Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-26
Woman Called
OfWO0den Legs"

given Mrs. Green. II keep thinking
about that prayer to the Madonna" the
donor said, how | wish all those boys
prayers could be answered"
And SO it went on until within three
days, without asking for penny. Mrs.
Green had 1.500 lire. With that money
the poor mutilated soldiers became her
boys" and forever more the prayer to
the Madonna and wooden legs, un-
poetic but practical. will be associated
in Rome with Mrs. Green.
The devotion of these Italian soldiers
to their American Madonna of the
wooden legs is unquenchabl BILE. There is
Giovanni Ariosi, who refuses to accept
any other knowledge on the subject OF
artificial limbs except such as comes
from his American signora. Giovannfs
leg was torn away by an Austrian
shrapnel on Col di Lana, and he, first
of all of these three mctilated soldiers,
was to be fitted to a leg. But he re-
fused
1t must be understood that the pro-
curing of artificial limbs from America
in these war times is no easy matter.
One day an American woman who was
interested. through the American clear
ing house of the Italian mutilated.
came to the Villa Mirafiori with a
wooden leg. 1t was for one of her
special charges, but, alas, ii was
right leg, and her patient had lost his
left leg. She approached Giovanni and
offered to give him her precious wood
a
his had not arrived from America. Gio-
vanni gazed at the artificial limb. but
shook his head firmly:
-"Signora,' he said. II prefer to wait
for my wooden leg from America that
my American signora is getting me. l
want to have it from her"
The devotion of Lorenzo De Capo is
pathetic He has such longing for
his Abruzzi home. but without his
promised American leg he does not want
to return.
At last. one day, Mrs. Green arrived
a: the villa with an artificial limb. IL
was Il fine American leg that worked
10 perfection. Lorenzo. quivering with
anticipation. was lifted from his chair
and the leg was fitted on. 1t was the
right length, hut when poor Lorenzo
put il on the knee shot away above the
sound one. And here is where one
learns that Italians are shorter in the
leg from the knee down than Ameri-
cans. OF course, Lorenzo couldn't take
the American wooden leg, and has to
wait for one especially made for him.
still another misadventure was to
befau him. A fine artificial leg was
brought at another time by Mrs. Green
to the villa. But. alas, il was for
man whose leg had been amputated
n Dove The knee instead OF below.
And LorenZo-why. Lorenzo begged
with all the passion of his Italian soul.
that his leg he cut off to fit the arti-
fetal one so he could go home with an
American deg which his signora had
brought him.
do you wonder 1 love these boys and
want to put them on their feet" in
auired Mrs. Green as she was leaving
the villa where she had taken long
bath robes or dressing gowns for the
legless men who are. sensitive about
their mutilated stumps.
We had just visited the workshop
where Director Bull, an American, who
is the wonder of the Italians was over
seeing the making of wooden legs on
the American plan. Director Bull has
two wooden legs. having lost both in a
railroad accident, but he absolutely de-
fies detection. Naturally. the longing OF
the Italian soldiers to have American
wooden legs is all the stronger since
Director Bull rides a bicycle. jumps and
dances about and walks as nonchalantly
as though his neither limbs were Of flesh
and bone instead of wood.
The Villa Mirafiori. once a royal villa.
belongs to the American school and
was turned over TO the Italian gov
Ii is used as a convalescent
home for the mutilated who are trained
in various occupations. Cameo carving
and book binding are among the trades.
but the wooden leg industry is the one
which inspires the, soldiers.
boys to work on artificial limbs to the
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