Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1918-09-20
CHAPTER xxVll-Continued.

tot stop TO figure II out when he was
hit.
one very nIce.loollIng oyerenthusi-
astic young thing, stopped ut my bed
and asked what wounded you in the
facei"
In polite but bored tone | an.
sNered, "a rifle bullet"
With u look OF dISdain she passed
10 the next bed first circulating oh
Only a bullet? thought 1t was
shell" Why she should think a shell
wound was more Of distinction beats
NE. don't see whole lot Of differ.
fnee layself
The American Wempn's War h0Sp.
inl was heaven for wounded men.
They were allowed every privilege pos.
sble conducive with the rules ana milf
iary discipline The only fault was
MAJ The mems passes were restricted
10 get a pass required an act of par
hament Tommy tried many tricks 10
get out, but the commandant, an old
B0er war officer, was wise to them all
fnd II took new and clever ruse 10
nake him atilz his Signature to the
coveted slip Of paper
As soon as II would get dark many
patient climbed over the wall and went
'on his own regardless OF many signs
staring him in the face, "Out Of bounds
for patients" Generally the nurses
we're looking the other way when one
" these night raids started hope
Ibis Information will get none Of them
INTO trouble, but ! cannot resist the
temptation TO let the commandment
tno" that occasionally we put 1t over
nn him.
One afternoon | received 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
70 meet me at certain pace ON the
f"sd well known by all patients. aud
some visitors, as "oyer the wall" |
told her would be on hand at seven.
thirty.
About SEVENTEEN | sneaked my
oyeTcoat and cap out OF the ward and
hid II 10 the bushes Then | told the
nurse, a particular friend OF mine, that
was going for walk in the rose gar
den. She wlnked and | anew that ev.
srything was all right on her end.
bolng out OF the ward, slipped into
The bushes and made for the wall. Ii
was dirk as pitch and was cropping
through the underbruSh when sudden.
y | stepped into space and felt myself
rushing downward. a horrible bump
and blnckness. When | came 10 my
wounded shoulder was hurting horrl-
bly,. | was lying against a circular
wall OF bricks. dripping with moisture,
and far away | could hear the tricklng
Of water had In the darkness fallen
into nm old disused well. But why
wasn't | VET According TO all rules
! should have been drowned Perhaps
] was and didn't know 1t.
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-
epitate ME TO the bottom Of the well.
} struck a match In its faint glare
| saw that was lying In circular
hose about twelve feet deep-the well
had been filed In The dripping had
heard came from water pipe over on
my right.
With my wounded shoulder II was
impossible to shiny up the pipe.
could not yell for help. because tile
rescuer would want to know how the
accident happened, and | would be
hailed before the commandant on
charges. | just had to grin and bear
81. with the forlorn hope that one of
the returning night raiders would pass
md could give him our usual signal
Of "SiSs-s.s-s,' which would bring him
a. the rescue.
Eyc-. hNlf.hour 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. | recognized
Corpora Cook, an ardent might raid
err" He heard my "siss-s.s-s" and
came TO the edge OF the hole. | ex.
planned my predcament and amid lot
Of impertinent remarks, which at the
time did not resent, was soon tished
out
Taking of our boots we sneaked into
The ward. ! was sitting on my bed In
The dark, Just starting 10 undress,
when the man next to nue., Ginger"
Phillips, whispered. "0p 1t. Yank, ere
comes the matron'
1 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
crer me. An awful sight met my eyes.
The cOyeret on the bed and the sheets
were q mass OF mud and green slime.
She WAS good sport all right, and
hustled to get clean clothes and sheets
70 that no one would get wise, but ION
her own she gave me a good tongue
ashing but did not report me. One of
he Canadians In the ward described
her as being "a Jake Of q good fel-
sw."
Next visiting day had an awful
line explaining to my visitor why
'sd not met her at the appointed time
NJ place |
LIBRARY SLABS HUN KULTUR !
80. n..L. A.. a.nI.Lsl C.>-- A. |