Tatterdemalion

ure in khaki, with a rifle, a bad cold, a wife, a basket, a small bu

we shud ever

sh scent of a hot goatskin waistcoat. It reached below his waist, and would have kept cold out from a man stan

off. He also took off his cap, and sat dow

caught comin' ov

h a faint shadow seemed printed, sat beside him with the younger baby, a real hairless one, as could be seen when its wh

to travel; but I got to see the old people down there, before I go back out acros

our corps?

inee

ince th

as if to say:

where-India, South Africa, Egypt.

e? Yp

? Wipers? N

gh t

"Proper r

d fixed, at things beyond me, as only do the eyes of those who have seen much death. There was a sort

y April!" He laughed, abandoning the w

wn, his eyes would be looking at something-or was it at nothing?-far-off, in a kind of frowning dream. But if he glanced at his babies his rather thick mouth became all smiles, and he would make a remark to his wife about them. Once or twice she looked at him softly, but I cou

ether the shawl was wrapped over her too much or too little, or her little knitted trousers seemed about to fall off. For both these babies were elegantly dressed, and so was the mother, with a small blue hat and a large-checked blouse over her broad bosom, and a

y stick it. We Engineers 'ad the worst of it, tu. But must laugh, you know; if yu're goin

eel the first

e eye and sh

ngest used handkerchief ever seen, "I seen 'em make a hole where you could 'ave put two 'underd and fifty horses. Don't think I shall ever get to like 'em. Yu don't take no notice o' rifle fire after a little-not a bit o' notice. I was out once with a sapper and two o' the Devons, fixin' up barbed wire-bullets strikin' everywhere just like ra

ast the shadow seemed printed a little deeper, but she did not winc

when first I went for a soldier, that I'd like to 'ave a medal out of it some day. Now I'll get it, if

r a time

French and Belgian women do. Those poor women over there-wonderful they are. There yu'll see 'em sittin' outside their 'omes just a heap o' ruins-clingin' to 'em. Wonderful brave and patient-make your 'eart bleed to see 'em. Things I've seen! There's some proper brutes among the Germans-must be. Yu don't feel very kind to 'em when yu've seen what I've seen. We 'ave some games with 'em, thou

ey can't stand

tell yu so themselves-very

absorbed look, mouth just loosened, eyes off where we cannot follow, the whole being wrapped in warmth of her baby against her breast. And he, with the tiny placid baby,

ered him the paper,

e back, I don't seem to 'ave any use for 'em. The pictures, too-" He shrugged and shook his head. "We 'ave the real news, y'

st then the baby on his knee woke up and directed on him the full brunt of its wide-open bright grey eyes. Its rosy cheeks were so b

sort of bashful glee: "My old people'll go fair mad when they see me-go fair mad they will." He see

aturday-catch the six o'clock from V

s goatskin, his cap, and overcoat, he got out behind his wife, carryin

ow? Alive, de

9