The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-02-23


roadside bed, and nurse. patient ana
babe were killed outright. 1t was as
fine a case of self-sacrifice as l nave
ever seen or heard of.
Saved by British Guns
Sick with the horror of it ALL we
passed on as fast as we could, ana
were well in sight of the little town
where we expected shelter for the
night, when a new terror overlook u.s.
Heavy gunfire broke out along the
road in front of US. We were thus
caught between the two fires, for the
enemy had come across country with
the object of cutting off the retreat
of our men. Fortunately for US there
was British battery just behind the
town, and this replied to the ene'ny's
fire, ultimately driving back their
advanced detachments and silenclng
the guns.
Just when we were half expecting
to provide the meat for sort OF par
rage sandwich our deliverance came,
and wet got into the town that night,
feeling thankful to be once more be-
hind the British guns.
All night long the gunffrc ragged
around US, but the enemy made no
progress and we knew that our line
of retreat was secure for another day
Through the night streams of fu-
gitives poured into the little town,
passing quickly on to the highway
and only resting when they realized
that the British guns were between
them and the foe.
The next day we overlook a party
of villages. They had been tramping
for three days. They had been with
out food practically all the time. The
children looked famished. They
were sobbing, and were like to break
their little hearts.
Alone in the World
One little mite of four lost her two
sisters, a brother, and father and
mother. She was alone in the world,
and she had trudged her weary way
from the village four miles off. She
was tired, but smiling through her
tears. We gave her a lift to the next
town, where we were fortunate
enough to find relative who had
come out to meet the fugitives in the
hope of hearing about the little l.~.-
man and her parents.
Fires were burning fiercely every
where one looked, and great clouds of
smoke rose high in the heavens The
guns Numbered and roared without
ceasing,, and at intervals, through the
Psmoke clouds, we could detect signs
of the moving enemy. How we pray
ed for just an hour of British gunfire
to make these fiends rue their des-
tructive march.
Their Prayers Answered Instantly
AS though in answer to our prayer
a dull, muffled roar broke from high
ground on our right, and then we
heard the wild laundering of guns
followed by the sight of bursting
shells over beyond US where the enc
my masses were moving about.
The enemy guns answered to ours
and the duel with varying volumes
Of intensity until sunset, when the
valleys and hills were strangely sill
ent again, and only very occasional
explosions tended to drown for a Sec
ond or so the sob of child or the
cry of a human being in mortal pain
The night passed in this way, with
the footsore and weary stragglers
which was broken only by a great
glare from the burning homes anG
hamlets.
Women looked the picture of mis-
cry.
Some were so tired and worn with
their wanderings and privations thai
they dropped by the wayside and fell
alseep in spite of the cold and wet
only to wake up later with the be-
ginnings of pneumonia in their sys.
tenn.
One sight I shall remember for.
ever.
A turn in the road brought us tt
; it. Under a hedge we saw two little
girls of about five, probably twins
They were lying beside their mother
who was still awake and looking the
picture of ab5ect misery. The little
ones had golden hair and cheeks O.
cherubs.
Locked in Each Others Arms
] They were locked in each other
arms, and were fast asleep.
What a vision of childish innocenct
$ they presented in the midst of 81
l much of the guilt of man. They slep
: on unmindful of the roaring guns
which must have been their only lul
: lady, and were now beginning t.
' break out again as sort of reveille
/ The rain beat down on mother ant
children, and they must have beel
soaked to the skin, but they seemed
e too weary to mind anything.
Il Further along were an old woman
2 and a man, suggestive of Darby ant
Iod 81
e the misery and discomfort and hor
: ror of that flight before the ruthles
: Huns, and at last they had exhauste,
: themselves, and lay by the roadside
: There in misery and cold death ha
S come to them both, and they lay b,
: q hedgerow with great staring eye
v upturned to the sky as though askin
God in Heaven why such thing
L should be in a land that had know
: the religion of His Blessed Son TO
}. over nineteen hundred years.
# It was through scenes like this tina
IS we wended our way to safety. TIL
: enemy tried to press US hard, but tn
British gunners kept up a heavy fir
n for the rest of the retreat, and tn
enemy were thrown back every tim
e they tried to get near to US. In du
l. course we found ourselves in Udfn,
: and after a brief halt there we &C
behind the Italian lines, and fro1
l, that moment our retreat was we
h protected. (By The Information;
h News Bureau, Inc, Boston, Mass.)
h ------
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