The Washington herald., 1916-12-17

energies 70 tno American Ambulance
Hospital and other work of that sort. I
became interested in the field service
knowing well several men who
had worked in It. I had been told that
no woman had ever visited these camps
Of American boys. and was invited to
make the trip, with the assurance that a
woman's eye might see and a woman's
experience might help to provide some
needed comforts for them and for the
wounded soldiers they carry.
Under Fire.
was conscious of no sense of fear, not
because I am brave. but because I had
to take sharp hold Of my thoughts to
remember I was at tho front, on a road
only about 100 yards from the Ger
man trenches. I don't know what my
conception of the front could have been
know I always thought of 1t as one
OF another world or rather Of another
age, as we must think Of any place that
has long been vividly in mind and yet
only realized in books or through the de-
scription Of others. Somehow, did not
feel as II I were really at the front.
There were, 1t is true, lots of soldiers
and other suggestions of war In the back
ground. but for two years there had been
soldiers and suggestions Of war every
where In France. And on the whole trip
had scarcely seen a wounded man,
and 1 had not once heard a gun fired.
Il am going to lie like a trooper when
I get back to Paris,' l said to Mr.. An
drew; you will never catch me admit
ting that did not hear a gun" He only
smiled. Indeed. he did not have time to
do anything else. At that very moment
a battery OF 75's, concealed in a wood
at the edge of the road, opened fire with
detonations, and. almost
a German shell whistled
oyer eur heads and, landing in a nearby
field, splashed dirt and smoke over us.
1t was enough for me. have never felt
any further desire to be under fire.
Flowers and Horror.
One OF the stretcher-bearers very kind
ly took me a little way into . communi-
cation trench and showed me the amaz-
ing telephone system which connects
front-line artillery observation posts with
batteries miles in the rear. But what
astonished me more than any Of the ap-
paratus Of war were the trailing vines
and other wild flowers that covered these
descents into hell as If they had been
peaceful garden walks. When we came
back to the post happened to wander
a few feet away from the rest of the
group. IT should not stay there If I were
you," a soldier said to me. "Half an
hour ago a man was picked of by a
mitrailleuse right where you are stand
ing"
Bombardment at Night.
We all-that is, our party and such of
the boys who had not gone of on night
duty-went to bed about IL o'clock. Just
before saying good night, Mr.. Andrew
turned to me and remarked, You had
better show me which is your room. in
case anything happens during the night"
replied, laughingly: "All right, but I
don't think anything will happen. 1t will
probably turn out that neither the Ger
mans nor the French will fire a shell all
night" 1 was so exhausted that went
to sleep without even unpacking my bag
excepting for the real necessities
About 1870 woke up with a start and
felt as II he whole house was coming
down on my head. l reached for a light.
but without success. I did not seem to
be thinking at all, and the idea that
bombardment was going on. or even that
1t was the explosion Of a shell which had
walked me up, did not at the first mo-
ment occur to me. But explosion follow
ed explosion with great rapidity, and as
the whistle of one shell died away the
shrill shrek of another was audible.
knew at last that l was in for a real
DOInDdTuTlSnI. QO nOb lh1uh naQ
sense of fear, but instinctively made
myself as small as I could in my bed,
and with each explosion wondered II the
next shell might not land In my room
1 must confess that 1 was greatly re-
lieved when some one knocked on my
door and 1 heard Mr.. Andrews voice
saying, Mrs. Vanderbilt, you must
hurry up and come down in the cellar
I reached in the dark for my dressing
gown and opened the door. Mr.. Andrew
was standing there in his stocking feet
with a great-coat thrown over his
pajamas and a candle in his hand.
that time. but little later I realized
that my hair was streaming down my
back and that 1 had no stockings on.
But three or four shells. some seemingly
very near, exploded simultaneously, and,
hardly saying a word, Mr.. Andrew hur-
ried me down to the cellar.
All the boys. Nine Marin, and a con-
stantly increasing number of French
soldiers, who rushed in from houses
where there were no cellars. had already
assembled there. 1t was very dark and
cold and we all sat together without
talking much except to count the explo-
sions and to watch through a cellar Win
dow a house which had been set on fire
by a shell. Then when the lombard
ment slackened somewhat we went out
side, but not far from the cellar door as
long as the shells continued to arrive.
However, they stopped as suddenly, as
unreasonably, as they had begun, and
went back to bed and almost imme-
diately to sleep, for the ordinary silence
of the night seemed very soothing. The
next morning we learned that the bonn-
bardment had been a reprisal for some
bombs dropped on Metz.
On to Verdun.
From Pont-a-Mousson, after warm
good-byes to all the boys. we took the
road to Commercy. Our destination was
Verdun, but, as a glance at the map will
show, it was necessary for us to run back
around st. Mihiel, which is held by the
Germans and then along the lines to
Verdun. 1--WE were told that the road
southeast Of st. Mihiel was the nearest to
the lines which 1t Is considered safe to
yootor over But hefore we eof fhera oor