The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-26
2,97S HURT HEROES
ENJOY MERRY TIME
Frolicing Scenes Mark Holiday
in Big U. S. Hospital in Old
Greenhut store.
CRIPPLES FULL OF SPIRIT
Even the Helpless War Vic
tins Feel Happier for Plethora
Of Goodies Sent to Them.


brim with goodies. came hurting down
from third floor window of L. s. De-
barkation Hospital No. 3, the same
which was the Greenhut store at Sixth
avenue and Eighteenth street. Out
from the curb darted laughing girl.
picked up the stocking and the candies
and cigarettes and other small gear It
had shed on its way, blew a kiss up
ward and ran on. From the third floor
window the soldier Santa Claus blew
the kiss back with interest, and turned
inside with a grin to resume swapping
stories of the front with a bunch of
his pals. 1t was Christmas Day at No.
3, and such a pack of presents had {,
brought to the 2.97s wounded heroes
there that they even had some to share
with the outside world. All girl had
to do was to stand looking up at the
windows with wistful expression.
An officer just inside the big en-
. trance on Eighteenth street watched
stocking fall with tolerant grin.
They're raising the devil up there"
he said. But it was a harmless frolic,
and 1t might have been a deal wilder
and anybody would forgive those lads
for II, and be glad that fellows who
have risked everything and come back
manned, gassed, shaking from shell
shock, legless, afmless, blind, have still
spirits and youth to. make merry on
Christmas Day.
Nothing Lacking for the LADS.
They had all the materials for q
high old holiday. Nothing was lack
ing that the Government or a CRATE
ful public could do. John Mccormack
sang for them. The finest jazz band
procurable played for them. Every
body in the country il appeared, had
sent candy and smokes and picture
books and gifts. Tho turkey dinner
was the best ever. Pretty girl faces
doomed for the men under becoming
Red Cross headdresses. Invitations to
dine out were showered on them. In
fact, as the adjutant said to reporter:
- hN ptopit al q OuttlOlIlS themselves
to be kind to the wounded soldiers
but" he added. IF they'd only spread
out over ten years what they are
eager to do now! What I'm afraid of
is that by and by 1t will be thumbs
down for many OF these men who have
sacrificed lot. People don't remem-
Der. and even so soon there is a dispo-
sition TO crowd past n wounded SOL
der on the street, instead OF giving
him the right of way. These MANNED
men will have their own fight TO
make"
But they're having n good time now.
AS nice, fresh faced, clear eyed
South Carolina boy told the reporter,
smoking a cigarette and nursing
game leg the while:
1T looked lax An was everybody's
pet the minute All got wounded, ovah
than in France. and here in New York
All seem to be a pet still.
Those British nurses were mighty
good to us Americans. All was with
the British at Cambria, long with ma h
regiment, and when the shell struck
nah leg All was taken TO a British
hospital. Seemed lax the nurses made
more fuss ovah us Americans than
ovah theh own men. An New York is
shuah fine TO us. But Ah'm loOkin' to
go homo soon-theh's no place LAX
home"
Anxious for Home Petting.
mo petting like home petting," haz.
arded the reporter. A blissful smile
spread over the lads faSe-he was just
a STRIPPING.
"Ah'ye got father and mother and
foah brothers and five sisters" he
said, "and," he added renectlvely,
-thah's maybe another girl or two
Ah'll be glad TO get home. Wars all
right, but the weather in France didn't
suit me. And you had go much Of it.
You'd put up your tent and crawl In
and go to sleep, and long would come
q shell and blow your tent away, and
nothing but weather all around you.
And the noise was te'ble. But All got
used to II. At first seemed lax All
couldn't sit down in a ~ tent and
write a iettah, count of the noise;
Aid get all fused up: but now All
don't mind anything"
This lad wasn't badly hurt, and was
carrying a cane. he explained, less
10 be in fashion," Canes were all the
vogue at No. 3 yesterday, every patient
who could be out Of bed had one, and
very swagger canes they We're In all
other respects great variety was per-
mitted as to costume. Olive drab was
full dress. but the whole OF the uniform
didn't have TO be there-if a doughboy
preferred a bathrobe to his coat IL was
all right. Any number OF buttons
could be missing and there was no
Ccurt--nartial.
AI1cng many. paJanas with bath
robes artstically draped over them
were all the rage And on the feet
that socially met and intermixed when
groups got to casing together were
all styles of footgear from leggings
fastened up to the Colonel's taste TO
Tapping bath slippers or thick band
ages, or warm gray socks. But there
were two things without which no
colder appeared at Yesterdays Christ
mas frolic. One was a white variation
IN his buttonhole, or pinned on II he
hadn't any buttonhole, and the other
was the cane.
Injured Men often Agile.
Some OF the men going up the grand
staircase from the rotunda, in which
was the Christmas tree, merely used
Che cane this way: They would plant
II firmly two steps above them. make
flying jump Of four stems. resting