Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-27

cardiers tell the driver as he steers his
car back to the place where he can
start the engine.
AS he comes to the next post he stops
and two more stretcher cases are
placed inside. Just how badly these
men are hurt he does not know, fol
nothing is said except a word or so as
the men are hidden goodbye and good
luck.
The ambulance now starts on it's long
hazardous trip to the hospital. seven
miles back, where there is surgical aid
The driver goes over the shell holes
with all the care at his command and
winces at the groans of the injured
men inside.
Fortunately the Germans have for
the moment ceased to fire at the bat
teries along the road. All is quiet now
except for an Intermittent grenade and
rife fire in the trenches and the fire.
auent sharp poop, poop, poop of a ma
chine gun
At the little town on the road down a
brancardier. watching from one of the
dressing stations, PUSHES out to the
ambulance as it goes through and asks
The driver pulls up long enough for a
man with face swathed in bandages
to climb into the seat beside him..
On the way back the soldier manages
telling how he was hurt. Part of his
jaw is gone. His eyes are completely
covered by the bandages and only part
of his nose sticks from the muslin.
But he manages to hold his place on
the seat with little concern. The ten
sion of months is over and he speaks
as though he has been fortunate. He
thinks it might have been worse.
In the darkness dark sp1otches grow
larger in the white of the bandages as
the blood soaks through and runs down
over his uniform. His eyes are gone,
he thinks. and something is wrong with
his mouth. 1t is his chin, probably,
that is missing, he says. He was
caught in the face by part of an ex-
ploding grenade.
But" he says IT can walk, 1 still
have arms. | can hear and it Is great
to know that"
He was too happy before without
knowing it. he continues. He has
seen lots during those months up there
and he has no complaint. He thinks
probably Of the groaning load inside
and of the possibility that maybe
chance after all has favored him. He
can still do lots. he says, to make his
life useful. Hundreds of others are
in the same situation. 1t is thus with
the French soldiers.
Most Of the wagons the car now
passes are going in the same direction
AS the driver turns to the left of the
road to go by he takes broad chances
in the darkness with possible teams
coming from the other direction. As
he continues back trees and buildings
spring up on both sides of the road
and driving becomes more difficult
The driver has developed a new sense
At present something seems Ito guide
him that does not exist on the return
when the car is empty. Then, again,
he almost stops working his way
slowly to the right. and reaches out to
feel the trees he knows to be along
the side.
Suddenly he halts. He hears and
sees nothing. but he feels there is
something in front. He gets off and
walks some distance ahead and runs
into load of raillike bars projecting
from the back of a wagon. The sharp
ends are on a level slightly above that
OF the radiator of the ambulance. Had
he gone a few feet farther the points
would have caught both men on the
seat. The wagon suddenly proceeds
and the driver goes back and again
starts off. He has had this experience
several times.
Half an hour later he enters the town
where lights are permitted, and several
minutes later. guided by the cars head
lights, he pulls up at the surgical am
bulance. Here the trains arrive daily
to take the wounded collected in the
past twenty-four hours to towns in the
rear, safe from shell fire.
The ambulance represents a group of
tents, some wooden structures and sew