The Washington herald., 1918-09-08
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tary Lansing received word long be-
fore the newspapers got hold OF
1t. that his sisters had been cited
in tine orosrs-but SO far that
seems 10 be as far as the fsrily's
information goes.
They have. of course, had most
interesting letters from the two
over there" and those who know
have marveled at the experiences
which they seem to be taking as
all in a days work-especially the
Kate. who has been
something of an invalid, and timid
and shrinking to q degree. She was
Inclined 10 be shy, and Washing
ton did not know her very well.
''She was always delicate" says
one Of her few Washington intimates,
land she was one OF those who could
not stand the sight Of blood. 1t made
her faint And now she's writing
home Of her work In Neuilly, in the
hospital. with horribly wounded men
coming In by the hundred, and re-
quiring attention and aid. And OF
course she writes. one must do what
one can for them. Some of them are
awful, but I am quite too busy TO
faint at blood, now She admits,
however. that # takes all her courage
when she has-as has sometimes hap
pened-to feed or give drinks to men
with their faces shot away" II 10
hard to imagine Miss Kate Lansing
doing that, and II she is doing II,
well. from my point of view she de-
serves the croiN de guerre a whole
lot more than some who have gotten
M thafts raFaHffnn fh6rn
either!
Speaking OF letters-all the mothers
OF men over there are complaining
that while their boys write to them
quite egularly-though the letters ar
rive irregularly. in punches after in
tervals of silence-they don't tell them
anything. Mrs. Champ Clark says
that she is able to keep pretty well
in touch with her boy-Bennett Clark
I'm not sure whether he's a major
or a lieutenant colonel-not through
his letters. 50 much as through the
personal reports of the Members of
Congress who have been pouring
through France in a steady stream
for the last year and half. All OF
them know Bennett, and like him; he
was parliamentarian of the House for
like fve years before he
resigned to get into the service. And,
OF course, they all make a point Of
looking him up. He can give them
the inside dope" OF personal expert
ence that they all want. And so each
little group that comes back brings
real news. personal news OF their be-
loved son TO the Speaker and Mrs.
Clark.
The Lanes are not quite so for
tunate. Their boy. Ned" whose
real name f. Franklin. like his
has not Bennett Clark's
wide Congressional Acquaintance.
And while returning travellers do
bring his parents word of him. they
have TO rely to a greater extent on
letters. And letters tell so little.
especially from the young officers
who have to censor themselves and
are so afraid that they may say
that they shouldn't that
they don't say anything. Mrs. Lane
says she gets more real news Of her
boy from other people-both from
those who have recently been over
and seen him. and from the letters
OF older officers to other people,
than she does from him. though he
writes at every opportunity. He
would probably really say more II
there was some one else responsible
for his not saying anything he
AS IL IS he doesn't dare
tell her the most harmless things.
Recently he wrote her OF having
had such delightful weekend
gone swimming. But he
didn't say who he was visiting or
where. He simply spent Sunday
somewhere in France with some
one in France. and enjoyed a swim.
And that is probably all she will
know about 1t until he get. back,
unless some one else happens TO tell
her.
There was a pleasant little furry
last week when 1t was rumored that
Capt Archie Roosevelt. who had
landed at Norfolk the previous day.
would be in Washington. and that his
wife-formerly Miss Grace Lockwood,
OF Boston-had come down here to
meet him and to introduce his five
months-old son to him. Mrs. Long
worth probably put in much Of that
day at the telephone. either assuring
people that he either had not ar
rived. or trying on her own part to
get some definite information as to his
movements. His wife did come down
here 10 meet him. only to find that
his orders had been changed and he
had been sent straight UP 10 Williams
Bridge, n. Y. 10 base hospital
there, instead OF to Walter Reed. And
had passed through Washington with
out stopping. So Mrs. Roosevelt and