The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-01-11
THURSDAY, JANUARY II, 1917.
A Child S Diary.

0OSna anu OJnef clLleS HdNe pUuIcu OuI
their dimes and their dollars and their
thousands of dollars to alleviate suf-
fering and in a measure to make life
possible for lot of innocent victims
Of the war scourge. That millions Of
men have been, killed is tragedy
supreme, but that millions Of child
rem Is lives have been saddened, that
these little ones who have had no part
in bringing on war should suffer as
they are suffering is the sorrow and
the shame of civilization. For
Mama" scrubbed in a boyish, almost
baby hand, over the leaf Of the diary
of child has brought home to lot
of people the infinite pathos of the war
to the children. This child s story of
a worlds tragedy was picked up on
one of the desolated fields of Belgium
Its appeal is to the hearts of men and
women who are able to help. May we
quote a few lines from it?
Mama taught me to keep diary
when | was little boy" it starts out.
~ found diary today beside dead
soldier when was looking for some
thing to eat. 1t had pencil in it. /
think will write in it. Sister is sleep
ing on the ground beside me. We have
slept out many nights alone, Without
her ] would be lonely"
When war began the soldiers came
and burned out house and a rough
soldier shot father and did something
to mother / cannot tell T fought him
and he beat me with his gun and for a
long time / was asleep. Then after
awhile l dreamed heard sister crying
and calling Mama, Mama, and then
walked up. Mama lay ON the ground
near me and little sister sat by her
sobbing and calling Mama, Mama
all the time. crawled to them, I
felt mama's face, it was cold.''
Il called to her. She did not answer
me. He had killed her. lay down
and cried. The soldiers were burning
houses near by and / heard them yell
ing and shooting. was afraid they
would kill sister and me and when
it was dark / told sister not to make
any noise and we went into the woods.
I am afraid he broke my arm. I
couldn t use it for long time and it is
crooked now and sore. But little sister
how she cries for something to eat''
Yesterday I found some potatoes
and we ate them raw and a kind Wom-
an we met gave us some of her bread.
1t is the first we have had for a long
time / saved mine for sister. Tt seems
long time since the war began. Last
week we were between the two armies
and were so frightened by the noise and
the bright lights at night. Sister cried
all night-poor sister-but we got
away. / don't dare speak to any one.
/ am afraid they will take sister away
from me. have seen them kill little
children. There was lost little boy
and girl The soldiers took them from
some kind people who had picked them
up and the soldiers took them away
and shot them and sister saw them do
1T, 1t was awful. We hid and went
as far as we could that night. We are
so hungry all the time. We have
hunted everywhere for something to
seat. One day we came to a place
where they had fought and / saw some
soldiers lying still by great hole. l
hid sister and crept near them for
something to eat. I touched the hand
of one soldier. 1t was cold. He was
dead and next to him lay man and
his head was all gone on top and a
red thing hung down over his eyes and
face that came from inside the top of
his head. Maybe it was his brain.
Pretty horses that sister loves so we'll
were dead too. found a pretty piece
OF brass. Tt was rough. 1t shined and
sister liked it. 1t was black on one
side. But I couldn t find anything
for her to eat. Sister has just walked
up and | must stop"
"Sister is asleep again. She cried a
little when she walked up this morning,
but when / gave her some of my bread
she was happy. Then she saw some
pretty flowers and we played in the
fields till I saw some soldiers and
we hid.'
"There was little bread left for
sister today and she cried again. I
haven't had anything for three days. !"
Sister and were sick all day yes
terday, We saw a lot of birds in a
field. When we went near they all
flew up. They were eating dead
animal. Sister and | gnawed bone we
were so hungry but it made us sick. =
GIVE havn It had anything to eat for
over a week. 1t rained all last night.
Tt was cold and sister moaned all night.
Sister is so tired today and can't stand.
She has laid still on the wet ground
all day. have tried to get her some
thing to eat, but I can t find anything
and can't 60 far from her. Poor
sister,
''Today sister has slept almost all
day she is so tired. -
N<4Todav she anesnit~-nntica me. She