The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-01-01
(By Associated Press.)

III (By Associated ETesS.J
Paris, Dec. 30.-"Doctor Van" ism
doctor, really-that is, he has neve
been inside Of medical school. HI
is not commissioned officer, eithe
Two days after the war was declares
in America he enlisted in one OF tn
cities of the middle West and CAM
over as a private. He is a sergeant
now. His experiences-driving al
ambulance, first and after that in thu
front line and then in various camps
in France till he was sent to base
hospital as a patient, would fill sew
eral diaries, if he keeps such things
which / doubt.
But there as a good many men in
that base hospital who owe their re
turning health to him, after they had
been in bed for weeks and even
months. Now, although they admit
that he is we'll again, they will not let
him go from the hospital because a
transfer is long and tedious bust.
ness to bring about, and they need
him there to help out with the pa
tients.
He was only out Of bed day or SO
himself when he came across two
boys in one of the wards who had
been in the hospital since April. One
of them had been an interpreter with
the French army and the other was q
Marine from Chateau Thierry. They
had been shell-shocked, and in all
these months-from April to Septem-
ber-they had grown scarcely any
better
Captain" Sergeant Van said one
morning to the doctor in charge Of
the ward, do you mind if I see what
can do for those men there?
think | may be able to help them a
bit, if you don't, mind"
The Captain looked at him interest
ly. If it had been any other man the
Captain would have been Indifferent,
perhaps. But Sergeant Van has a
way with him.
What do you want to do with
them?" he wanted to know.
I'D just like to talk to them a bit,
sir, now and then" Sergeant Van
said.
The Captain threw up his hands
"Kamerad!" he cried jovially. talk
is the deadliest medicine on top of
the earth"
81 was meaning it, sir" the Ser
gean said, steadily.
ooh, go ahead, VAN" the Captain
agreed. do anything you blame
please"
Inc next morning, on his rounds.
the captain stopped beside the bed
of the first of the two men who had
been shell-shocked.
"How's it coming this morning,
boys?" he asked
"F-f-fne, SIR" was the answer, a lit.
tie unsteadily given, perhaps, but the
Captain did not notice that. He sat
down On the bed and looked at the
boy in amazement. Those were the
first words he had spoken aloud since
the day he came to the hospital, un-
conscious, five months before.
AT that moment Sergeant Van hove
into sight from the diet kitchen. He
had plate of milk toast in his hands
"a plate that the boy in the bed fol.
lowed with an interested gaze.
beg pardon, sir" Sergeant Van
said, saluting, "but | must ask you to
wait until my patient has had his
breakfast before you talk with him. !"
The astonished captain allowed
himself to be waved from the bed to
the nearest chair and watched in
amazement the boy devour the toast
His hands shook so, from shell-shock,
that he could scarcely manage it, but
he was propped up and fed himself,
with every appearance of keen inter-
est in his food The day before the
boy had not been able to swallow any.
thing but liquid food, and he couldn't