The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1918-05-07

" | stepped llllH space ana lell lily
rushing downward horrible bump.
and blackneSS When | came to my
/ wounded shoulder was hurting horri- !
hly. I was lying against a circular
wall of bricks, dripping with moisture.
and far away could hear the tricklinE !
of water. I had in the darkness fallen
into an old disused we'll. But why
wasn't I wet? According to all rules
! I should have been drowned. Perhaps
| was and didn't know it.
AS the shock Of my sudden stop
gradually wore off it came to me that
I was lying on a ledge and that the
least movement on my part would pre-
cipitate me TO the bottom Of the well.
I struck q match. In its faint glare
I saw that I was lying in circular
hole about twelve feet deep-the we'll
had been filed in! The dripping had
heard came from water pipe over Oh
my right.
With my wounded shoulder it was
impossible to shiny up the pipe. l
could not yell for help. because the
rescuer would want 70 know how the
accident happened, and l would be
hailed before the command:nt on
charges. l just had to grin and bear
1t, with the forlorn hope that one OF
the returning night raiders would pass
and / could give him our usual signal
Of '.siss-s-s-s." which would bring him
TO the rescue.
Every half-hour I could hear the
clock in the village strike. each stroke
bringing forth a muffied volley OF
curses on the man who had dug the
we'll.
After two hours I heard two men
talking in low voices. I recognized
CORPORAL Cook. an ardent might raid
er." He heard my "siss-s-s-s" and
came to the edge of the hole. I ex-
planned my predicament and amid lot
of impertinent remarks, which at the
time did not resent, was soon fished
out.
Taking off our boots, we sneaked into
the ward. / was sitting on my bed in
the dark, just starting to undress,
when the man next to me, Ginger
Phillips, whispered. cop it, Yank, ere
comes the matron."
I Immediately got under the covers
and feigned sleep. The matron stood
talking in low tones to the night nurse
and fell asleep.
When I awoke in the morning the
night sister, an American, was bending
over me. An awful sight met my eyes.
The coverlet on the bed and the sheets
were mass of mud and green slime.
She was good sport all right, and
hustled to get clean clothes and sheets
so that no one would get wise, but con
her own" she gave me good tongue
lashing but did not report me. One Of
the Canadians in the ward described
her as being "a Jake of a good fell /!
low"
Next visiting day I had an awful
time explaining to my visitor why l
had not met her at the appointed time
and place.
And for week every time passed
a patient he would call, "Well, we'll,
here's the Yank. Hope 7ou are feel !,
ing we'll, old top"
The surgeon in our ward was an
American, Harvard unit man, named
Frost. We nicknamed him "Jack !
Frost" He was loved by all. If a
Tommy was to be cut up he had no OBJ !
lection to undergoing the operation if !.
"Jack Frost" was to WELD the knife. +
Their confidence in him was pathetic. !
He was the best sport have ever met. |.
One Saturday morning the command
ant and some "high up" officers were
inspecting the ward, when one of the
patients who had been wounded in the
head by bit of shrapnel, fell on the
floor in fit. They brought him round,
and then looked for the ward orderly
to carry the patient back to his bed
at the other end of the ward. The or
derly was nowhere to be found-like
'cu" policemen, they never are when
re> >tled. Tie officers we're at loss
now to &C. Palmer into his bed. Doc
tor Frost was idgeting around in
nervous manner, when suddenly with
a mufled "d-n'' and a few other
qualifying adjectives, he stopped down
and took the man in his arms like a
baby-he was no feather, either-and
staggered down the ward with him, put
him in bed and undressed him. A low
murmur Of approval came from the pa
tientS. Doctor Frost got very red, and
as soon as he had finished undressing
Palmer, hurriedly left the ward. !
The wound in my face had almost !
healed and I was a notwithstanding
Sight-tEe left cheek twisted into a !
knot, the eye pulled down, and my !
mouth pointing in north by north !
west direction. was very downheart- |
ed and could imagine myself during !
the est Of my life being Stunned by !
all or account Of the repulsive scar |