The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1918-11-12

bles Webb La Pointe Of Sheboygan,
Wis, from another bed, "but what do
you think about met Laid up here
like an invalid and I've never gotten
a crack at Boche."
La Pointe is in a machine gun
company of one of the divisions that
distinguished itself in the fighting
near Compeigne. He had just started
over the top early one morning car
rying the tripod of a gun when u
"soup wagon" came along and
knocked him down. He was hit in
the knee and elbow and now he is
in the hospital grumbling, not be-
cause he is done up in yards OIL
bandages and painful apparatus that
holds his injured leg straight, but be-
cause it will be some time before he
gets back. front again for a "crack at
Boche."
David Rittown of New York city Is
another convalescent of No. l who
enjoys the food and the Red Cross
cigarettes. He had several days on
timed rations when he was brought
in from the field and was losing his
strength because he refused to eat.
In the bed next him was a sergeant
of the regular army who had been
brought in to die because piece
of shrapnel had lodged so close be-
meath his heart that an operation to
remove it was impossible.
The sergeant, rejoicing in the name
of Kelly and coming from the town
of st. Joseph, Mich, refused to ac-
cept the verdict that he must die
and dine on liquid rations. Whenever
the "joy wagon" las the boys call
the food cart) appeared, the SER
geant would arise from his "death
bed" and steal food while the backs
of the nurses were turned. After a
while the doctors listened to his ur-
gent request for Irregular meals"
and cancelled the order that he was
to have liquid diet pending his stay
in the hospital. Sergeant Kelly is
still at the hospital, where he is now
working as a hospital orderly. He is
eating as much as they will give him
and whenever possible sneaking
"extras," which he hides beneath his
pillow.
Rittow and the other men in ward
238 have developed real appetites
from watching him eat and listening
to his jokes. They know as well as
does the sergeant that any chance
accident may dislodge the bit of
shrapnel that lies beneath his heart,
but as long as he can shake his fist
at death and laugh at his troubles,
they laugh with him. He spins yarns
by the hour of his experiences in the
PHILIPPINES, on the Mexican border
and in France, where he has served
twelve months, now. And when he
runs out of breath, RittOw catches
the ball and tells his story of serv-
zee as "haison" messenger between
French and American troops who
Fere- en- Tardenois.
He trained at Camp Mills with an
other group of men from New York
city, coming to France last October.
His company was sent to several diff
ferent fronts in France, and by odd
coincidence every time that they were
relieved the company which replaced
them suffered heavy casualties from
attacks, raids or bombardments. Fin
ally came the day when they were re-
called from the Champagne front
and sent into support the division
that had pressed on beyond Chateau
Thierry in the early days of the July
offensive. The day he was wounded
he had gone back and forth for
twelve hours between French and
American field headquarters, carry
ing important messages. He had
just started off ON another trip
,,,bo,, n obonca turn IN thp TiOht in