The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-09-01

q nOIncit pause WoHdci
. what she put in it. bet she put
some doughnuts and some fudge.
bet she did. She always was petting
me, was mother. You see I'm the
baby and the other boys was al
ways stronger than me. But I'm
that husky now since | joined up.
You wouldn't know | was the same
boy" | sneaked look at Sammy's
chart and saw his weight-%
pounds.
Then | left him and he sank back
smiling, holding that frayed letter
in his hot little fist. As passed out
OF the ward | met the post orderly,
His arms were piled with letters
and knobby packages. There may
have been something for Sammy,
who knew? But ! hadn't the cour-
age to look back.
| wrote my first letter home that
afternoon in another ward The
boys won't let you write home for
them if they can possibly help it.
They know that the minute their
mother sees the little scarlet cross
on the envelope her anguished heart
will lump to her throat. But some
times, after there has been a CON
ference with the doctor, boy will
shylv draw YOU closer and tell you
he wants YOU to write letter to his
folks.
This one was to his sister His
mother is dead, thank God, for at
least she will be spared the agony
that letter would bring her. And 1t
NAV be that she understands these
things now. He had been gassed-
badly-and now he's dying of can
Ger. 1t won't be very long, the ward
sister says, and he knows all about
it and told me so simply that never
thought of the sadness OF it until
was going home. He has clear,
steady gray eyes and an instinct tor
truth. The pain and loneliness he
considers just a part OF the job. lie
regrets nothing, has no longings and
yearnings, but is happy warrior
lust about to start on the last stage
OF his great adventure.
The First Wounded Yanks.
The first Yank wounded to reach |
a base hospital from the upset Ger
man drive arrived with the acclaim
of many marvellous bells cherished
in medieval history.
For a day we had heard strange
thrumpetting in the air. In the
fields and in the ancient town men
and women looked at each other
with squinted eyes. Those sounds
hurt. 'C'est lattaque," they said.
They had heard the thrumpetting
many times in four years.
But there was no appreciation OF
the tragedy of the drive at the
American base hospital. Unds the
trees of the beautiful grounds were
swing beds where sick and wounded
tried to approximate the extent OF
the German defeat. That was one
thing they were sure OF. The Hun
would be smashed, whatever the
strength Of his effort. A few Tom
mics as well as Yanks were in those
swing beds, or strolling around,
and they had all of the American
certainty OF victory.
No news came all OF the exces-
sively hot day, nothing but that per-
sistent put-put. Then meager bit
of intelligence. A long truck con-
voy appeared from the front out OF
a cloud of white limestone dust. The
first men to stop at the park were
questioned. No, it wasn't
on the sector they had come from.
More to the left, and some rumpus
it mast be. The racket had been
up front at their term
mus. 1t had been interesting
TO note the gradual diminution of
the bombardment to staccato puffs
as they approached us.
Passenger train service was dis
organized, with trains front-ward
temporarily dislocated. had lost
all interest in my particular mission
in the ancient town, but | could not
get any closer to the battle line nor
to any headquarters where news
would be received.
There was an American Red Cross
canteen in the outskirts of the villa
where troop trains were always
scheduled to stop for refreshments.
| hired fiacrc and went out there
for dinner. The canteen is operated
by dozen American women, half
of them college girls, the other half
women of some social distinction
back home.
Their work was being explained to
me at dinner with an enthusiasm
that was astonishing; for these
women really are leading rough,
dull lives at this lonely foreign spot,
keeping the canteen going day and
night. But oh, the recompense to
them in the fine gratitude of our
boys. What wonderful fellows they
are, they declared. Not one had
ever conducted himself improperly.
They were all perfect darlings.
Think OF them up in that cannon
hell. But they would soon put an
end to it.
a motorcycle whirled up. The
dashed to the directress
OF the canteen. "A train of Amer
lean wounded is coming in in about
half an hour" he said. Colonel -
would like to know if you could give