Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-08-04
HEROIC WORK AT vERDUN.
Impressions of Nurse in French
Military HOSPITAL.

Military Hospital.
The big bell of the hospital changed
three times. In happier days it had
summoned children to school, but now
heralded the approach of the ambu-
lances and warned us to be ready.
A few moments more and the order
lies are placing the stretchers in a
long line down the middle of the ward
A white-coated doctor enters, exam
ines the label tied in each man 8 but
tonhole, asks few brief questions
and goes to the next ward. We work
away busily, remove soil-stained
clothing and blood-stained bandages,
and soon what a transformation! 1t
is difficult to believe that these clean,
cheerful patients are the same blue
coated, mud-caked men who were
brought to us less than one short hour
agol
Some of them are enjoying a second
basin of steaming soup, others puff L
away contentedly at the ubiquitous
cigarette. Here is one watching while
the contents of his pockets are turned |
out by an orderly, before the clothes
are taken away to be cleaned and dis
infected; another is asking how soon
/ shall have time to write to his wife.
Gas soon as the doctor has seen you
all, and we get you comfortably ban
daged,' and he settles down in bed |
| with sigh of satisfaction. There |
are some who lie with closed eyes and
| pain-drawn brows; but in most cases
the pathetic look of endurance on each
face has given way to one of content.
| The weeks of untiring watching in the
| trenches, the sharp engagement, the
long, painful journey to hospital, even
the pain of the wound, all are for the
| time forgotten in the enjoyment of
long denied comforts and pleasant and
peaceful surroundings.
How patient they are, even those
who are most MANNED! They never
complain, and are so grateful for any
thing one does for them.
1t is visiting day. and French lady
comes into the ward, leading by the
hand little boy. His father belongs
to the famous Vingtieme corps, now
known as "the regiment that saved
Verdun." The child has heard some
one say that one patient in this ward
is German, and asking in whisper
which it is, he trots up to the bed.
Standing on tiptoe, he gently strokes
the rough face. "You won t try to
hurt my daddy any more now, will
youP' he says in coaxing voice
Say you II not be wicked any more. -
The man who is evidently in PAIN
opens his eyes and smiles. He does
not understand the language, but the
action is eloquent, and, taking the
child s hand, he presses it to his lips,
while a faraway look comes into his
eyes. "My own little boy-just the
same age" he says; and his eyes
close again.
There is silence for moment, then.
"They are not all bad, even Ger
Mans says sergeant in the next
bed. 81 remember before this last at
tack, we ID been in the same trenches
for weeks, and at last we got to feel
quite friendly to the chaps in the
when the firing had ceased, we would
throw cigarettes over to each other,
and sometimes WEI even have a
friendly chat. There was one fellow
in our company whose home was in
the invaded territory, so he was very
anxious about his wife, and knew that
she, too, would be worrying for news
of him. SO one day he wrote letter
to her, and addressed it, and that
evening, when we heard the Saxon g
friendly whistle, he called out and
asked them if they knew the village
he named. One of them did and prom
, ised to deliver the note when they re-
turned from the trench to camp. As
it happened, on the way he got
A, wounded, and one of the first things
he thought of when he was picked up
was to ask one of his comrades to re-
deem his promise for him. So the wife
got the letter all right, and in time
was able to send an answer to her
husband-that was how we heard the
story
When l entered the ward today
there was an unwonted air of excite
ment, and l was greeted with the
news that our "enfant de troupe a
lad of 20, was "down' for the Mill
tary Cross. Presently I persuaded him
to tell me the story, and with boyish
pride he described how he had led a
bombing party into the front trench
of the enemy. Then, single-handed, he
had captured mitraileuse, and
turned it with deadly effect upon the
foe as they fled panic-stricken before
the French onslaught.
1t was almost impossible to realize
that this seemingly hardened soldier,
whose eyes blazed with courage as he
re-lived the scene, was the same lad
whom | had seen only "A day or two
before, unnerved with pain, sobbing
for his dead mother. eff only she
were here to nurse me, | think |
could bear it better" he had whis.
pered, and I instinctively felt that it
was the spirit of that mother which
had inspired her son to dare and do
so nobly.-London Chronicle.