The record-union., 1899-10-16
ABSOLUTELY PURE

/ cold and on reaching the hotel 1 was
completely exhausted as we'll as chilled
to the bone, resulting in my contracting
a severe cold. 1t never quite left me
until reached home"
/ You always went back to Manila at
night? Did you never stay on the field
all night?"
Yes, twice; and both times slept in
an ambulance. 1t was at Calumpit,
where SO many were wounded, and
just couldn't leave. The firing never
ceased, and the awful wounds the poor
fellows had. 1t seemed to me I never
| saw more terrible wounds than at that
battle'
And you were not frightened?"
mot in the least. We were all so
busy 1 never thought of being fright
ened; and, then, one can even get used
to bullets flying around, and take it as
a matter of course. You see that cart
ridge belt? 1t was after that battle
that 1 fed poor fellow some beans;
he was wounded in the back and could
not move. He had had nothing to eat
since the day before. When he got
we'll he sent me his belt / have it full
She emptied the contents into her lap,
and picking them out told me about the
different ones. Some of them had been
shot out of the gun, and were fiattened
and bent into odd shapes.
Our Spring1ields make such terrible
woundsl See how they fatten when
they strike; and then they whirl
around and tear the flesh to shreds.
Those poor Filipinos / felt so sorry
for some of them, though sometimes
they made us step around lively. Once.
at Malolos, we had to keep the wounded
in the trenches and under cover, the
bullets were coming SO fast"
As she sat there looking at the Maui
ser bullets and turning them over and
| around, she told me about an Irishman
who was wounded and had been taken
to the dressing station.
Il had been out in the field. and as
many of the wounded were being taken
into the station I followed. On entering
a great big brawny fellow attracted my
attention. He was propped up against
the wall and had a pipe in his mouth,
smoking like a chimney. We'll. MY
man. 1 said, where did they get you?
In the leg, num-
i Does it hurt much I asked as
l gave him some matted milk
| lndade it does, mum; but it's worth
all the pain in the word to see such
nice lady as yourself out here He
mad never murmured, although his leg
| had been broken in two places.
Such grit and such unselfiishness! I
| tell you, our boys are made of grit.
Never one murmur, no matter how
great the pain. Under all conditions
they were always thoughtful for others
| who might need the matted milk or
broth more than they did Time and
time again, when 1 would give them
something to drink, they would drink
half and say to give the rest to fel-
low sufferer. Not one drop more would
they touch until assured there was
! plenty. Sometimes 1 just couldn't stand
1t any longer; the tears would come.
IL was SO pitiful to see them lying
| there suffering, and yet never forgetfuI
OF others who might be worse.
Ihere were so many instances where
grlt-grlt IN every sense of the word
was shown. One fellow who had had a
mana TO hand fight with two Filipinos
came in terribly cut Knives had been
used and great cash was cut in his
cheek and the fingers of each hand laid
open 10 the bone where the knife had
been jerked out of his hand. Do you
KNOW that man stood there puffed
away at a cigar, and never finched
once while the doctors took seven
stitches in his cheek He smoked con-
tlnually, taking the cigar out of his
mouth with his drawn-up hand. 1t was
ly -Nn1, fI1rr
fingers, where the nerve centers were.
that he said anything. and he jerked
his hands away, saying, Good God,
leave them alonei"
But hadn't you better quit smok-
ing?' 1 asked him
No, lady; couldn't stand the pain
if I did
Another time a little Dutchman
came in holding up a bleeding, shat
tered hand.
Hello, fellows; how you vas? Dey
got you, too?' he called out cheerily,
and he never moved nor murmured the
whole time the surgeon worked on his
hand. l gave him straight whisky.
Matted milk was too mild for such grit.
and he declares to this day that | saved
his life
we chatted on different subjects for
a While and then gradually drifted
down TO Manila again and to the soldier
boys who have found their resting
places there.
The saddest sight-the sight that
makes your heart ache and the hot
tears come to your eyes-is to see four
or five. sometimes six, hearses going to
the cemetery and not one mourner. I
could not bear to see those poor fellows
taken out there without seemingly. one
soul to mourn them. Often would /
follow the hearses and think that some
poor mother at home hight be grateful
| If she knew a woman-a woman who