The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-01-17

soldiers In France. The two rows OF
American boys seemed strangely and
patheticaly out of place as they lay
or half inclined on their cots. in the
little town not far from the American
front in France where we visited
them. For the eye has still to get
used to such scenes before it will &C.
cept them as in the logical course OF
events. And this was our first little
group of a dozen odd American wound
Led of the war
Attention." called the youthful
hospital orderly as he saluted the
medical officer, coming through the
doorway. The men adjusted Them
selves in their bed-those who could
and turned to look at the Officer.
ade passed quickly from one cot to the
other, throwing back cover to look
at wound, leaning over soldier
who could not talk loudly and giving
orders for the care of another.
| The orderly followed him.
What's this mans wound?''
Shrapnel through the foot. sir, I 4
said the orderly and the wounded man
together. The officer looked at the
bandaged foot and passed on to an
other bed.
How are you tonight, = he said
looking down at a man whose face
was drawn with the pain of, a wound
| in the hips from piece of she'll.
"Pretty we'll, sir, responded the
wounded man. But I'd give all
I've got to be able to change and lie
over on nay side. /"
Well have you fixed up, pretty
soon" added the officer comfortingly
land moved on to another. 5 ],
Grenade sir. - said the orderly as
they came to the next whose face was
peck marked and whose hands were
wounded. He replied in whisper to
the questions Of the officer.
This case is shell wound in the
head" explained the orderly as they
came to boy sitting up and looking
quite happy.
'tVait till get dos Germans, he
eaid to US as we passed, in accents
that sounded to me very much like
those had often heard in Milwaukee.
"I'll make 'um pay for dis. -
In the corner bed was poor fellow
with only his mouth showing through
the swath of bandage around his head.
He had other wounds, too, from a
grenade and was going to lose an eye.
! There were not many Of them-a
mere dozen with an additional FIVE or
six with sprained ankles or bruises.
But they were much more impressive
to American eyes than a hospital
ward of thousand French poilu
blesses" would have been. One is
habituated to the sight of wounded
French soldiers. There have been so
many of them scattered over France.
The hospital ward has come to be the
common setting for them lying IN
cots or limping about with cane and
crutch. One finally comes to accept
them as the terrible but inevitable
wreckage of this war Of which France
has borne the brunt.
The American soldier, however,
has not yet become the familiar adj
junct of war hospital. He has not
yet lost his individuality among thou
sands of others sharing the same fate.
A Red Triangle man arrived in a
car and put his head in at the door.
Hello. men. Can do anything
for ysu?"
There was chorus of response.
Bring US something to read and
smoke. We're dying for smoke. =
The Red Triangle man did not wait
| for the chorus to complete the state
ment of its wishes. He went out
quickly and soon returned with an
armful of books and magazines and
some cartons of American cigarettes
that he had been carrying in his car.
Soon there were grateful wreaths OF
smoke rising from the beds and con-
tentment on the faces of the soldiers.
4 Another trip to the auto and this
time photograph was produced AND
box of records. The adjustment
was matter of two minutes. The
orderlies were opening the records.
The first one proved to be 'Quit
Your Ticklin', Jock. - It was real
laughter that the record produced,
1 laughter that became uproarious anc
almost convulsive. One could visual.
ize the much tickled man with the