The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1918-11-18

FBY UNITED BRESS.
PARIS. Oct is. (By MaiL)-lt was
one OF those days when everything had
gone wrong in the convalescent wards
Of a certain French hospital, partly Civ
en- over to wounded American soldiers.
Most of the men were getting along
nicely. that was the trouble. Heroes
don't work at heroics all the while; and
if there is ever a time when they knock
off on the job. it is while they ere con-
valescing. Any nurse will tell you that
on this particular day men who had
distinguished themselves like martyrs
while they waited for stretcher bearers
were acting like kindergartners with
sore thumbs.
The curtains were too high. and the
curtains were too low. The beds were
too soft. and the beds were too hard.
The oatmeal was raw. and the oatmeal
was overdone. Only the mothers at
home who had nursed the husky war
riors through humps and measles could
have thought them heroes just then
Nothing was Just Right.
Darn that pillow" muttered one or
the American soldiers. 1t hurt him to
hit II so hard. and you could tell from
the expression on his face, but II would
have hurt him more not to hit some
thing just then.
Monsieur should look out for the
collar-bone." reproved the little French
Red Cross nurse.
Under his breath the American soldier
said something that sounded like. 3
my collar bone!"
Il shall read to you.--no?" offered the
little nurse to the half-5ozen nearest
American soldiers.
mol" they agreed instantly. in as
nearly vicious a way as they could
speak to anyone so kind as the little
French nurse.
."Iust look at that. would your" added
one of the boys. Disgusting, / call it!
Simply disgusting!"
Love a covert MOI
They all turned and stared with the
greatest animosity at cot nearby
where a pretty French girl was saying
poodbv to her "poilu" after her after
noon visit at the hospital. 1t was real
" a charming scene but the nurse. who
was gifted with imagination, under
stood why the American boys hated TO
look at it.
..The poor ones!" she said, to herself.
ct is that they have lie NAL du pays.
one can do nothing for them.
As II to contradict her, the door open
ed at that moment. and women came
into the ward-American women by eV-
erv sign. The little French nurse would
have known it. if only by the way the
leaders drew a long breath before piune-
ing into her French question after the
manner of one about TO take an ocean
dip on a chilly day They wore the
gray uniforms of the y. NJ =. =
"a
made the little French nurse who knew
80 benjamin. Franklin only sketchily.
look at them again. Under their arms
eecb carried plump crusty loaves of
Rod nartlv concealed by thin paper
wrsppings.
..Thev told us there were American
bovs here" the leader said Gould we
see them?"
Answer Is whoop.
Could they? The boys answered the
question themselves with a wild '~hoop-
Callers from home? Someone TO see
themf
Hello. boysl" smiled the Y. N. c. A.
women. coming up 10 the cots See
what we've brought YOU! White
breadl"
There was another whoop at that.
we knew you q ike II, bediiieu Ing
motherly woman who led the party.
We've been wanting some ourselves so
much that we know just how you felt
about it. So we looked all over Paris
for white bread for you, and then at
last we found something at the Ameri-
can Commissary. See, there's jam and
some butter, too! Let's have party.
Want to Hear News.
The boys fell upon the white bread
with the gusto of famished men. They
ate one piece and asked for aother. They
finished that. and begged for a third.
Meanwhile they asked all sorts of eager
questions Had any Of the 7. NJ. c. A.
women ever been in Paris. Illinois? Gee,
but II had it on anything in Francei
Was the new subway in New York real
ly as bad as it was painted? What were
they singing now. back in the United
States? One of the women, who had
come to France in Y. "a. c. A. entertain
ment work. started a vocal class at
once. and you would have said that
those wounded American soldiers never
had been guilty Of crouch in all their
lives If you could have heard them sing
ing:
"K-k-k-Katie, beautiful Katie,
You're the only g-g-g-girl that
adore"
They were still grinning happily. their
good nature utterly restored. when the
last crumb Of white bread had been
eaten. and the Y. NJ c. A women had
to say goodby The little French nurse