Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-11-01
There Is Glory in Home Coming
From the Lines for Wounded Men

staterooms for the nurses. These
were. IKE the saloons. we'll designed.
or good proportions. They We're. too.
ihlald With stained wood, richly pat
termed.
And 1 did not like to leave tina ship.
But Il messenger had coine aboard with
the word that the train in which l was
10 go to London would start within
liNe So | went with the cap
tam and with the doctor who was in
charge. and We walked along the plat
form beside the doctors train, walked
the full length of it, passing coach after
coach. each with closed doors and a big
scarlet cross painted between the blind
windows 1t seemed curiousiy unlike
a train. this hospital.
AT the door of the first compartment
We stopped. n | bade the captain
goodby and thanked him. He said
something about hoping that L would
not be too late in making London, and
there was the conviction in his voice
that it was, after all. somewhat of q
journey that lay before me.
But to the captain the white am
bulance trains and their safe passage
to and fro We're but just a part OF the
business of the day. While to me. in
this momentous step by which I was
to enter the forward compartment, l
was achieving a new world. So many,
man. times l had watched the
wounded train passing by, slowly,
smoothly, with the clear, broad panels
flashing in the sunlight. And l had
wondered hat mysterious. what grave
and splendid facts of war. We're con-
cealed within that inscrutable in-
terror.
White Ambulance Trains.
And 1 was to journey to london in
n of those great white trains!
/ stepped inside; and because the
front of the carriage was two broad
windows and because it was the first
coach, l saw, framed in stills of dark
wood, the black, square bulk of the en-
ing. Outside. on the platform. the doc
tor was standing with his hand OF the
frame of the opened door.
The engineer leaned out of his cab.
The doctor turned. looked at him. nod
ded and said: "Al right
The engineer moved back in his seat.
The doctor stepped into the compart-
most casual and engaging fashion, the
ceremony was completed. We We're off.
l saw the concrete flooring of the
pier moving past on either side and the
columnar supports of the pier roof glid-
ing by u windows. Through the open
arched space between them I could see
the sunlit water and the gray line of a
10y LIN Sehk AAosSSS VI ~ saAP
rose very black against a brilliant and
intensely blue sky.
There was in the compartment a
curious impression of stiffness. which
l believe was due in great part to the
very size OF it. Certainly, it was quite
the largest carriage 1 had ever seen. BY
the windows. placed on either side. were
two big couches done in dark blue. with
blue cushions; at the foot of n of
them stood a square,. closed desk, with
a continental telephone above. There
were also a table and swiveled arm
charms. upholstered in gentian coiored
cloth. with gold borders. A ase filled
with bright flowers, stood on the ta-
BILE; an opened book, turned face down
ward. had been left on h couch. And
this was a compartment in a train.
W. have to do what we can with
them" the doctor said, standing by the
desk and turning over some papers
we just about live in them, you know"
This, of course" he explained, lis
only a short trip, comparatively. Some
times they are rather bad"
Anything can happen, you know.
NOW, there was a man we had last
might've knew it was a serious case,
yes. An amputation-only just got him
off the train in time. There wasn't
after" The doctor sat in the corner
of the couch, facing me, looking out of
the window where the gray smOk from
the engine whirled against it. I've
never had a man die on board, he said.
slowly. But there are times"- he
hesitated, waited a little, then shook his
head. Yes, there are bad times" he
murmured.
He leaned back, took up the book be-
side him, closed 1T and placed it on the
desk. His khaki tunic and braided
sleeves. with their three small stars,
showed very dark against che gentian
cushions. It's the responsibility" he
said, the even, meditative tone of his
voice carrying quite clearly in the GU
the fact that you don't know. ANY,
thing can happen. .
There was the night they stopped
us and told us about the Zeppelins.
: That was the second time my
train had been bombed-there was an
other night, but that wasn't very bad.
But this night the train was filled up.
all cot cases, two amputations. pos
sibility of hemorrhage. And what are
you going to do? You have, to get them
to the hospitals. So we ven ahead.
Bombing the Trains.
"They were dropping them pretty
thick that night-oh. yet, we saw it all
right. Quite a thing to see, that"
Then he smiled, that friendly Scotch
doctor. smiled and fumbled with, the
black cor Of his eyeglasses which had
caught on the button of his shoulder
strap. "Pretty show it would have
been." he announced. with q certain
gentle causticity. 'if they had hit u.s."
Then he stood up abruptly. waited
for a moment to look out the window
where the broad fields were wheeling
past in great squares OF color. and
said: There are one or two serious
cases tonight. Wen go back now"
And he walked down and opened the
door beside the closed desk. I saw be-
fore me a little narrow vestibule with