West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1914-11-26
BEING WOUNDED
HAS BRIGHT SIDE
Mothers Are Thankful to See
kalm0d Sons Alive.
BADLY INJURED BUT HAPPY.

Women Give Up Hope For Boys az
They Go 60 War. and Their Return,
Although pisfioursd. 10 Occasion For
Great Joy--ons Said. "rm Not Dis
6sursd, I'm Decorated"
Calais--"You can't imagine the Joy
or mothers and fathers when their
boys come back TO them from the war
minus M arm or leg OF some other
portion Of their bodies. Human nature
- Q queer thing and war brings this
Querrns~s into strong relief" says one
OF the American correspondents now al
the front
II witnessed the arrival or a Red
Cross train here. The cars were loaded
with young men fresh from the Bel
CLAN border. A soldier I talked to said
\ We gave them bell. I tell you but we
caught a few pellets ourselves
-From the looks of them they had
Indeed Some hobbled out OF the cars
their arms In slings OF their heads tied
mp or q foot on the ground: Others
came on stretchers To be transferred 10
the channel steamers waiting ut the
dork. One soldier iimped out on the
platform His head was bandaged all
around 40 voluminously thut he couldn't
wear his cap.
One arm was In sling: the hand
was bundaged In a way betokening thu
! 4pSfnce or one or more fingers.
Near by stood woman. She was
booking for some one. Suddenly the
much banduged soldier saw the woman
and started. With an Inarticulate
sound. partly smothered by the ban
dages he touched the woman.
"She uttered cry and seached eager.
y the bnudag,sl face Apparently her
mother love. riithpr than her eyes. told
her u WIS her boy.
M, ~on my SOM she exclaimed.
cnruI'tnred Red Cross surgeon
steIped up
Madam. he said. your son un
doubtedly will recover. but must tell
you that most OF his Jaw Is shot away
"'Oh. I'm SO glad. so gladr the
mother cried. tears streaming from her
eyes.
80 see that sort OF thing many times
Ukz the surgeon said When a moth
er seesrveT boy march away TO war
rhc gives him up for dead. she scarce
" hopes even In her mother heart OF
hope ever TO see her boy alive again
Always she lives In dread OF the day
when the brief announcement OF the
dead will contain the name or her boy
So ut last. when her boy comes back
60 her II doesn't matter how terribly
be Ia shot up or disfgured Ii is the
same with mothers everywhere, any
time
There IL another cause for q moth
er's Joy when her son returns maimed.
broken physically. but alive She
knows the boy cannot return to the
battle line. mark for bullets and
shrapnei that XIII.
There II another strange thing TO be
noted while talking TO the wounded
They are quite happy to have bad
wounds about the face and head. much
preferring dis6guring face wounds to
lesser wounds In body or legs.
A train OF wounded was on its way
TO southern France. When II halted
at Boulognc those OF the wounded who
were able got out to walk up and
down the platform. Among these was
one whose face could hardly be called
by that name. One eye was gone. the
other was badly swollen until he could
hardly see Bandages covered all but
discoiored parts OF his face.
"'You poor dear. sympathized an
Englishwoman who approached him
timidiy. You poor. poor boy
Madam replied the soldier with as
much pride and ciearness as the band
ages would permit. don't pity me.
Pity my friends I'm the train there who
got II where II won't show
The Engiishwoman couldn't under.
stand.
"'Why-why-why.' she stammered.
7 thought you wouldn't like to be dis.
figured
Dis6guredr the soldier replied, I'm
not dIsfgured; I'm decoratedg"
M n THEE cAuCc INV nHf