New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-17
Mrs. Arthur Gleason, Wife
Of the Author, + ound Ro-
mamceim Being Decorated
by the Belgian Hing but
Not i'm Slicimg Onions
and Potatoes.
and Potatoes.

enough to let me stand a, the beginning OF the
first line OF soldiers.
81 was considerably amused at the attitude
of Mrs Knocker Miss Chisholm and my othef
friends who stood at the edge of the GROUNDS
watching me with field glasses. II is the
Kings custom 70 chat with each person deco
rated, and they tell me that he stopped and
chatted with me long time. The trouble
really was that he was embarrassed by the
fact that my coat buttoned contrary TO mans
and he had to stop end consider what to DO.
When a soldier is decorated the King places
his right hand under the lapel OF the mans
coat and pins the decoration through on the
right side. King Albert gathered the loose
ness OF my coat into little ridge and pinned
the order on it. When I walked away it dan
gled there, half concealed and most ncongru-
Gus. The King excused me Immediately after
the decoration so 1 could go to England to
see Mr.. Gleason"
When she was asked to tell about some Of
the events that led up to the very interesting
and honorable ceremony, Mrs. Gleason had
many stories to relate.
AT NELLIE. the dressing station was no soon
err established than it was filled. The four OF
US took turns at ambulance duty, going in be-
hind the lines, under fire, after the wounded.
The heavier work was left to the men. Water
lay in puddlcs everywhere. The rains washed
out the dead as fast as they were buried.
I'VE washed the mud from the wounded
when there was time-and applied the simplest
of first ads-odne and bandages. We burned
bloody clothing and secured bloody mackin-
toshes and emptied pals with contents I'M
speakable and cooked great pals OF food and
scrubbed again. The odors were terrible-a
mixture Of decaying matter and raw flesh and
cooking food and disnfectant
winter came. The soldiers needed dress
ing station behind the trenches that stretched
along the western battle front from Nieuport
to Dixmude. Mrs. Knocker, Miss Chisholm
and I were given quarters in shelled house
with a sound cellar. We found a rough bed
stead and two pieces OF unplaned lumber, with
clean straw for a mattress and a white sheet
awaiting US. Any English woman-or any
woman speaking English-is revered along the
Belgian lines. The soldiers had gone into the
shelied towns, we learned later, and taken the
sheet from the shelled house. At night two
soldiers guarded the entrance with bayonets.
Here we slept at night. In the shelled
house, above, peeled potatoes by day.
There was nothing romantic about our work
in these first days. 1t was mostly cooking,
peeling hundreds of potatoes, slicing barrels
of onions and cutting great loaves OF bread
until our arms ached to the shoulders. These
were boiled together in great black pots. Our
job when it wasn't to cook the stew, was TO
take it in bucket to the trenches. Here we
ladled it out to each soldier. Usually we went
early while mist still hung over the ground,
for we could see the Germans on clear days
and none of US wanted to be potted' 1t was
great fun, though, uamping in the freezing
cold of dawn to the outposts, back along the
trenches, back to the house TO refill the bucket,
again to the trenches Two hours Of it-and
then we peeled potatoes"