The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-04
BUSINESS OF LIVING
az 1xRs. EVA LEONARD

Patty Tells of Heroism and Suffering
in Northern France. e.
Dear Brother and Sister:
81 have been so rushed with work
these last days that 1 have not had
time to write as usual. The activity
along our front has kept the hospital
full to overlooking. The village near
est to the hospital has been utterly
wiped out. Many of the injured in
children. Most of the people fled
and now the firing has stopped they
come wandering back to their broken
homes. Their means of livelihood are
gone and they are dependent on the
army rations. They have gone brave
ly to work to build up the devastated
village with a patience that almost
brings tears to the eyes that watch
them. One little boy was brought
in late at night He had been found
under a broken stair. His parents
were both dead. We questioned him.
but the poor little fellow could not
talk There is "a strange nervous af-
lection that is caused by fright and the
awful noise of the exploding shells
that renders the sufferer speeches..
That was what allied the poor little
boy. 1t was several days before he
could say a word. One day about a
week after he had been brought in
1 was bending over him arranging his
pillow. I stroked his forehead and
asked. Are you comfortable? 2 He snil-
ed family and nodded his head and
then said softly:
~ like it here. 1t is so quiet
Poor little soul, what a hell of misery
and conflict he had been thru.
There is nothing like war to bring
out the most unsupported qualities in
men. In this last engagement our
men made a raid into the enemy's
ha nm
and stretcher bearers had been sent
to carry off the wounded Suddenly
the men were driven oAt of the posi-
tons they had taken and were forced
to a running retreat right over the
ground on which the stretcher bearers
were working. All of them Joined in
the retreat except Jack Byron. He
saw several wounded men in a shell
hole and he dropped in with them to
see if he could help any of them.
There were seven Of them in all
Some were badly wounded. One died
before he could be removed. For two
days and a night he stayed by them,
stripping his clothing for first aid
bandages when his kit gave out He
crawled out and collected canteens for
died down and he brought all of the
six men who were still alive into our
lines and they are all alive now. right
here in my ward. They would have
Oleu II II HaO not Deen IOr MS nero
ism. It would warm your heart to
hear them talk about him. These
rpen are quick to recognize hero and
as for these six, they realize that they
would not be here now had 1t not been
for Jack. He is a little Insignificant
fellow, not at all the conventional
hero; but he is the real stuff, all right.
II know of five darling little
chubby babies, war orphans, as dear
q nest of babies as ever delighted a
woman's heart. Can't you find some
childless women to adopt them? They
are Of good stock, the finest there is.
They had heroic fathers who gave
their lives for their country and the
mothers were killed in the raided
town. 1 do not know how the darling
children escaped. But they were
| found huddled in far corners of the
house too frightened to make any
noise. It would make a stone image
weep to think of what the babies are
made to suffer in this war. Grown
people can stand it, for they know
what causes it: but the innocent
| babies-what must it be to them?
| Goodbye, dear ones all. Write
soon to YOUR PATTY
! (To be continued.)