The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-06-21
TRENCH FIGHTING
IS NOT new TO
G. A. R. VETERANS
BY Mabel Abbott

Il ~'u N"sNa ana inc RED cross
campaign to raise seattie's
$Sco,coo quota Of Americas
sioo.ooo, 900 war fund are under
way simultaneously.
! G. a. v. headquarters are at
the Hotel Frye. and the old
soldiers drift into the lobby
between sessions az Moose hall
to shake hands, talk convention
politics and swap stories Of
'thc war"
Hut they are face To face with n
hew situation. Always before. when
they have spoken OF the war"
everyone has understood what war
they meant. Now. "the war" means
something else.
Vets Watch Young Soldiers
When khakiclad youngster
steps hriskly past. the eyes OF the
old soldiers follow him: and when
white.robed girl with red crosses
on brow and breast hurries hy. a
little silence falls on the blue
coated groups.
II N''' WIS no tN'u tIths loF
them.
There was no self.pity. however.
In the story that Sergt. C. D.
Crnmer OF Spokane told yesterday
about the aftermath OF battle. In
fact. he Was inclined TO brag about
how well he was cared for.
Was In the Trenches
Cramer Is gray .haired and gray
mustached now. and walks with a
cane and a limp: but he was only
is when Co. u. seth Wisconsin.
charged the trenches before Peters
burg. Yes. the trenches.
"A lot CT these young fellows
seem 10 think We didn't know any
thing about trenches before the
European war" he chuckied. as he
! sat In the lobby OF the Frye.
Cramer was hit In the right
breast. and fell. With the stimulus
OF drink OF whIskey given him
by his lieutenant. he managed to
Set back to where the stretcher.
tearers-the regimental musicians.
who did stretcher duty during bat
tles--could get him.
Transportation Painful
He was taken to n field hospital.
where he lay on the ground In the
oTen air all night. because there
was no room In the house. Thru
the open windows all night long he
could hear his Lieutenant. wounded
unto death and delirious. shouting
orders To his men. most of whom
we're lying outside on the grass.
| Next day CrRmer was taken In n
| springless munItion wagon nine
miles to the base hospital at city
Point He admits that the ride was
uncomfortable.
| His face contorted with remem.
bered agony as he spoke OF Il.
But once in the great tent. he
was well off. he says
| Nursss Were All Men
The nurses. OF course. were all
men. Ia fact there were men
nurses even In the hospital at
Washington. d. C.. where was
sent later. Some women came. but
mostly just TO bring delicacies.
THE sanitary Commission gave
Us supplies"
Cramer smiled reminiscently. Il
remember one funny thing" he
said.
One day boy who had been
very slightly wounded-iust hit in
the big toe-and could hobble
around all right, came in and asked
IL there was anything he could do
for me. was feverish. and | said
1t seemed like Id give anything in
the world for some lemonade.
He'd Gone Swimming
so he started for the sanitary
commission tent just a little ways
certainly glad 10 think OF that lem.
onade coming. | waited-and |
waited-and waited.
Il couldn't think what was takin z
him so long BY and by | made up
my mind was never going TO get
that lemonade.
And then he came back He
didn't have a lemon with him, and
he was dressed in nothing but an
old pair OF pants and wooden shirt,
and he looked queer.
What's the matterT I says
Where's the lemonade? And
vhere'd you get those pants?'
Well. then he told me. He'd got
the lemons and sugar and started
back. and he met fellow he knew
and the other fellow says, Come on
down to the river and have a swim.
And he thought he'd 20 in for Just
a minute or two, and they left their
clothes on the bank and the lemons
and sugar with them. and Jumped
in. And when they came out, the
lemons and sugar were gone, and
the clothes were gone, too! They'd
been putting In the rest OF the time
waiting for somebody to come alon
J and scare up enough clothes for
them TO get back to the hopsital in.
And then he had to go and get
some more lemons"
Hopes for Less Suffering
Cramer's chuckle was catching
His interviewer laughed. too--untI
she remembered that Cramer was
only IS when these things happen
ed and that he was parched with
thirst and pain.
\ How long did you have TO walt
for your lemonade?" he was asked
"Oh. not more than two or three
hours" he said.
In the crowded lobby, the old sol
diers snapped stories with much
wagging OF gray heads and flourish.
b ing Of canes.
A Outside, In the street. the girls
with red crosses on brow and
h breast. stood beside the mercy bar.
rels."
And somehow. because OF what
those red crosses mean. one can't
helm hoping that tho the war" Is