Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-04-09
Tommy generally replies that he did
not stop to figure II out when he was


In a polite but bored tone an.
swered. "A rifle bullet"
II With look Of disdain she passed
to the next bed. first calculating "Oh.
Only a bullet? I thought it was q
shell" Why she should think n shell
wound was more of distinction beats
II me. don't sec a whole lot Of differ
cncc myself.
| The American women's war hos
pital was heaven for wounded men
They were allowed every privilege pos
siblc conducive with the rules and
military discipline. The only fault was
TO get Il pass required an act of par
lament. Tommy tried many tricks to
get out. but the cOmmandant. an old
Boer war officer. was wise TO them all
and II took a new and clever rusc to
make him aiiix his signature to the
coveted slip of paper.
| As soon as it would get dark many a
patirnt climbed over the wall and went
i
staring him in the face. "Out OF
bounds for patients" Generally the
nurses were looking the other way
when one of these night raids started.
hope this information will get none
OF them in trouble, but | cannot resist
the temptation to let the command
ant know that occasionally we put il
over on him.
One afternoon I received n note.
| through our underground channel,
| from my female visitor. asking me to
| attend party at her house that night.
| | answered that she could expect me
and TO meet me at n certain place on
the road well known 10y all paticns.
and some visitors, as "ovcr the wall"
| told her | would hc on hand at seven
thirty.
About seven fifteen sncakcd my
overcoat and cap out OF the ward and
hid il in the bushes. Then ! told the
nurse, n particular friend of mine. that
was going for walk in the rose gar
den. She wnkcd and knew that cr-
crything was all right on her end.
Going out of the ward, | slipped into
the bushes and made for the wall. 1t
was dark as pitch and | was cropping
through the underbrush, when sudden
" | stepped into space and felt myself
rushing downward, horrible bump,
4
wounded shoulder was hurting me
horribly. I was lying against circu-
lar wall OF bricks. dripping with
moisture. and far away ] could hear
the trickling of water | had in the
darkness fallen into an old disuscd
we'll But why wasn't wet? Accord
ing TO all rules I should have been
drowned. Perhaps | was and didn't
know II.
As the shock of my sudden step
gradually wore off 1t came to me that
fwHs tying ledge and thae
least movement on my part would
prccipitate me to the bottom OF the
we'll
struck n match. In its faint glare
I saw that | was lying in n circular
hole about twelve feet dcep-thc well
had been filled in Tho dripping ] had
heard came from water pipe over on
my right.
With my wounded shoulder II was
impossible TO shinny up the pipe. I
could not yell for help, because tn"
rcscuer would want to know how the
accident happened. and ] would nc
hailed before the commandant on
charges. ! just had to grin and bear
II, with the forlorn hope that one Of
the returning night raiders would pass
and I could give him our usual signal
of "siss $685." which would bring him
to the rescue.
Every half-hour | could hear the
clock in the village strike, each stroke
bringing forth a muffled volley OF
curses on the man who had dug the
well.
After two hours l heard two men
talking In low voices. / recognized
Corporal Cook. an ardent might raid
er." He heard my "siss-s-s-s" and
came to the edge Of the hole. | eX-
planned my predicament and amid n lot
of impertinent remarks, which at the
time | did not resent, was soon fishcd
out.
Taking Off my boots. we sneaked in
to the ward. | was sitting on my bed
in the dark. just starting tc nndress,
when the man next to me. Ginger
Phillips. whispered. "Op 1t. fank, ere
comes the matron."
Immediately got under the covers
and feinged sleep. The matron stood
talking in low tones to the night nurse
and I fell asleep.
When l awoke in the morning the
night sister, an American. was bending
over me. An awful sight met my eyes.
The coverlet on the bed and the sheets
were a mass of mud and green slime.
She was good sport all right. and
hustled to get clean clothes and sheets
so that no one would get wise. but "on
her own" she gave me a good tongue
lashing but did not report me. One OF
the Canadians IN the ward described
her as being q Jake of good fell
low"
Next visiting day l had an awful
time explaining to my visitor why !
had not met her at the appointed time
and place.
And for a week every time l passed
"a patient ne would call. "Well. well,
here's the Yank. Hope you are feel
ing we'll; old top"
The surgeon in our ward was an
American, a Harvard unit man; named
Frost. We nicknamed him Jack
Frost" He was loved by all. II a
Tommy was to be cut up he had no OBJ
lection to undergoing the operation II
Jack Frost" was to WELD the knife.
Their confidence in him was pathetic.