Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1918-04-26

wasn't / wet2 According to all rules
| should have been drowned. Perhaps
was and didn't know 1t,
As the shock of my sudden stop
gradually wore off II came to me that
was lying on ledge and that the
least movement on my part would pre-
cpltate me to the bottom Of the well,
struck match In It's faint glare
saw that / was lying in circular
hole about twelve feet deep-the we'll
had been filled In The dripping | had
heard came from water pipe over on
my right,
With my wounded shoulder II was
impossible to Skinny up the pipe, !
could not yell for help, because the
rescuer would want to know how the
accident happened, and | would be
hailed before the commandant on
charges. ! just had to grin and bear
II, 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 muflled volley OF
curses on the man who had dug the
well
After two hours I heard two men
talking In low voices. / recognized
Corporal Cook, an ardent might raid
err" He heard my "slss-s-s-s" and
came to the edge OF the hole. I ex.
planned my predlcament and amid lot
OF impertlnent remarks, which at the
time did not resent, l was soon fished
out.
Taking or our boots, we sneaked into
the ward. l was sitting on my bed In
the dark, Just starting to undress,
when the man next to me, "Glnger"
Phillips, whispered, "op 1t, Yank, ere
comes the matron."
l Immediately got under the covers
and felgned sleep. The matron stood
talking In low tones to the night nurse
and fell asleep.
When 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 a mass OF mud and green slime.
She was a good sport all right, and
hustled to get clean clothes and sheets
so that no one would get wise, but ION
her own" she gave me a good tongue
flashing 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
n patient he would call, "Well, well,
here's the Yank. Hope you are feel
Ing well, old top"
The surgeon in our ward was an
American, Harvard unit man, named
Frost. We nlcknamed 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
mt the other end of the ward. The or
DERBY was nowhere to be found-lke
our policemen, they never are when
needed. The officers were at loss
how to get Palmer into his bed. Doc
tor Frost was fidgeting around in a
nervous manner, when suddenly with
muffied "d-n" and a few other
qualifying adjectlves, he stopped down
and took the man in his arms like a
baby-he was no feather, ether-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 l was a notwithstanding
sight-the 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 rest Of my life being Stunned by
all on account of the repulsive scar,
Doctor Frost arranged for me to go
to the Cambridge Military hospital at
Aldershot for n special operation to
try and make the scar presentable.
arrived at the hospital and got an
awful shock. The food was poor and
the discipline abnormally strict. No
patient was allowed to sit on his bed,
and smoking was permitted only at
certain designated hours. The face
specialist did nothing for me except
IN look at the wound I made aDDli-