New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-20

mere was never IIuSH tApiSoolOH IA
their eyes open. Mostly they looked
was in the entrance hall now. a
hall once green with palms, quivering
with distant music, fragrant with
strange French perfumes. It was
stripped bare, only its garish wall dec
Grafton remained For perfume there
was only a scent OF drugs and NORTH
cation. A distant sound quivered on
the ear. Il was the composite sound
Of many groans, kept low with all the
will power Of soldiers who are trying
TO suffer IN silence, and the more
poignant for al that
A way had been kept clear TO the
door Of the great baccarat room OF
the Casino; otherwise the floor was
covered with rows Of men on stretch
ers. all wrapped up and ucketed.
These were the safe" cases, the men
ON, Of danger but Vet badly wounded
who were going back TO England 10
recuperate. These were not suffering
The prevailing expression Of great
natjence was lighted BY kind Of eN-
pression Of relief and here and there
one turned his head toward his com
,.oda on the next stretcher and ven
tured a feeble joke
stepped, then. within the door anu
before me lay the tragedy ana the
1.
room. lined with great mirrors, ueCo,
rated with highly-colored nymphS ana
cnnids From the centre Of the cell
80 brnt. an immense chandelier with
a thousand glass crystals. mere Du(
r;ob+ months ago the overdreSsed
dolls of Europe used TO squander 'he
wealth of Europe, while scented Dan
dies leaned over them 10 Watch inc
MAY The dolls were gone now trans
formed into women by grief and Pow,
ertv. The dandies were dead or mao
became bearded "poilus.' wailo"lng IN
the filth Of the trenches.
Wounded Thick as Shingles.
And the wounded, the grievously
,ro,.,dod Law thick as shingles on
roof aionp the great floor. The cots
,.oro nacked so tight that one must
cdce his way to get along the alSIes'
More than that they had beeh com
80, in 81 fast that afternoon as 10
e,Tein all resources of the hospital.
Tho newlv-arrived. still on their
s+retchers. had been slowed away j"
tho interstices between the cots
They Law. mostly, very quiet ooIne
of the more grievous WOUNDS OF NV
legs and the body you could nov see
because they were covered u! N
bIsrkcts Here and there was nead
swathcd 10 twice its SIZE rom ~
lunches Of baudages "ould peer ou'
q single blackened eye IN three oaSe'
ONT of four. a wound in the head pro
80 ,b.t effect as surely as a direct
blow. From the nearest COT 70 VIZ.
door there rose beside a pale ana uh-
wounded head a hill OF white oanoaEe
and cauze. II covered set OF shoGI-
or-rYuscles torn clean away. by, inc
far door man with a bandaged heao
locked steadily at a red cotton hanu
kercbief. which he turned ana tumoIeu
w. his hands. No intelligence shohc III
his ewes. There were masks 700
,,bastiv white masks OF musllh' WIN
sslits for the mouth and eyes.
In the centre Of the room. ana lIS'
where the croupicr used TO caH 'he
,dds and the winnings in the days OF
,bo ancient world, lay one VINO was
diving As first looked at MN !
tbought indeed that he was dead. lou
Mad n watch TO find the falnteSt hul'er
~ breath. Where his hands had oeeh
were white cotton bags. The snell
,rbjcb tore his chest did that. 'Iose
against his cot lay two men on stfe'ch-
ers. Neither moved nor spoke nor
seemed TO paw the slightest ATTENTION
"a him. except that they lay WIN thelr
faces turned away. As / looked one OF
tho nurses. speeding about upon thelr
cu;et feet so fast that their white NelIs
Gosted out behind them, stepped up TO
him and looked. She summoned with
a gesture another nurse. She also
looked and nodded. They were small
frail-Iooking Englishwomen; Vet with
ont fuss or hesitation they plcNed up
the two laden stretchers TO rght ana
loft Of his cot and deposited them
Gently beside the next row. Ihey
brought out then set OF red screens
and with them surrounded the cot. in
the wards they grant privacy al IeaSt
20 death From that time form
could catch now and then the bobblng
az a white headdress above the screen
as tho nurse worked 10 ease the pass
ing soul.
When the Red Screens Stand.
"Poor bye, thought he'd GO said
q voice behind me in half whisper.
turned. Two soldiers, looking al
most healthy by contrast with the 9th
crs sat up in bed. their backs braced
against gildcd mirror frame and
watched the screen with curious eyes.
As soon Ms the first one opened his
mouth / knew that he was Irish, just
az the first words Of the second be-
traved the fact that he was Scotch.
one was OF the Dublin Fusileers and
the other served in the Ninth Royal
scots the Dandy Ninth Of Edin-
burgh. A. soon as my eye caught
heirs | knew that they wanted 20 talk.
II il monotonous business, this lying
IN 4 hospital, with most visitors barred
bv the army rules. When a man has
mercy 10 spare from the task OF just
koening alive he welcome company ]
have had them call TO me from across
Inc ward. begging for few moments
of conversation.
Now the next thing you Will not an
derstand unless you have lived ln a
state of war. With man dying over