The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-28

/ the other, and who are never suited with
! anything that Is done. But they are few.
| and never once have any of the ladies
/ met with the slightest rtdeness or insult
/ Officers and private soldiers rich mems
| sons and their servants, lie side by side
! all clad in Red Cross pajamas, which,
| regret to add, are not plentiful enough to
be changed as often as they should be.
In nearly every case the mlilionaires
| have borne suffering and hardship far
better than their hostlers and Wallets
| Almost without exception. the rich young
society swells have been unexpected rev.
Citations of heroism, giving up their own
few comforts to needfer men, brave and
| accomplishing 10 the last.
AS the United States is now so largely
| un-American her army was recruited
| from all the nations of the earth Hence
in the hospital we see the unmistakable
| Irish lip and eyes of Irish blue beside
the German physique on the next pillow,
and the blonde Saxon in contrast to the
| swarthy Latin Some are gray-haired
| middle-aged men, others boys in their
| teens and all are so bronzed by expo
sure and unkempt as to hair and beard
| that / doubt If their own mothers would
know them. Every case is sad enough,
| Heaven knows-of strong men brought
to the gates of death. not on the field of
| battle, but by unnecessary exposure aft
erWards and the criminal carelessness of
| their superiors-and some are positively
| heart-rending.
| A Sad Case
For example: A young Hercules whose
name nobody knew, raved five days and
nights in the delerium of typhoid, until
death ended his sufferings. He Hes in an
unmarked grave, his identity not yet dis
covered. Another mothers boy, a sweet
faced, gentle fellow, under twenty. died
of lung fever from sleeping on the wet
ground In his rained-soaked clothes. Most
of the men have the local calentura-a
SWEET sharp fever which runs dts course
in week or two-induced from lying in
the trenches. with insufficient food. dur
Ing that dreadful first week in July.
The most peculiar case that has come
under my observation is that of a tall,
bronzed cavalryman, who for six days
and nights has lain most of the time in
an unconscious state. Nobody knows
| who he is, He came rushing into the hos
pital one hot midday. week ago. de-
ferrous with fever, having walked from
| some distant camp lin the broi ing sun.
He spoke OF himself as Guy" and is
now known by that name, Though wheth-
er 1t really belongs to him. as family or
given name, none can say
He spent the first night alternately
stalking up and down the hospital mag
ming that he was commanding regi-
ment and struggling with the attendants
in efforts to leap over the veranda-raii
into the bay. Toward morning he lapsed
into Inconsistencies. and lay for three
DAYS like one dead-jww dropped, eyes
rolled far back into his head, the only sign
Of life a faint iutteIing of the pulse.
Though death was monentariiy expect
ed the faithful steward injected medl-
cine into his arm at regular intervals
and poured q few drops Of nourishment
| rfsl ha
hour bv hour-no fever now. no weaken
ing of the pulse, no change in the rolled
ND eyes and fixed expression. II seemed
such a paty-a strengthening man to die
and give no sign.
They Call Him Guy
On the fourth day ] sat beside him.
holding his two warm, limp hands be-
tween both my own. paying within my
self that Heaven woule send the poor
, soul back from the border-land of shad-
ows. If only long enough TO send some
message to the waiting wife or mother,
when suddenly a change flashed over
the CONFERENCE.-The an expression OF
agony. quickly followed by smile, and
then the eyes Enclosed and looked with
fun intelligence into mine. Holding fast
the hands, as If by that means 70 stay
the huttering soul, l bent over him and
} said: Guy. tell me where you lived. l
will write to your people, He under
: stood, and made a desperate effort TO
speak
The lips moved, but no words came;
then the eyes turned upward again till
nothing but the whites were visible, and
: the strange half unconscious state re-
turned But he was not altogether insen-
sible He moved himself to the edge of
: the cot as close TO me as possible, and as
: long as l held his hands remained quiet,
but the instant j laid his hands upon his
breast and tried to move away his arms
beat the air like windmills and a fearful
2 expression came to his face. SO there
sat till dark and still he made no sign.
Then it was impossible to stay longer,
because imperative duties awaited me
elsewhere / went reluctantly, and all
night long was worried by the fear that
| he might revive for the last time when
| nobody was at hand 10 learn his name,
| and that some poor woman waiting at
home would never knew what became OF
| her loved one.
, Some Reader May Know Him.
Next morning they told me that toward
midnight he opened his eyes and almost
shouted, Where is she? where is she:
Tell her to write to my father" AND
then the poor soul was off again, into the
shadowy land. 1t is needless to say that
!, | since then nave spent d SOou zeal Oh
l time by the tall cavalryman's cot. And
; | yet we have learned nothing.
A dozen times he has looked al me with
r full intelligence in his eyes, and severa
i times has called me Rosa-doubtless tbs
/ name of somebody he loves. He knows
: when | am with him, takes his beef tee
!, or spoonful of brandy obediently snug.
] giles up as closely as possible and goes
!. contentedly to sleep. He only smiles
o happily and says, Yes, Rosa, write
e please write" 1t is barely possible tina
d some one who reads this may have ar
s idea who he Is judge that he is not {
e city-bred man, but from the rural dis
S tricts of the Middle West.
A He is apparently about forty years old
: eyes pale blue, black hair, slightly
e sprinkled with gray, heavy beard and
e tawny mustache. This is his sixth day
: of sem-consciousness now. and there /.
o no change except that his body is grow
ing weaker and his lucid intervals more
frequent. The doctor says there is som,
. hope of his life and that if he does recov
e er it is a miracle. wrought by woman
care. Pardon this too-long story of al
: individual case. I give it to you as al
q example of hospital experience.
e Their Harsh Duty,
e Today I talked with yellow fever con-
|, | TJa cofa bof of 9,a M