Omaha daily bee., 1898-10-16

wounded in tho trenches another man came !
to him so covered with blood that he could |
not tell whether he was black or white, and |
asked him IL he couldn't do something to |
help him. mo, man." replied my patient |
you'd better go and have something done |
for yourself" The other man wiped the |
blood from his face and said Now, look |
and tell me what's the matter with me" and
he told him he had been almost scalped By
piece OF she'll 20, we'll" was the wounded
mans answer 'if that's all, Tlr go see If
some of the other men don't need help" and
eff he went stopping at the wounded and
the dead. and finally finding down the line a
wounded man who consented to be carried
back to the doctor, whereupon he promptly
took him on his blood d-stained shoulders and
carried him to the hospital.
In one of my own wards | had a little
colored private, very black, with popped eyes
that blinked continually. and an indescrib-
able accent whose one prayer was 'Le'me
git back to my company. Please, miss git
me well an SEN me back
One day asked him, Peters why do
you want to go back. Aren't YOU COM
Portable herc?'
Eyes, miss" he answered. "but please,
miss, le' me go back. l wan kill some more
them Spanyuts?"
"But why, Peters, don't you think you've
killed enough?" l insisted.
mo, miss, no miss, dey done kilt my
captun. and den we cotch de man what
done It, an when see i'm l start TO-
i'm, an l say, Now Use got you, now
Tse gwine serve you like you serve my
captun.' An my lieutenant he grab me by
| or shoulder an he say, You, Peters, you
git back whar you belongs, don you never
lt,f
prisoner but | say, You just le'me git holt
my carbeen, an see whether / kill i'm er
| not Yes, miss, sutenly is got to kill
some more Spanyuts."
After things become more systematized
and moro women nurses were employed
only had two wards, about sixty men, most
of them regulars who had "soldlered' for
years. and thought the climate of Cuba not
so bad after that of Nebraska One day an
old cavalry corporal asked to what regi
ment the men in a nelghborng tent be
| longed. I told him they were all members
| OF we'll known volunteer regiment. "Ah
| sure then" he replied "the poor bhoys
| need rale good nursin for many's the time
| down to Santiago I've seen 'em come to
mornn' sick call, suffering wild sunstroke,
| which is dangerous when you contract 1t
| at night; an thin that didn't have sun
| stroke had cold feet.'
A sergeant of infantry in one OF my
| wards was a great Joy to visitors who
| wanted to hear Of hairbreadth escapes, for
| he had been grazed by a mauser bullet
| across his whole body, beginning at his left
arm and going all across his chest to his
| right arm. His real wound was a bad one
| in the thigh, but he valued above every
| thing the flannel shirt he wore at Santiago
! with it's eight holes, all made by the same
bullet
| 1t was in the first part of August that
| a new man, an Illinois volunteer was
| brought into my ward from Porto Rico with
fever He was not very i'll and as l put
| him to bed and made him comfortable,
said: "How do you think you caught this
| fever? l thought Porto Rico was a healthy
| place." He was nothing but boy, and he
| burst out crying, as he said: II don't
know anything about Porto Rico, miss.
| never landed. / got sick on the transport,
and they sent me right back here and all
the other fellows Is there now" He was
in tho "bues" for several days, till his
| mother came to lcok after him. and think
| her content at having him safe and not
| with 'thn other fellows" rec)ncil Il hi IL.
| for he went on furlough in week or two
| looking happy.
| The very best of the men nurses were two
' Armenians. One had been the son of a
minister of the Armenian church, and had
! seen his father, mother and sisters killed
| by the Turks. He told of it one day, very
quietly, but with a look in his eyes which
made me thing that stray and unprotected
Turks had best avoid him. Both of the Ar
lmenians were wonderfully clean, endlessly
patient and as gentle as women. The men
90 l,l
John" quite regardless Of their intricate
names, which sounded just as they looked,
written in Armenian characters.
Only a day or two before left the hos
pital went into the diet kitchen and found
the chef dancing with rage and almost
speechleSs. He ran toward me as | came
in, and when l could understand anything
he said found he was begging me. 'Spk
for me! Spk for me! Tell the doctaire!"
said would speak to anyone he pleased
If he would only tell me what he wanted,
and then he waved his hand soemnly to-
ward the stove and said: Look! Behold!
} Here are ten gallons of milk haf put to
sterlize, and they haf curdle-curdle!
o, but he was a jewel, that cook! He
had been chef at the White House for years,
! and then at government house in Jamaica;
and the eight diets he used to send down
into the wards were a treat to see. / shall
never forget his milk toast. 1t would have
been dainty dish to set before the king.
When the war broke out this chef wanted
to do something for the soldiers, and SO
/ volunteered to one Of the relief associations,
which sent him to our hospital. They paid
him about what his board COST so he prac-
I tically gave his services, and that meant
r great deal.
| Finally, about the end of August, my
sister and I said goodby TO our men and