The Washburn leader., 1915-08-20

again as the first of series OF heavy
shells fell in the village. A bugle rang
out in the shadowy main square-three
sharp notes, 'gardez vous'-and we
knew that in every building in the VII
lage blue clad figures were scurrying
into the black cellars-thOusands OF
them.
Close to Bursting Shell.
Boom! A sudden explosion on the
other side Of the town that sounded
like stage cannon in SHENANDOAH q
sudden high pitched wall with an In
termittent hiss in it like rocket with
a crooked stick, and-bang-a shell
burst less than 100 yards from us with
a tearing, shattering report that bowed
us over our plates as though leaden
pipe had been dropped across our
necks.
"And SO it went for thirty minutes
until the shelling ceased as suddenly as
It had begun. The medecin chef gave
us each an extra glass Of cognac, which
we gratefully swallowed in one gulp.
Les boches on dit: bon soir!"' he
said, laughing, and it was a pleasant
thing to find oneself laughing too.
"As the church bell was tolling II
o'clock that night a sudden light shonc
into our eyes, and we looked from our
blankets at sleepy orderly who stood
in the stable doorway and beckoned
with ghostly forefinger.
"'Hill Il, at once he said hoarsely
and clattered away down the court
yard, looking gigantic behind his can
die fame.
"Without single light. but with a
cloudy moon to guide us. the car moved
along the deserted streets. feeling It's
way through the tree shadows. Sen
tries are jumpy folk at these hours.
and a moving lantern in the middle OF
the road brought US to dead stop
while throaty 'Qui vive!' from the
darkness at the side marked where a
rife probably covered US.
"The passwOrd-and then on again
until Hill II was reached. This time
we left the car as close against the
nearest dugouts as possible. for now
the stray and wild bullets were ZIP
zipping overhead and along the road
as thick as June bugs around candle.
and, though most were stopped by the
barricades or few too high. there were
plenty looking for billet. A dim red
light showed us the 'Poste de Secours.
Surgeons Night Work.
I'VE shuff1ed down its passage and
entered. One of two lanterns was
smoking badly. and 1t was through a
haze that we saw, at one end OF a
chamber perhaps forty feet long by
ten wide. in which one had to stoop.
five or six slightly wounded Infantry
men asleep on the straw which cover
ed the earthen floor; at the other end
rude operating table. from which two
orderlies were lifting the cause Of our
Journey. In a corner the surgeon was
washing his red hands in q basin
That was all.
"But perhaps not quite all.
.The orderlies whispered encourag-
ingly into ears that did not hear as
they strove to quiet the rolling to and
fro Of the bundle Of red and white
bsndage which was head or bound
, to the stretcher the twitching arms and
legs In which the broken nerves were
struggling Presently. however. they
stopped. lifted and passed out under
the stars. We started to follow with
the accouterments and rife, but the
surgeon dried his hands and stopped
us. In silence he picked up an infan.
try tunic bloodstained and cut into
ribbons by shrapnel and his scissors.
From IN inside pocket. he drew let
ter, creased and smeured with blood.
'Gardez bien pour lui,' he said as
he handed 1t to us. and just inside the
envelope we could see piece of press.
ed wllite lilac. as clean and unspOtted
us on the day some one who had been
left behind had put 1t there.
1--WE were glad after all that one of
the lanterns was smoking"