The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-04

cocoa hot, protecting the food against
the effects of the gas as much as pos
sible. About l or 2 o'clock the Ger
mans threw over a gas shell that
broke just outside the door of the
kitchen. The girls were warned by
the deadcned "plunk" of the shell that
it was gas. but even at that they did
not have time to adjust their masks
before the mill was filled with the
strong odor OF garlic and a cloud Of
mustard gas began seeping into the
kitchen. The girls hurried to adjust
their masks, which they had already
been wearing at the alert position
(close up on their chests and tied
about their waists). Gladys got hers
on, and Irene had just started to ad-
just her nose clip when she noticed
that one OF the other two Salvation
Army women was having trouble with
her mask, being unable to get 1t out
of her satchel. Irene Immediately
abandoned her own attempts to get
her mask on and rushed to the aid of
the other woman, crying to her to hold
her breath, The other girl had pres
enco of mind enough to do so, and
Irene finally succeeded in getting the
mask on and adjusted.
Neglected own Precautions.
But to do this she had been COM
PEELED to neglect her own mask, and
had inhaled a quantity of the mustard
gas. This gas, however, is usually ac-
cumulative and delayed in its effects.
unless the victim gets into a very large
concentration of 1t, and she did not
know that she had been seriously
gassed until some time the next day,
although within half an hour there
was a suspicious hoarseness in her
voice. her throat was sore and her
tongue badly swollen. But within the
next ten or twelve hours Irene's
throat and tongue became so sore, to-
gether with soreness of the lungs,
that the regimental surgeons ordered
her to the hospital, where she re-
manned for two weeks.
Meanwhile the Germans had intensi-
fed their bombardment and shortly
before sunrise they laid down the box
barrage that Immediately preceded the
attack. And then the infantry came
over. and quickly advanced as far as
the village OF Seicheprey in spite of
the desperate resistance OF the Ameri-
cans. The sound OF rife and machine
gun firing not more than one or two
kilometers away was perfectly audible
to the Mcintyre girls. and the infantry
units in the village, which were in
support, were preparing to evacuate
the place and move forward TO the line
to help their hard pressed "buddies."
Several infantry officers urged the Nc
Intyre sisters TO go to the rear. as
there seemed at that time every likeli-
hood that the Germans advance would
reach their village. Irene and Gladys
refused.
We don't go so long as there are
soldiers here" they said. Besides,
we have some doughnuts here in cans
that the gas didn't get to. The boys'll
want them
And so, with one OF them badly
gassed, with gas all about them so
that it was extremely dangerous TO re-
move their masks and with the Ger
man artillery having one of its biggest
shoots and with German infantry
steadily advancing, these American
girls calmly stood there in that little
subsection of hell and dealt out what
was left of the pie and the doughnuts
and the hot coffee and cocoa to the
soldiers who came struggling in on
their way to the line, and TO the
wounded who came staggering back
to the dressing stations.
And back at division headquarters
a General who knew what the McIn-
tyre girls were doing and had done
heard about them and sent runner af-
ter runner forward to make them come
out. None of the runners reached
them. And then reports came back
that the Boche was in Ansouville that
the Americans had fallen back beyon !
the village and that nothing was
known of the American girls. But
they were not destined to fare any
more seriously than they had Jared.
After the infantry had all left the viii
lage there was period of few min
utes comparative quiet. 1t looked as
If the attack was over, although the
infantry was still in action. So
Gladys and Irene Mcintyre made up
another batch of dough, for the gas
had blown away and there vas little
danger of the food becoming infected.
and put the doughnuts on the fire and
the apple pies In the ovens.
The boys will be coming back