The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-17
GETTING \. V. c.
 GREATER ORDEAL THAN FACING FOE
Soldier Found It Easier to Fight Germans Than Re
 ceive Thanks of King

against the winning of the Victoria Cross. Not that he didn't want the cherished emblem of supreme cour- age, 4but ---he knew the~cost of ac- knowledging his friends congratula- tions with lunches, dinners and oth- CT traditional items.
 . Now comes one who has worn the V. c. to tell of another ordeal in con nection with 1t. This is the visit to the Royal Palace. where King George receives the heroes of his armies and awards the decoration In person. saThis sVI c. winner tells of his emotions on this visit to royalty in an entertaining way. His story IS as follows: &ut
 hailed a taxicab at Charing Cross and with a matter-of-fact air told the driver to drive to the Palace. Feeling. strangely preoccupied, did not no- tice which way we were going until the cab turned into Shaftesbury ave- nue. put my head, out of the win dow and yelled;, Hi! Buckingham Palace! The Mall! Don't you know t?'. And then he smiled and drove all the way along Piccadilly to Hyde Park Corner and Buckingham Palace road, evidently under the impression had never been to London be- fore.
 x By. the time we. had reached the further front gate facing the Victoria Memorial was feeling curiously Ill at ease. I rather fancied saw one of the sentries come sharply to at tention. A wonderful sensation that, being saluted by one of the sentr1es at Buckingham Palace-it bucked me up bit, made me feel that after all l. was person of some importance
 At the moment I had a distinct {, recollection of standing near that spot as a small boy some years ago , with fond parent and looking at the grenadier. who then, of course, was not in khaki.
 Having satisfied the police inspec- tor on the, gate as to who was, l walked straight ahead the front of the palace on the Victoria station side, and then turning sharp {, to the right, reached the quadran- :. gle in the rear. This is an inn { mense place, and was told 1t was . a perfect maze of cellars I was glad there were other fellows there or I might have taken a wrong turn ! ing and got lost and found again toe late for the tnyestitp s5
 We were directed tola door at the other side of the palace, where there were a few steps leading to large hall. Here we left our hats and { coats in charge of liveried footmer with powdered hair. and walked UT wide, imposing staircase into { magnificent apartment. canno' now remember anything about it ex- ceptf that there were, I believe, pill lars in it, that 1t was apparently or vbsf would bS cz11ed fhe first floor and that through the window I saw the stone balcony at which l have often looked from the outside, ofter wondering what rooms admitted to it.
 There were a good many other or ficers. non-commissioned officers an6 privates already there. and T thinf there was at least one brigadier- gen ctnk.s ssf not 1roreG sssasA A few of th' r1en wers -wearing q several decorationI ! and seemed to be much more at eas' than those, including myself, wh. possessed neither ribbon nor medal
 It was curiously quiet in this room nobody seemed inclined to talk mucf except in whispers. Certainly 1t wa. utterly unlike anything that I .haf I imagined. I had pictured an impos ing asseublF of. distingTished people court oficfais and others, Surrounding : the King, guardsmen standing rigidl! at attention, and the recipients O honors drawn up in line facing him each man to leave the ranks as. he wal called and marching forward to Hi Majesty
 It was nothing like it. Much nor simple, and as a consequence shoul' say more Impressive noticed on man with crutches looking very serd ous All of us were suffering iron very bad attacks of stage fright
 There was a door in one corner ad hitting to another apartment. and 1 was through that door we were t pass one by one alone. One man sai' he believed that 1t was the ballroom and that the King was there..
 We had clearly in our minds, think, the instructions as to our be Ehavior-the standing at attention s without, of course, any salute, tn title Sir not Your Majesty" to b used by an officer in reply to a ques ton. and the backward steps to b taken on leaving the royal presencs Suddenly we heard a name and it sen a thrill through the crowd, not be cause it was the name of a distin gs1ished officer, but because it was tn 5 1ihSI tO bc CollSA- u Wd5, eiO A>iA6 a dier General, and we watched hir pass through the open door, wonder ing how soon it would be before ou turn came.
 Strange that these men who had a faced death in an inferno of fam and fury, seeing their comrades blow ito pieces, mutilated, should now | qualnng at this ordeal.
 had never believed the stories ( giant heroes turning pale and becon ing sick with fright at some ceremc nious occasion such as this. But
 saw these men actually change colc when their names were called. Tn bronzed skin became asfen. I my self felt "a cold perspiration, an UT accountabler forebodipg that I migi do something 1udicrous that The I heard. Second Lieut.. ."
 I was looking at a gentleman khaki who was smiling, and I fe suddenly very gratifled and encoul aged. The King was standing wit his back to the window in the ba cony. and at the moment there scene to be nobody else in the room but W two.
 Then heard voice at my side rt citing something about what Secon Lieut. tcfd on a certain occs sion. It was gentleman in black an wearing sword who was saying i and 1t must have been he who, whe entered the room and etocRf still <xey