Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1915-06-10

rs taken from Lie ana Works the
Church Of Scotland magazine. No
writer's name is given.
THE FRIEND OF THE WOUNDED.
Strange tales reached us in the
trenches. Rumors raced up and down
that SO0-mile line from Switzerland to-
the sea. We knew neither the source
Of them nor the truth Of them. They
came quickly. and they went quickly,
Yet somehow / remember the very
hour when George Casey turned to me
with queer look in his blue eyes, and
asked If l had seen the friend of the
Wounded.
"And then he told me all he knew.
After many hot engagement a man
in white had been seen bending over
the wounded. Shippers SHIPPED at him.
Shells fell all around, nothing had
power to touch him. He was either
heroic beyond all heroes, or he was
something greater still. This myster
ious one, whom the French called the
Comrade in White, seemed to be.every
where at once. At Nancy, in the Ar
gonne, at scissors and Ypres. every
where men were talking of him with
hushed voices,
'.But some laughed and said the
trenches were telling on mems nerves.
l.. who was often reckless enough in
my talk, exclaimed that for me seeing
was believing, and that didn,t expect
any help but German. knife if / was
found lying out there wounded.
81 WAS SHOT,
1t was the next day that things got
lively on this bit Of the front. Our big
guns roared from 1unrise to sunset, and
began again in the morning. At noon
we got word to take the trenches in
front of US. They were 200 yards away,
and we weren't well started till we
knew that the big guns had failed in
their work Of preparation. 1t needed
a stout heart to go on. but not man
wavered. We had advanced $50 yards
! when we found it was no good. Our
captain called to US to take cover, and
just then was shot through both legs,
"By Gods mercy fell into hole
of some sort. l suppose I tainted, for
when opened my eyes was all alone.
The pain was horrible, but | didn't
dare to move lest the Germans should
see me, for they were only fifty yards
away, and / did not expect mercy.
was glad when the twilight came
i There were men in my own company
who would run any risk in the darkness
if they thought a comrade was still
alive.
| "The night fell, and soon I heard /
step, not stealthy as l expected, bu
quiet and firm, as if neither darkness
nor death could check those untroublet
4 feet. So little did l guess what wa
coming that, even when / saw til
Lgleam Of white in the darkness,
thought it was peasant in whit
smock, or perhaps a woman deranged
| Suddenly. with little shive-. of JOY Q
of fear, I don't know which, guesse
that it was the Comrade in White An
at that very moment the German rife
began to shoot.
The bullets could scarcely miss sue
| a target, for he flung out his arms a
though an entreaty, and then drey
them back till he stood like one of thos
wayside crosses that we saw so oftel
as we marched through France. Al
he spoke The words sounded familiar
but all remember was the beginning
/ If thou hadst known and the ending
but they are hid from thine eyes,
And then he stopped and gathered m
into his arms-me the biggest man i
the regiment carried me as if
: had been child. 4
II MUST HAVE TAINTED"
II must have tainted again, fer
woke to consciousness in little cave b
stream, and the Conrad in White wa
washing my wounds and binding ther
up. 1t seems foolish to say it. for
was in terrible pain, but was happie
at that moment than ever / remembe
to have been in all my life before.
cont explain it, but it seemed as if a
my days had been waiting for thi
without knowing it. AS long as tina
hand touched me and those eyes pitie
me did not seem to care about sick
ness or health, about life or death
And while he swiftly removed ever
trace of blood and mire / felt if m
whole nature were being washed, as
all the CRIME and soil Of sin were going
and as i'll were once more a littl
child,
HE TOO HAD BEEN WOUNDED"
# suppose slept, for when awok
this feeling was gone. ] was a ma
and | wanted to know what could d
for my friend to help him or to serv
him. He was looking towards tn
stream. and his hands clasped in prayer
and then saw that he too had bee
wounded. ] could see as it were sho
wound in his hand, and as he praye
a drop of blood gathered and fell to tn
ground. cried out. / could not he'll
, it for that wound of his seemed to m
more awful thing than any that bit
ter war had shown me.
!. '.You are wounded too, said family
Perhaps he heard me, perhaps it wa
, the look on my face, but he answere
!, gently, This is an old wound, but i
has troubled me of late And then
noticed sorrowfully that the same cpue
, mark waa I'm his feat. You will won