The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-08-16
CHAPTER lV-Continued.

VfAP IEH lv-Contnueo. l
When my "chummy enemy" first |
started his conversation with me, the |
German doctor In charge reprimanded |
him for talking to me, but he paid no
attention to the doctor, showing that |
some real Americanism had soaked |
into his system while he had been In |
the U. S. A. l asked him one day what |
he thought the German people would
do after the war; il he thought they
would make Germany a republic, and
much to my surprise he said very bit
terly, "If l had my way about it, l
would make her a republic today and
hang the id kaiser in the bar
gain" And yet he was considered an
excellent soldier. / concluded, how
ever. that he must have been a Ger
man socialist though he never told me
SO. On one occasion l asked him for
his name, but he said that I would
probably never see him again and 1t
didn't matter what his name was. l
did not know whether he meant that
the Germans would starve- me out, or
Just what was on his mind, for at that
time / am sure he did not figure on
dying. The first two or three days
l was in the hospital l thought surely
he would be up and gone long before
/ was, but blood poisoning set In
about that time, and just a few hours
before l left for Courtrai he died.
One of those days. while my wound
~%f1J
given an apple; whether 1t was just to
torment me, knowing that l could not
eat it, or whether for some other rea
son, I do not know. But anyway
German flying officer there had several
In his pockets and gave me nice one.
OF course there was no chance of my
eating it, so when the officer had gone
and l discovered this San Francisco
fellow looking at 1t rather longingly,
1 picked it up, intending to toss it
over to him. But he shook his head
and said, "If this was San Francisco
l would take it, but I cannot take it
from you here" l was never able to
understand just why he refused the
apple for he was usually sOciable and
a good fellow to talk to, but appar-
emily he could not forget that l was
his enemy. However, that did not stop
one of the orderlies from eating the
apple.
One practice about the hospital i'm
pressed me particularly. That was,
If q German soldier did not stand
much chance Of recovering sufficiently
to take his place again in the war, the
doctors did not exert themselves to see
that he got well. But If a man had
a fairly good chance of recovering and
they thought he might be of some fur
Their use, everything that medical skill
could possibly do was done for him,
I don't know whether this was done
under orders or whether the doctors
just followed their own incllnations
in such cases.
My teeth had been badly Jared UP
from the shot, and 1 hoped that might
have a chance to have them fixed
when / reached Courtrai, the prison
where / was to be taken. SO l asked
the doctor If 1t would be possible fol
me to have this work done there, but
he very CURLY told me that, although
there were several dentists at Cour
trai, they were busy enough fixing the
teeth of their own men without both
erlng about mine. He also added thai
l would not have to worry about my
teeth; that / wouldn't be getting Sc
much food that they would De put on
of commission by working overtime.
wanted to tell him that from the wa.
things looked he would not be wear
ing his out very soon either.
My condition improved during tn
next two days, and on the fourth da.
of my captivity l was well enough t.
write a brief message to my squad
ron, reporting that / was prisoner o
war and feeling fine" although, as
matter Of fact, l was never so de
pressed in my life. / realized, how
ever, that If the message reached m
comrades it would be relayed to m
mother in Momence, ILL.,, and did nc
want to worry her more than was al
solutely necessary. 1t was enough TO
her to know that / was a prisoner. Sh
did not have to know that l wa
wounded.
| had hopes that my message woul
be carried over the lines and droppe
by one of the German flying officer
That is courtesy which is usual
practiced on both sides. l recalle
how patiently we had waited in OF
airdrome for news of our men who ha
failed 10 return, and | could pictuI
my squadron specializing on my fat
That is one of the saddest thint
connected with service in the r. f.
You don's care much what happens