinted that some proprietors
of greengrocery stalls In the neighbor-
hood of certain schools found their
stocks of potatoes mysteriously dwind-
dled owing to the children's sympathy
for the outcast and forlarn. But, any-
how, the sacks have been rifled. One
teacher was presented by a small in-
fant with a warm potato.
"But I can't have this one, Bobbie,"
said she. "It's cooked."
"Oh, no, teacher, It ain't," was the re-
nssuring reply. "I've only bin minding
it up me jersey."—London Chronicle.
Just as Good.
"Has your husband been exempted
at camp?"
"No'rn, but he's been vaccinated."
When a man tells a woman a Joke
he usually has to follow It up with an
explanation.
First Aid for
Laundry Troubles
If every wash-day is a day for the
"Blues"—the right blue will send them
scuttling away
Red Cross Ball Blue
la the secret of successful wash*
l°g —Pure White, dazzling clothes
that leaves the happy smile of oat-
Isfactioa at the end of a day o{
hard work.
5 Cents. At Your Grocers'
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Stevens, Arthur J. Gate Valley Star (Gate, Okla.), Vol. 13, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 1, 1918, newspaper, August 1, 1918; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc165136/m1/2/: accessed June 29, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.