The Prescott daily news., 1917-08-16
FROM FRANCE
Miss Mary Stephenson, American Base Hospital, Writes Letter
 to Home Folks.

stephenson, American Base Hospital No. 2l, of St. Louis, now in the field in France:
 Rouen, France, July 13, 1917.
 Your letter of June 18th and your card of June Sth, which were written at French Lick, just received. You see it takes some time to reach us but its just as welcome as if written the day before arrival.
 We are just now having one of our "French" showers. It certainly can rain in France, but in a few minutes the sun will be shining and the birds singing.
 Am glad Uncle Thomas is president of the Red Cross Chapter in Sparta. He will surely be doing his bit in that way. What are they doing? Write me details.
 We are not so rushed with patients now as we were at first We hope that means not many wounded. We lost our first boy the other day. I mean the first one in my ward Poor fellow was about 23 years of age, from New Zealand. Left leg was shot and had to be amputated above the knee. He developed septic pneumonia and died. It seemed so sad away from all his people, but what of the battle field. However, we cannot af- ford to let our minds dwell on these things, here more than can be helped.
 We've all been wonderfully well. All the nurses look fine and not one has lost day on account of sickness. For all these blessings, we can only thank the Lord, who has all things in his power and has not turned a deaf ear to all the prayers offered in our behalf
 am writing as often as 1 can, but there are times when it is impossible to get an opportunity. Keep on writ ing whether you hear or not. Do send me some of your kodaks to put on my hut wall. They'll come through in letter. Your letters are seldom open ed by censors. l have an autograph book and my boys are writing for me. One is quite an artist and has drawn so many pictures for me. I'll enclose one that I think is so cute. Let me know if you get it.
 Here is a copy of the effusion one boy, aged 19, wrote in few minutes, entirely original: "We in the ward do bless the day you started from the | U. s. A. We're sure you did not mind bit the parting from your Uncle Sam. though he, we know, was almost frantic, to think of you on the Allan tic. We hope you value to the full, the qualities of stout John Bull, that long before you have to get back you'll learn to know and love the Auzacs, on the first page of this, your book, make my bow and wish you luck"
 Don't you think that was clever for kid? This same boy also plays the flute and furnishes us with music.
 The Aucazs are the Australians and the New Zealanders l think told you before our patients are all British end Australians, with an occasional Canadian.
 am making slow progress with my French. but will get enough to make my wants known l think. Last night some of we nurses and some of the V. A. DIS. who are the Volunteer Aid De- partment, played baseball against each other. We had good time and quite a bunch of spectators. All our blue boys who could leave the tents were there to see, and it did us good to see them enjoy the game and cheer for us. The blue boys are our patients We call them blue boys because they wear blue suits, the hospital suits.
 The patients are all so patient and so appreciative whatever the trouble is that we feel We cannot do enough for them. I am invited to little tent party tonight, given by the Y. A. D's.
 There is a large bulletin board Tn front of our mess hall (dining room) on which posters of our changes and what not are tackled, most every hour of the day, hence it is an interesting place to be and we go there about five times day. Most of our instructions are gotten there, and new rules,