Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-25

sleeping on straw on the stone flags.
We used to watch them at dawn
come out i'm the deep snow to a
horse trough, and breaking the ice.
strip to their waists and wash After
dusk we saw them marching i'm from
the trenches i'm their ragged blue
ovCrCoats, cakcd in muG, carrying
piles of accoutrcment on their backs
and spades and guns over their
shoulders.
No warm homecoming for them no
fire to dry their clothes by, no hot
meal ready. Just the dark. cold
church. These men had no bundle
Of letters from home to cheer them;
all they had to face was a desolatCd
country, desecrated fircsidcs, ruined
homes. starving, penniless families,
violated women folk, and suspense
not just for weeks or months, hut
for years. without news OF all that
life held dear for them. DO you won
der that they hate the Germans? In
return they were paid three halfpcncc
per day.
| A few weeks ago | received letter
/ from a Belgian captain whom ] had
nursCd. He writes: Dear Sister. Do
/ you realize that it is now three years
/ since | have received any news Of
] IlN Nllt anu llltt ulllt OItNs Alt
| they alive or dead? The suspense has
made an old man of me. At thirty
| five my hair has turned gray with
/ anxiety"
Most of our operations occurred at
night, as the wounded travelled through
the danger zone with less risk of being
| fired upon after dark. During the
day we performed operations on pa
tlents who had been in the wards for
some time. our doctors and nurses
had no COzy sitting rooms TO rest in
when off duty. There was only the busy
kitchen stove for warmth; so we used
to gather them in the theatre whore
there was no case to prepare for.
What jolly times ! remember in be-
tween the rushcs of work, our stove
was always going, with "A big kettle
of boiling water ready for emergency
cases, so about II a. M, after the
nurses and doctors had done the
morning round of dressing, we used to
make a cup Of tea.
Better Than the Streets
One of the chauffeurs would bring
in from Dunkerque a box of French
pastries, or better still, some kind
mother sent a lovely "tuCk-bOX" con
tanning an English homemade cake!
Then the men would find their hair
needed a BARRIERS attention, so out
came some scissors and a sheet, and
we became pro TEN a haiTdresScr's
establishment During the autumn
rush of the battle of the User we had
so OverflOwed our borders that We
were obliged to take in two small
classrooms, scattering straw thiCkly
on the floor in lieu of mattresses. II
was a miserable arrangement, but bet
ter than the streets. Later on i'm De
Cember one of the ClaSsrOOmS was
turned into a sitting room for the
staff The Couches consisted of crates
covered with red blankets; an old bed
stead boarded up at one side, Will
sack of shavngS and blankets over
il. made a fine Chesterfield couch! The
students hired a gramophOne anC
piano from Dunkerque, so we became
quite civilized.
Christmas
December had arrived, and Christ
mas was approaching. We felt tn,
excitement Of il i'm the air. Every
, one wrote long letters home, ask
ing for good things for all our hun
dred or more patients. The home
folk responded, and soon big crates
: arrived, both for patients and staff
NV friend and l had n memorabl,
, 10Y ride TO Dunkerque. After months
: of darkness, mud and shuttered shops
! what delight to see gay streets iillet