The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-03-18

:
trouser leg or the empty sleeve as the
token Of what they had all been
through together "out there"-a sort
Of grim fellowship Of sacrifice.
Most of them are young men, in
fantrymen, who have been wounded
either In the trenches or in the cheer
ing scramble lover the top" in an as
sault. They are u shaver, de-
cidedly looking crew, and many
of them are Of fine phisyque barring
the lost arm or leg. One Of the sin
gular things about them Is the pro-
longed silence in which they sit upon
the benches In the waiting room.
Shyness Is scarcely what one would
expect Of men who have all save
struck hands with the Great Adven-
ture--even imagination does not sug-
gest shyness. But. as matter of fact,
1t is with unfeigned diffidence that
these men talk of themselves even to
the bureau chief. whom they see one
by one and quite alone. The aues-
tons asked them, as part of the neces~
sary records of the bureau. are an
swered with pauses of confusion, with
resort to CONGRATULATIONS which COM
prehend Il world Of suffering In Il
sentence.
Caught on Barbed Wire.
Here is one of them. Fernand c..
u young man. just turned 26, once "A
farm laborer Of Normandie, His right
leg has been amputted above the knee
and, with IA "pilon," he clatters awk-
wardly through the bureau door upon
two shiny, new clutches.
How was l wounded. Monsieur?
Yes. my right leg. When? 1t was In
one Of the attacks at Tahurc. We
came out of the trenches that day.
More, Monsieur? All, yes,-we were
running something burst be-
fore me and threw me down. 1t was
all wire, barbed wire, there--stretched
zig-zag, so, Monsieur. l was stepping
over when it burst at my feet--it tore
away part of this leg--the chief doctor
took the rest of 1t off, Monsieur"
There Is long pause. Fernand
reaches for his handkerchief, because
this extended and difficult anecdote
has brought the perspiration out upon
his forehead. Az he moves, one of the
crutches slips and falls with CHATTER
to the floor. A quick smile Of con-
fusion succeeds the perspiration AS the
soldier stoops for his crutch. lie is
evidently relieved when he has another
question to answer
"Hospital?" | was taken to u
Monsieur. Perhaps 1t would have been
better for me If l had not had to lie
two days between the trenches, How
Z I
was caught in the barbed wire. by
clothing. Monsieur, and ! couldn't
move far enough to get myself free
There the brancardiers found me
they couldn't come before the firing
was too heavy--onc could not blame
them, Monsieur. oh, yes, l was very
weak when they came, I seemed tt
have spent much time sleeping there
but l was lucky, don't you think
Monsieur?
What do l want to do for work ?
A shoemaker? No! A farmer again!
win that be possible-with my leg
Truly, Monsieur, l had never thought
Behind him came Emile E., from
the Vesges; an older man-forty per-
haps. He too wants to be Il cobbler
1t is the work which seems to attract
most OF them for the bench it offers
His right leg also was missing.
Leg Cut OFT BY Germans.
Il was a canal boatman before, Mon
sieur. Yes, want to so back to 1t II
| can. ] can steer and handle all the
ropes-the boats are very steady, you
know" He smiled at this intended
drollsry. MY wound? In the Somno
-, ,,l.n a
we could not hold our position--that
was all. Lots of us went down.
don't know what struck me-shell,
perhaps, Monsieur,-here it struck"
He bent forward and touched his
"pilon' about four inches below where
his knee had been. Perhaps not SO
bad wound at first. l was able to
bind 1t with my other molletiere the
spiral wool puteo of the infantryman)
and that stopped the blood, yes Mon
sieur. The Germans took me prisoner.
l had been lying for more than day
there when they came upon me. l
had tried to crawl back but could not.
The thirst was terrible, Monsieur,
worse than the wound, perhaps,
My leg? The German doctor took
1t off--yes-and they kept me for IA
time-until l was well, they said. Then
they sent me back to France. l was
too lame to be of service, was it not
So yes, Monsieur" He looked down at
his "pilon." 81 have my living to make
now-I am strong, will any help be
given me? Here are my papers-they
TELL"
Hurt While Prisoner.
c., another applicant, had been "a
chauffeur in Bordeaux thin wisp of
a man with a boys yellow mustache
on his lips. 1t was infinitesimal but 1t
had been carefully pointed with soap
In lieu OF WAX. He wanted a leg which
twill bend. SO l may drive again." His
story was bit different.
1.-TWO OF Us were taken prisoner at
Aaticourt. Wounded? Oh. no. Mon
sieur. Both of US strong and unhurt