Short stories, American; War stories, American; World War, 1914-1918 -- Fiction
"This was too much for me, that blinkin' jellyfish a-slingin' mud at
our King, so h'I lost my temper, an' tykin' my glass of Vin Rouge in my
'and, h'I leaned h'over close to 'im, an' said right h'under 'is nose:
"'When you mention the King's nyme, it's customary to stand an' drink
'is 'ealth. Per'aps 'e never did anything special for me, but h'I 'ave
never done h'anything special for 'im, an' h'even at that h'I've done a
damned sight more than you 'ave for 'im, so tyke this wine, an' drink
'is 'ealth, or h'I'll dent that napper o' yours so you won't be able to
wear that tin 'at o' yours.'
"'E got kind o' pyle (pale) an' answered, 'Drink the King's 'ealth,
not likely. H'it's through 'im an' 'is bloody top 'ats in Parliament
that h'I'm h'out 'ere. Why in the blinkin' 'ell don't 'e do 'is h'own
fightin' an' let us poor blokes alone?'
"H'I saw red, an' was just goin' to 'it 'im, when h'a big h'Irishman
out o' the Royal h'Irish Rifles next to me grabs the glass o' wine from
my 'and, an' lookin' the blighter in the fyce, yells:
"'Well, h'if the King h'ain't done nothin' for you h'English, 'e's done
less for us h'Irish, but h'I volunteered to come h'out 'ere for 'im,
an' 'ere h'I h'am, an' glad o' it, too, an' 'opes some d'y to get into
Berlin with the King's forces. You won't drink 'is 'ealth, well, damn
you, you can bathe 'is 'ealth.'
"With that, 'e threw the wine in the blighter's fyce, an' smashed 'im
in the nose with 'is fist. The fellow went h'over like a log with the
h'Irishman still agoin' for 'im. H'if we 'adn't pulled 'im h'off, h'I
think 'e would 'ave killed that conscientious h'objector. The military
police cyme h'in to see what h'all the row was h'about. H'I 'ad clicked
three d'ys C.B." (confined to barracks) "an' 'ad no business in the
h'estaminet, an' didn't want to get h'arrested, so h'in the confusion,
h'I myde tracks for my billet.
"The next time h'I met the bloke was when we buried h'old Smith h'out
o' the 10th Platoon h'in the cemetery h'at La Bassée. 'E was one o'
the gryve diggers. H'all durin' the burial service, 'e stood lookin'
h'at the Union Jack with a queer look h'on 'is fyce. When h'old Smith
was lowered into the ground, an' the dirt was thrown h'on 'im, the
conscientious h'objector cyme h'over to me an' pointin' h'at h'old
Smith's gryve said:
"'H'I 'ear 'e was forty-'ight years h'old, an' left a wife an' three
nippers back h'in Blighty. 'E were too h'old for the draft, weren't 'e?
Then 'e must 'ave volunteered.'
"H'I answered, 'O' course 'e volunteered, an' there 'e lies, deader
than 'ell, but h'I'll wager a quid 'is wife an' kids will be proud o'
'im--an' that's more than your kids will be about you.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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