The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1915-10-08
Truth Is Stranger
Than Fiction
By RUTH GRAHAM

one Of the improbable kind which go to
prove that truth is stranger than hc-
ton. The only change in 1t from the
truth is the names Of the actors and
the locations.
We must go back to that period when
a German army was thrown Into Bel
GUM; when the French gathered their
forces to defend their capital and the
English threw across the channel what
troops were available to assist their
allies. Yet it was not there that u
story begins. but in Il colony of the
British empire. Wal had not yet open
ed when a girl and her mother In Can
ada were discussing Il ball dress for the
former. though the girl was more inter-
ested in the expected appearance at the
ball of an Englishman than in her ap-
parel.
II hear" said Edith Warren to her
mother. that Il o Of the MacDer-
motifs has come out from bonny Scot
land to see his father and mother.
Maybe he will be at the Scotia ball
this evening"
II Think" replied her mother. that
you had better wear your pink silk to
the ball, Edith. 1t is just the shade for
your complexion"
Edith wore her pink silk to the Scotia
ball and met Ian MacDermott, a cap
tain in Il Scotch regiment. Whether it
was the dress Or E,litll's beauty or her
charming that Won the cap.
tain there Is no record. Certain it is
that she won him. and he carried her
back with him to Scotland from her
home in America on Il honeymoon trip.
Scarcely had the newly welded pair
got settled in their home in Edinburgh
when England declared war against
Germany and threw u force Gro the
channel into France. The honeymoon
of the MacDermotts had not ended be-
fore the captain babe an adieu to his
bride and went in command of his com
pany TO the front.
One night the English and Germans
met in u hot fight. MacDermott's regi-
ment was Obliged to give ground be-
fore u superior force. The captain was
struck by a fragment Of a shell and
left on the field among the dead and
wounded. Then the British rallied and
recovered the lost ground.
When it became possible for the Red
Cross and the army surgeons to rescue
the wounded a surgeon, coming upon
the body Of Captain MacDermott, took
the Identification tag from it and re-
ported him dead.
1t was a sharp blow to the bride
when she received news of the death Of
her husband. She gave up her home in
Edinburgh and removed to another 10
cality, but only temporarily, for she de-
signed to return to her parents in
America. She was not able TO leave at
once, but as o as arrangements
port for New York.
There was the usual hustle upon the
sailing Of q steamer. Mrs. MacDermott,
in deep mourning. stood OH the deck
looking out upon the country in which
so much happiness had been expected,
The announcement had been made that
all who were to 80 ashore must leave.
When time had expired for this an or
der was given to draw in the gang
plank.
At this moment an auto came dash
ing up OH the dock, sounding signals for
persons to get out Of the way. Evil
IDENTIFY some belated passenger had DR.
rived. and the hauling in of the gang
plank ceased. An officer in uniform
jumped from the car and hurried aboard
the ship.
A thrill shot through the breast of
the woman in mourning. She saw in
the newcomer her husband. Was she
dreaming? Impossible! Had she be-
come demented by the shock of passing
so suddenly from a bride to a widow?
Her brain was in a whirl until the off,
Ger. coming up OH the deck. spied her
and. running toward her. clasped her in
his arms.
We left Captain MacDermott on the
field of battle. the identification tag be-
ing taken from his body. Later while
the work Of removing the wounded
was in progress a surgeon coming upon
MacDermott saw signs of life in him.
The captain was removed to q field
hospital. Then he was sent across the
channel and placed in a regularly or
ganized hospital for the sick and
wounded of the war. There he lay for
n long while unconscious.
In time Captain MacDermott was
brought round and was discharged
from the hospital. He made all posi-
BILE haste to his home in Scotland to
find that bis wife had given up her
home and gone elsewhere, but where
she had gone he was not informed.
His only means of a%scertaining her To-
cation seemed to be to send a cable
gram to her relatives in America. This
he did and received a reply that she
was about to sail from Glasgow for
home. 4a
Such is the romance Of a bride and
groom which If told in a story book
would subject the author to a charge
Of inventing what was so improbable
as not to be legitimate fiction. In the
war between the states there were
cases Of soldiers reported dead who
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