New-York tribune., 1919-03-07

Prince OF Wales, the nurse who has
two medals from the French govern
ment, the nurse who found heart ro-
mances in the war and any number Of
nurses who are perfectly sure that the
American soldier is the best-natured
patient in the world-all these come in
on the Leviathan yesterday.
Their red-lined capes made the first
spot of color on the great gray ship as
she swung up the river, and their
merry goodbys followed the home
coming heroes as they started limping
down the gangplank on the last tedi-
Gus lap of their journey home.
There were one hundred nurses on
the Leviathan, most of them rosy
checked and still laughing over their
adventures in spite of the two or three
gold service stripes on their blue uni
forms. Others, however, we're silent.
and in their eyes was the look that
grew there in the dark hours when the
Hindenburg line was being smashed
and could not be driven away even nv
sunshine that flashed in the harbor
yesterday
Four French Brides
There were four little French brides,
too, who spoke the addresses of their
Anne rican husbands with proud but la
borious accent, and were taken in
charge by the American Red Cross
women until their husbands relative,
arrived to escort them home.
One child came, too; the mascot of
the ship.
He was eight-year- Pierre Lelong,
son of Lieutenant Lelong and the first
American child to come home on a
transport. He has been through ten
BON bardments in company with his
faithful Teddy bear named Peter, who
was clasped in his arms as he said
goodby to his soldier friends.
"His name is Peter that's the trans
lation of his real namc, Pierre" said
the boy. with the accent which is in
evitable even for the stanchest little
American when he has lived for four
years in Paris.
Lieutenant Lelong enlisted in the
French army as n poilu at the out
break of the war in 1914, and his wife
and son accompanied him to Paris. He
was gassed and invalided out of the
French army, but reenisted in the
American army when this country de-
clared war. Mrs. Lelong did Red Cross
work, and peter" taught the little boy
not to be afraid, even when the great
German guns shrieked over Paris.
Veteran Of 9th Service
Miss Helen Lanborne was the vet
eran nurse in point of service to the
9th Division, which was the most i'm
portant thing on the Leviathan yester-
day. She had been in the British army
hospital at Rouen since the second
year Of the war. When the 9th went
into action It was with the British, and
therefore their wounded were sent to
British hospitals.
Il nursed every kind of soldier In
the whole war;" said Miss Lanborne.
waving to the grinning, khaki lines as
they clattered down the stairs and
away from Red Cross nurses forever
Il nursed Moroccans and Singalese,
Australians and Canadians and French,
and | want to say right now that the
American men are braver and better
spirited under suffering than any men
saw. When our boys began to come
into those Rouen wards / could have
cried. 1t was so good to see Americans
agaln-and so terrible to see them
there"
"Who won the war;" She brought
the question on herself
"Our boys" she answered, laughing.
"Who did most?"
"The 9th! Bless 'cml' she said.
Nurse in Many Battles
Miss Mary r. Hickey, of Springfield,
Mass, had been through every action
from Chateau Thierry to the Argonne.
She had been at the front, working
night and day, at times when 500 pa
tients passed through field hospital in
one night.
HOW dld you get the strength for
it,"
Il don't know" she answered, "you
have 1t given to you when you need it.
You never knew you had it before"
The veteran from the point of view
OF length of service was MISS M.
Flint, from the American Ambulance
Hospital. Sc has two medals from the
. French government, one given in peace
times to physicians who endanger their
lives in epidemics of contagious dis
eases, but was given by the French
government as a graceful tribute to
the American nurses at Neuilly. The
other was the medaille reconnaissance.
gwen to all nurses who served for a
long period. Miss Flint has been in
the American Ambulance for four
years.
II just can't bear to leave the boys"
she laughed. "They are such dear
things. You know nurses hate the Of
fICerS but we adOra tho Iouohbo,,,