The Sentinel=record., 1918-07-11
DUTIES THAT BEFALL
A RED CROSS NURSE
GRAPHIC PICTURE is GIVEN OF
THE WORK UP NEAR THE
FRONT IN THE FIELD HOS.
PITFALLS.

Topeka, Kan, July IA graphic
picture Of the duties that befali a Red
Cross nurse, up near the front in the
field hospitals is given By Miss Louise
Kienninger, in letter just received
by her parents, Mr., and Mrs. J. KEN
niger, OF this city Miss Kieninger
states that premature gray hair re
suits frequently from the apprehen-
sion the nurses feel for the safety OF
their patients. Young women who
nave undergone more than a year S
experience in the thick OF it. find
that their hair is turning gray, she
says. But ii is rot the sight of mutt
lated men and the means OF the dying
that are making the hospital attend
ants age thus prematurely. 1t is liy-
ing in constant fear of the ruthless
German hospital bombers-not so
much the fear for themselves. but fol
their helpless patients.
Miss Kieninger was among the first
Red Cross nurses who went to the
war front after America got into the
struggle She received her training in
a Lutheran hospital in St Louis ana
afterwards was superintendent of that
hospital. Later she was superintend-
ent of the Bethany Hospital of 81
Joseph, Mo
She endeayors to give her parents
an idea Of her work. writing as fol-
lows:
81 am now giving anesthetics and in
another month ! probably win 90 TO
a clearing station right near the front
line Then ! win be at the dispos al
OF the British government. 80 he sent
| by them wherever they need me ii
may mean that / will be permanently
detached from this unit. bur l am az
customed to being among strangers
and shall not mind IT,
I'VE often are bomharded 10y the
enemy They come over frequently
1t seems they are DESPERATE and are
going after everything, even hospi
tails. | wish you could see how calm
1.-THE nurses are We do nothing with
out orders. Should anything happen
to me you will BE notified at once by
cable. 1t is awful to think of the hun
dreds OF helpless patients, many OF
them so nervous that they go to pieces
at the sound of gun Somehow
dreadful as it is to await. death per
haps. at any moment, ! am not ner-
yous about it. God takes care of US
| here as well as there
4 viii tell of a nights work, which
| caused by the enemy's bombs, vii
| give you an idea of how we live. The
night sister comes Oh duty Perhaps
| during the day she has received thirty
or forty new cases. She starts on hel
rounds In some of the tents patterns
are sleeping Then she viii hear
Oh Sister. | am in pain or Sister
can't you DO something for my head?
or I'm all. right myself, Sister. bul
this cough hurts so Ga penetratins
chest y2Oundl The next one she
comes to may have both feet off or b
leg and arm gone. She goes on e
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 of it might
be bleeding. The patient is delirious
and does not know what he is doing
Reasoning with him brings tears fol
he has no nerves left and hardly s
She gone when the same thing hap
pens again. On she goes. 1 am
| fine sister; no pain She knows he
is beyond pain, for the mark OF deatA
is on his face, and she knows she soon
viii close his eyes He smiles at her
and while her heart beats faster at
the thought of another soul going 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 II
/ is kept until burial
"She returns to look over his treas
ures, keeping each trinket to be sent
back to those to whom it viii be sa-
cred. Presently she hears someone
moaning and goes to the bedside of q
| young boy perhaps, who is living 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 a hemorrhage
Thus the night passes. New patients
come, old ones 60 some back home
| and some to the eternal home
| ngf d,,tu NIioc Igtapipoas. caya tbf
nurses play tennis. ride bicycles, take
| long walks or have concerts in theii
quarters. The gratitude of the French
| parents of some of the wounded sol
: dinrc fn. tho Kindness of the nIrSes