Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-09-03
GUNNER ,5EpYIhdM fRAhcE-


(Continued.)
The American Women's War hospi-
tai was a heaven for wounded men.
They were allowed every privilege pos
sible conducive with the rules and mill
tary discipline. The only fault was
that the mems passes were restricted.
To get pass required an act Of par
lament. Tommy tried many tricks to
get out but the commandant an old
Boer war officer, was wise to them all,
and 1t took q new and clever ruse to
make him affix his signature to the
coveted slip Of paper.
As soon as It would get dark many
patient climbed over the wall and went
ION his own" regardless Of many signs
staring him in the face. "Out of bounds
for patients" Generally the nurses
were looking the other way when one
of these night raids started. / hope
this information will get none OF them
into trouble, but / cannot resist the
temptation to let the commandant
know that occasionally we put 1t over
on him.
One afternoon l received q note,
through our underground channel, from
my female visitor, asking me to attend
a party at her house that night. /
answered that she could expect me and
to meet me at a certain place on the
road we'll known by all patients, and
some visitors, as "over the wall" I
told her would be on hand at seven
thirty.
About SEVENTEEN I sneaked my
overcoat and cap out Of the ward and
hid it in the bushes. Then told the
nurse, a particular friend Of mine, that
was going for walk in the rose gar
den. She winked and knew that ev-
erything was all right on her end.
Going out of the ward, slipped into
the bushes and made for the wall. It
was dark as pitch and l was cropping
through the underbrush, when sudden
" stepped into space and felt myself
rushing downward. horrdble> bump,
and blackness. When I came to my
wounded shoulder was hurting horri-
bly,. I was lying against q circular
wall Of bricks, dripping with moisture,
and far away / could hear the trickling
of water. I had in the darkness fallen
into an old disused well. But why
wasn't wet? According to all rules
I should have been drowned. Perhaps
I was and didn't know 1t.
As the shock Of my sudden stop
gradually wore off 1t came to me that
/ was lying on ledge and that the
least movement on my part would pre-
cipitate me to the bottom Of the well.
I struck q match. In Its faint glare
I saw that I was lying In circular
hole about twelve feet deep-the well
had been filed in! The dripping l had
heard came from a water pipe over on
my right.
With my wounded shoulder 1t was
impossible to shiny 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
1t, with the foriorn 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 a muffled volley OF
curses on the man who had dug the
well.
After two hours I heard two men
talking In low voices. I recognized
Corporal Cook, an ardent might raid
err" He heard my "siss-s-s-s" and
came to the edge Of the hole. I e1-
planned my predicament. and amid lot
Of impertinent remarks, which at the
time did not resent, I was soon fshed
out.
Taking off our boots, we sneaked into
the ward. / was sitting on my bed In
the dark. just starting to undress,
when the man next to me, "Ginger"
Phillips, whispered. "'Op 1t, Yank. ere
comes the matron."
7 Immediately got under the covers
and feigned sleep. The matron stood
talking In low tones to the night nurse
and I fell asleep.
When I 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 q mass of mud and green slime.
She was q good sport all right. and
hustled to get clean clothes and sheets
so that no one would get wise, but "on
her ownp she gave me q good tongue
lashing but did not report me. One OF
the Canadians in the ward described
her as being "a Jake Of Q good fel'
low.'
I Next visiting day had an awful
time explaining to my visitor why ]
had not met her at the appointed time
and place.
And for week every time passed
"a patient he would call. swell, 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 nicknamed him "Jack
Frost" He was loved by all. II q
Tommy was to be, cut up he had no OBJ
lection to undergoing the operation Il
"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 q At. They brought him round
and then looked for the ward orderly
to carry the patient back to his bed
at the other end Of the ward. The or
derly was nowhere to be found-ike
our policemen, they never are when
needed. The officers were at . losl
how to get Palmer into his bed. Doc