The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-09-01
The lHumdlr@dG[h Man
By MARGARET WALTER.
Reciprocal News Service.)

vi dll the IHSl WuO a'S S"S9So 'S'
more than one in q hundred has the
misfortune to suffer permanent in
Jury, but once in a while, in spite
OF all the care and precautions, the
instant remedies and alleviations
that are part Of the routine OF gas
treatment, fellow just fails to get
over it and serious consequences
result.
Sammy was the hundredth man.
You'd know he was Sammy or Joey
or something like that because he
is only child no matter how you
look at him. Sammy began life as
an orphan, then a nice woman, in
deed she must be one OF the saints
on this earth, being childless, adopt
ed him along with eight other lit
tie fellows. She raised them all so
well that every last one OF them
sailed awav to France when we came
into the war. Sammy was the
youngest, a clerk in the biggest de-
partment store of the little town
where they lived His mother new
er thought for minute that they
would take Sammy ne was so young
and frail, but somehow he wriggled
through and he too sailed away, one
day last May.
His unit was fighting with the
English and of course had its bap-
tism OF gas in the days routine.
Sammy didn't get his mask on quick
enough; he thought he could fight
right through the gas and get him
a bunch OF boches he had picked out
for himself across No Mans Land.
That's the last he remembers, ex-
cept that he has been in nine hos
pitfalls in France and has finally |
turned up here in London where he
was sent to get built up, well fed
on eggs and fruit, puddings and
milk, and then, be returned to the
mother who is still waiting for the
first news of her youngest boy.
didn't have Sammy's name on
my hospital list; somehow he had
wriggled into the hospital unan-
nounced and his name wasn't sent
10 the Red Cross Care Committee. |
was passing through his ward look
ing for another American among
all the Tommies when a pair of
burning black eyes looked through
the back OF my head--you know
how it is sometimes-and | turned
to see Sammy jolting himself up and
down on his spring cot.
Il shall get temperature for this,
/ know | shall, but | won't be
passed. I'm a Yank, you bet, and
| want some of those home papers
you got under your arm" !
Before l reached the foot of his t
cot Sammy had whisked out lit s
lie camp chair from behind his t
locker and spread it out SO inviting t
ly that Topped down. No mat t
ter if had still long lists of names ,
and miles of wards yet unvisited and S
time was rushing on to six, the clos I
ing hour at military hospitals. This S
boy just had to have his say. {
will you please bring me some c
fresh eggs and some jelly and you
might put in iii" sack of candy, S
too. l need them in order to get S
strong quick. I'm just crazy to get c
back to my company. My company's ,
the finest in the service and it needs a
me. | picked out bunch of Huns +
wanted to grab, they was leerin' q
at me sassy an I've gotta get back c
at 'em. You sit down here and lis !
ten TO wot you've gotta do, SO as to i
help me get well, quick" c
What He Wanted. i
Sammy's eyes were blazing and | t
meekly took out my pencil and pad. t
All he asked for was orange jelly, d
fruit, homemade milk pudding,
some butterscotCh and something {
cool to drink, maybe glass OF ice t
water now and then. Oranges cost d
ten cents apiece, bananas, are twelve i
cents apiece, milk is fourteen cents E
quart and may find some butter t
scotch but l surely don't know '
where TO go to hunt it. But the Red
Cross is all powerful and | have per- c
feet faith that when | call there this Y
afternoon for Sammys basket it S
will be filled and with some little |
surprise to him too. /
! looked at his chart. The little /
fever needle had darted all over the c
page since he arrived; It had been v
up TO 100 and / was terrified that il /
was mounting there under my eyes.
So tried to be quiet and we got to r
talking about the weather; a soft t
still rain was pouring down outside v
and said how snug and comforta- 4
bic it was in the ward with It's flow k
ers and the hum of boys voices. /
It's too nice for us men, tell t
you. We ought to be out there in |
the mud and the blood and the a
smells. don't take no stock in this {
soft stuff. | gotta get back TO my I
company
Sammy grabbed my hand when | h
moved back the camp chair. His e
little fist was hot and dry and so
tiny it made my heart jump. / +
thought OF my own boys fist, brown c
and strong and sturdy, just a mite i
smaller than Sammy5s and he is only h
eight. v
4. =