The Washington times., 1916-03-27


maiD-The first night after The opera
ton was sleepless. The tent tapped
and the tent poles creaked in the Mace
DOMAIN winds. The morphine injection
the Canadian nurse had given dulled
the pain but brought no oblivion.
The candle on the little pine locker at
the head of the cot squttered in the
gust and reading was out OF the ques-
ton. The six blankets weighed a ton,
but every one was needed.
On the four other cots in the tent
were the huddled forms OF British Of
ficers.
At short intervals Nurse Johnson
came in. She was swathed in a huge
sweater. A thick toboggan cap almost
hid her face and she swung a lantern
in her mittened hands.
Not asleep yet? A little more hot
milk might help you. II you were an
Englishman you'd want some tea, II
suppose. You know Canadians don't
care very much for tea either"
The night was divided OFF into six
drinks OF milk which the nurse heated
on an oil stove In her tent nearby.
At Last the Bugle.
At last the bugle-the alarm clock of
the army-sounded the morning wake
up" It was six o'clock. Within ten
minutes there came sounds OF intense
activity from the tents in which the
200 young fellows from Toronto who
make up the force Of orderlies in the
Fourth Canadian hospital they were
the noises of getting up; sputtering
oil the cold morning wash; whistling
OF the latest New York songs-for
monograph records come by every
mail.
BY o'clock everybody Is awake. A
very much-muffled up little nurse with
a sparkling smile and two basins of
steaming water enters the tent. Be
hind her comes q boy from Canada In
the uniform of an orderly. with two
more basins. This Is for the morning
wash.
The nurse departs to get our break
fast. The orderly. being in a friendly
mood. stands in the center of the tent
and surveys the occupants OF the var
ious cots, a British major, two British
captains and a British, Lieutenant. Let
1t be understood that no British orderly
ever addresses a British officer frst;
the advances must come from the offi-
GER But this was a Canadian orderly.
They Don't Freeze Him.
We'll. how'd everybody sleep last
night?" he says.
To your surprise the British officers
don't freeze him. one and all they
say they have slept well. Then you
realize that they have been in the
hospital for some time; that they are
acquainted with this Canadian orderly
and his free and easy Canadian ways.
Sod l." he says. Slept like a bug
in a rug. Anything extra any OF you
want? How about you. Mr.. New York;"
That's you he's talking to. No. you're
contented.
It's a cold day and windy" says the
! orderly. NO German aeroplanes today.
But say, talk about cold This is moth
ing" He's over in a corner of the
tent now talking to British captain
one of the professional soldier kind
| from a top notch family in England,
who has been stationed In India, Egypt
| Gibraltar and almost every other place
where British soldiers go-"why in
Canada II gets twice as cold as this
us that so? How cold does 1t really
get?" asks the officer.
| We'll, you know ! once belonged to
the Salvation Army in Toronto. l played
I've seen II so cold. that We couldn't
hold meetings; had to give 'em up for
Il day or So"
That's always the way with the or
Derby" said the captain after The or
Derby departed. He always makes you
think he's going to tell you something
interesting and then It. winds up nat"
Were having breakfast now. sitting
up in bed.
Funny people in this world" says the
captain. after being warmed and COM
forted by his first big swallow of coffee.
you've got TO understand them and
make allowance for them. you know
Can't Judge a whole nation by few OF
it's people, Was a time when couldn't
understand Americans. They seemed "a
me most extraordinary people. II be-
gan when ! was walking along the
street in Gibraltar one morning In full
rig,
out in front of me with her camera
and said to her friends, oh. look al
snapped her camera and smiled at me
and went right away.
Unusual, huh? But you know / go'
acquainted with her after that ana
found out she was one OF the finest
quainted with her. what do you thinl
I'd have thought OF Americans all tho
rest OF my life? ] mean to say / never
would understand them"
A Flood of Doctors.
About 10 In the morning a huge Ca
madam medical officer passes through
, tho tent,
HAS anybody any complaints" n,
aSks. Everything going alright will
, everybody" He's the orderl' ofncc
OF the day. and II you don't ike IN,
way the hospital II being run he's un'