The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-06
Her HAIR is CRAY
Young Topeka Nurse Feels Ell.
fects of War Zone.
Louise Kieninger Tells of Work
in the Hospitals.
ALWAYS IN FEAR OF BOMBS
Germans Never Fail To Drop
Death on Sick.
Details of Duties Among
Wounded in France.


Miss Louise Kieninger, Topeka girl
who is a Red Cross nurse in France,
writes to her parents, Mr.. and Mrs. J.
Kieninger. 1O1 Tyler street. telling of
the duties that fall to the lot of
nurse in the field hospitals. She is
young woman in her twenties, and I'M
der the strain of her situation. her
hair is turning gray. She writes that
the other young women are getting
gray also. They live in daily uncer-
tainty as to when a German bomb will
be dropped upon them and yet their
uneasiness is for the helpless patients,
not for themselves.
Miss Eieninger has been in the serv-
ice abroad more than a year, having
gone over among the first who Of
fered for that service after this coun-
try declared war. She received her
training IN a Lutheran hospital in st.
Louis and was afterward superintend-
ent of that hospital She was later SUI
perintendent of Bethany hospital, st.
Joseph, Mo.
Near Front Lines.
Her letter in part follows: IT am
now giving anesthetics, and in another
month I will probably go to the clear
ing station right near the front line
Then l will be at the disposal OF the
British government, to be sent by them
wherever they need me. 1t may mean
that I will be permanently detached
from this unit, but 1 am accustomed to
being among strangers, and snail not
mind it.
we are often bombarded by the
enemy. They come over frequently.
1t seems they are desperate and are
going after everything. even hospitals
1 wish you could see how calm the
nurses are. We do nothing without
orders. Should anything happen to
me you will be notified at once by
cable 1t is awful to think of the
hundreds of helpless patients, many of
them so nervous that they go to pieces
at the sound of a gun. Somehow.
dreadful as it is to await, death, per-
haps, at any moment, 1 am not nerv-
Gus about it. God takes care of us
here as we'll as there.
az will tell OF a nights and a days
work. which. with knowledge CT the
mental strain caused by the enemy
bombs. will give you an idea of how
we live. The night sister comes on
duty. Perhaps she has received dur
ing the day thirty or forty new cases.
She starts on her rounds. In some OF
the tents patients are sleeping. Then
she will hear, oh, sister, am in PAIN,
or Sister. can't you do something for
my head?' or I am all right in my
self. sister, but this cough hurts So "a
penetrating chest wound). The next
one she comes to may have both feet
off or a leg and arm gone. She goes
on to the next tent. A patient has Just
thrown his dressings across the floor
Her heart almost stops for what she
might find-a bare stump, and 1t
might be bleeding. The patient is de-
lirious and does not know what he Is
doing. Reasoning with him brings
IA&% sd
hardly is she gone when the same
thing happens again. On she goes 1
am fine. sister, no pain. She knows
he is beyond pain, for the mark of
death is on his face, and she knows
she soon will close his eyes. He smiles
at her, and while her heart beats fast
er at the thought of another soul So
ing into eternity. she smiles back, and
thinks of his home people waiting
some word from him. Then his body
is covered with the flag and the sister
accompanies it to the place where it is
kept until burial.
'She returns to look over his treas
ures, keeping each trinket to be sent
back to those to whom it will be sa-
cred. Presently she hears someone
moaning, and goes to the bedside of a
young boy, perhaps, who is living over
and over again his last battle. and who
is afraid She must be his comforter.
A hurry, sister, please, takes her to
another bed, where she finds hem
orrhage. Thus the night pa sses. New
patients come. and the old ones go,
some back home and some to the eter-
nal home.
Then the day sisters come on.
Many dressings to be done. Some of
the patients stand them wonderfully,
but some with shattered nerves moan
and cry. New patients come In with
horrible wounds some with their
clothes stuck to the stretcher. Clothes
must be cut or, rather. the body from
the clothes. but the sister continues to
wear a smile. When she has time she
writes letters for the men. But she
cannot fret and worry. When she is
off duty she gets on her bicycle or
goes for walk
The girls play tennis when they
are off duty, and in their quarters
they have Victrolas sent over by
American friends. or they have little
tea and coffee war parties. You should
see some of the letters the sisters 1--WE
are all called sistrs here) get from
the friends left behind by these dying
soldiers. They have no word of COM
plant, but only thankfulness that
their dear ones died in hospital with
a woman's care and that they are
buried in real graves. Sometimes the
parents of the French boys come tc
us, some of them cid and bent. They
are humble. gentle and simple and
grateful to us. We pray that God may
the work we have chosen and for the
trust that others have in u.s."
SANTA EE NOTES