Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-05-30

starlHg MIN IN the race, "Out OF bounds
Tor patients" Generally the nurses
were looking the other way when one
OF these night raids started. I hope
this information will get none of them
into trouble, but I cannot resist the
temptation to let the commandant
know that occasionally we put it over
on him.
One afternoon received note,
through our underground channel, from
my female visitor, asking me to attend
q party at her house that night. l
answered that she could expect me and
to meet me ut certain place on the
road well known by all patients, and
some visitors, as lover the WALL"
told her would be on hand at seven.
thirty.
About seven-fifteen I sneaked my
overcoat and cup out Of the ward and
hid 1t In the bushes. Then told the
nurse, particular friend of mine, that
4 I was going for walk in the rose gar
den. She winked and knew that ev.
erything was nll right on her end.
Going out of the ward, slipped into
the bushes and made for the wall. It
was dark as pitch and I was cropping
through the underbrush, when sudden
~ stepped into space and felt myself
rushing downward, a horrible bump,
and blackness. When I came to my
wounded shoulder was hurting horri-
bly,. I was lying against a circular
wall of bricks, dripping with moisture,
and far away could hear the tricEling
| Of water. had in the darkness fallen
| into an old disused we'll. But why
| wasn't wet? According to all rules
I should have been drowned. Perhaps
/ was and didn't know it.
| AS the shock of my sudden stop
gradually wore off it 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.
| struck a match. In it's faint glare
saw that was lying in circular
hole about twelve feet deep-the we'll
had been filled in! The dripping had
heard came from water pipe over on
my right.
With my wounded shoulder it was
impossible to shiny up the pipe.
could not yell for help, because the
rescuer would want to know how the
accident happened, and I would be
hailed before the commandant on
charges. I just had to grin and bear
1t. with the forlorn 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 muffled volley of
curses on the man who had dug the
! well.
After two hours / heard two men
talking in low voices. I recognized
Corporal Cook, an ardent might raid
er." He heard my -."siss-s-s-s' and
came to the edge of the hole. I ex-
planned my predicament and amid lot
Of impertinent remarks, which at the
time did not resent, / was soon fished
out.
Taking off our boots, we sneaked into
the ward. I was sitting on my bed in
the dark, just starting to undress,
when the man next to me, "Ginger"
Phillips, whispered, cop it, Yank, ERE
comes the matron."
Immediately got under the covers
and feigned sleep. The matron stood
talking in low tones to the night nurse
and fell asleep.
When awoke in the morning the
night sister, an American, was bending
over me. An awful sight met my eyes.
The coyerlet on the bed and the sheets
We're mass of mud and green slime.
She was good sport all right, and
hustled to get clean clothes and sheets
SO that 20 one would get wise, but con
her own" she gave me a good tongue
flashing but did not report me. One of
the Canadians in the ward described
her as being "a Jake of good fel.
low"
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, "Well, well,
here's the Yank. Hope you are feel
ting 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. If
Tommy was to be cut up he had no OBJ
lection to undergoing the operation if
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 a bit of shrapnel. fell on the
floor in fit. 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
derby was nowhere to be found-like
our policemen, they never are when
needed. The officers We're at loss
how to get Palmer into his bed. Doc
tor Frost was fdgeting around in
nervous manner, when suddenly with
muff1ed 'sd-n" and few other
qualifying adjectiyes, he stopped down
and took the man in his arms like
baby-he was no feather, either-and
staggered down the ward with him, put