The sun., 1916-12-10
With Night Had Come a Lull in the
Fighting, but Tragedy Was
Close at Hand

hunks in a couple of passages leading
out from the main room. The man.
dolln is hung across some pegs In the
bricks on the wall, where are half a
dozen rifles across other pegs.
They all retire but ono. He remains
by the telephone-ready for immediate
action should the orders come: at any
hour of the night.
Overhead giant guns rest under
thick layers Of branches of trees. In
an instant almost they can he made
ready for action. ready to work desc
lation anywhere within "A radius OF
twenty miles. An order. the pun OF "a
string and soldiers sleeping in towns
far over on the other side are sent
TO death.
In the dugout. UP near the first line.
the soldiers are still there. Fol them
there is no sleep.
Once in the night the Germans send
over half a dozen Grenades. one after
the other. They explode with spiteful,
ripping crashes II slash about in the
walls Of the trenches. But no one is
hurt.
There is silence everywhere. The
'''''' NGAAlo W w FAffIbl1lE, III
men in The trenches and behind.
From this stiffness. in an instant al
most. scores of guns might flash death
at any spot for many miles and thou
sands Of men here are ready for i'm
modlat" action. Each man knows just
what to .
During the night there arc several
sharp explosions up in the trenches.
Several minut later the operator
on duty AZ the telephone bureau in
the village is Juggling away at the
blankets of n OF the drivers of the
ambulances without.
Wounded al Haye Bois,' he is say
ing. Urgent"
Before the driver Is quite awake IL,
ambulance is partly through the VIII
lage on the road TO the dressing post.
Up there with the aid Of u smoking
oil torch by the side Of "a building fac
ing away from the trenches a couple
OF doctors are going uvcr rough BAN
daGes covering a form on a stretchcr.
II seems he is all handagcs. his whols
head is swathed in them, they cover
arms and logs, from which hang sod
den garments that have been hur-
iiedly cut away.
Through the white Of tho muslin
come spots that are speedily growing
in size like quantities Of liquid on
blottinc paper.
lie is already being pushed into the
ambulance on the stretchcr. Mean
willie others are hearing a second
stretcher to the ambulance. ON it is
a wounded soldier. badly hurt, who
stlrps at his hearers llZplly
'lIurry'" the doctors admonish. &c,
him back quickly. No time to lose"
On the way back groans come from
the inside Of tho car. The driver
slackens his speed. ON good parts OF
the road where he tries TO MAKE" time
the road is covered with the supply
wagon dashing back from the nights
trip to Che trenches. It IS a fcarsome
thing trying TO make time in the
crazy rush.
\ couple Of miles further along the
croans cease. The sufferer is uucon-
scious, perhaps. the driver thinks. and
goes faster. Finally. far in the rear OF
the trenches the ambulance pulls up
before the e%vaCuating hospital.
They first carry u the handaged
form on the stretcher. The blood has
soaked through most of the ~bandagcs
now. They put the strctchcr down in
the reception room of the hospital.
Instead of carrying the body on /, to
the operating room they viii let il re-
main hero until Others come and bear
il around to a place in the rear. The
form is still now and l~ifelcss.
Meanwhile they are lifting out the
other stretchcr. The wounded man Is
conscious. He is badly hurt, hut ne has
regained his faculties somewhat.
Think Of my luck" lie IS saying To-
the %brancardiers, 1.-TWO moro days and
! was to have gon back on permits
sion, | wrote hat was coming, and
they expect me"
He clutches some things done VI,
neatly in n handkerchief that he has
held 10 all the way down and would
not let go.
Look" he says. Souvenirs. Rings
and things ] made for them"
As the driver closes the flaps at the
back OF the ambulance he notices II
package inside. something belonging to
one of the wounded men the bran
cardiers had overlooked.
lie takes II out. 1t H. n little cloth
bag with some trinkcts inside and tied
TO It is n book.
Tho book IL dirty and covered with a
sticky substance. a corner has been
torn away by sornctllins that has left
Jagged marks.
1t In a little book containing Ameri-
can poems.