The state herald., 1919-06-20

but to me 1t was about as funny as
cry for help. got wood though. be
fore had been there long.
There was great big cupboart
that looked more like small house
built against the wall Of the hosplta
barracks In one corner Of the room
and not far from the stove. Kate wal
the only patient able to be on his feet
so thought he would have to be m!
chief cook and bottle washer for
while; and. besides, there was some
thing about him that made him lOol
pretty valuable. / had not recognized
his whistling yet. SO Slim looked to bt
the right name for him.
"slim. what's that big cupboard
fort"
How'd I knowi Nuthin' In It"
"Slim. that would make q fine boz
for coal or wood. wouldn't itr'
"Um. Whar de coal an woodr'
"Tm going out and take observa.
lions. Slim. Take the wheel while I'm
gone. and keep your eye peeled for
U-boats." So I sneaked out the door
and began looking around.
II you look at the sketch I have
made. It will not take you long to see
that next to US was vacated Russian
barracks. And It did not take me
much longer to see 1t. too. Back to
the hospital and Slim.
"Slim. what barracks are next to
usf"
Russian burrucks. only dey amt
ders now. Been sick"
"And you mean to tell me you don't
know where to get wood7"
"Sick men been in dem burrucks."
"Sick men here. aren't there1 Let's
Co."
That did the trick. The black boy
would watch from the hospital win
dows until he saw the coast was clear.
then we would slip into the barracks
next door. and he would watch again.
When there was no sentry near
enough to hear US. crash and out
would come dividing board from the
hunks. When we had an armful
apiece. and had broken them up to the
right lengths. all We needed was Q lit
tie more watching. and then back to
the hospital and the big cupboard.
Later on. our men told me they used
to watch the smoke that poured from
the hospital chimney all the time and
wonder where on earth We got the
wood.
We got the same kind Of food In the
hospital that was served In the other
barracks, and I would not have had
any more than used to. except that
sometimes some Of the twenty-six pa
tients could not eat their share. and
then. Of course. It was mine. One day.
though. We all had extra ratons.
Two Russian doctors came to visit
US each day. and once they were fool.
ish enough. or kind enough. to ask II
we had received our rations-we had
received them earlier than usual and
they were finished at the time. OF
course. ! said no. 70 they ordered the
Russian In the kitchen to deliver
twenty.eight rations to u. which was
not quite three loayes Of bread. We
were that much ahead that day. but It
would not work when tried the trick
asal1. Ss-Eyr E;ySsal
One day q German doctor came to
the hospital barracks. He would not
touch anything while he was there
not even open ths door. All Of tho
patients had little cards attached to
their beds-charts Of their condition.
When the German wanted to SEQ these
charts the Russian doctors had to hold
them for him.
was having Q great time at the
hospital. wrecking the barracks next
door each day for wood. along with
Kate. and getting q little more food
sometimes. and was always nice and
warm. ] thought myself quite . pst.
Compared to what ! had been up
against. It seemed like rch comfort.
But the more food ! got. the more
wanted. And II was food that brought
me down. after all.
Across from w was Q barracks In
which there were English officers. and
somehow II seemed to me that they
must have had drag. Every once In
. while ! saw what looked like vege.
tables and bags Of something that was
Q dead ringer for brown fiour. 80 I
told Slim. or Kate. - was calling him
By then. and with him on guard,
sneaked out.
After two or three false starts, I 10,
over our barbed wire and their basbst
wire. and In through . window.
There ] saw carrotsi And graham
fiouri
took all could carry. to divide Or
with Kate. and then started eating
% a. not to wasts anything. II wai
certainly some feast-ths only thinl
besides mud bread and barley cote,
and shadow" soup that had v ~
In Germany. Thcn I started baek 4
tho hospital. I got over their baress
wire all right. and Kate gavs ne u
go-ahead for our sntangiemsuts, b.
Just % wss xoios ovsr them . ssntr,
l A q