Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-01-01

up, and then asked where the coal or
wood was. This got great laugh. 1t
was quite humorous to the men who
had shivered there for weeks, maybe,
but to me 1t was about as funny as a
cry for help. I got wood though, be-
fore had been there long.
There was a great big cupboard
that looked more like small house,
built against the wall Of the hospital
barracks in one corner Of the room,
and not far from the stove. Kate was
the only patient able to be on his feet,
so I thought he would have to be my
chief cook, and bottle washer for q
while; and, besides, there was some
thing about him that made him look
pretty valuable. I had not recognized
his whistling yet, so Slim looked to be
the right name for him.
"Slim. what's that big cupboard
for?"
"How'd known Nuthin' In it."
"Slim, that would make fine box
for coal or wood, wouldn't it?'
"Um. Whar de coal an wood?"
I'm going out and take observa-
tons, 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.
If 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 it, too. Back to
the hospital and Slim.
"Slim, what barracks are next to
us?"
Russian burrucks, only dey amt
dere now. Been SICK"
And you mean to tell me you don't
know where to get wood?"
"Sick men been in dem burrucks."
sick men here, aren't there? 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 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 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 rations.
Two Russian doctors came to visit
US each day. and once they were fool
ish enough, or kind enough, to ask If
we had received our rations-we had
received them earlier than usual and
they were finished at the time. OF
course, said no, so they ordered the
Russian in the kitchen to deliver
twenty.eight rations to us, which was
not quite three loaves Of bread. We
were that much ahead that day, but it
would not work when tried the trick
| again.
One day a German doctor came to
the hospital barracks. He would not
touch anything while he was there
not even open the door. All Of the
patients had little cards attached to
their beds-charts of their condition.
When the German wanted to see these
charts the Russian doctors had to hold
them for him.
| l was having great time at the
hospital, wrecking the barracks next
door each day for wood, along with
Kate, and getting little more food
sometimes, and was always nice and
warm. thought myself quite a pet.
Compared to what I had been up
against. it seemed like real comfort
But the more food I got, the more
wanted. And it was food that brought
me down, after all.
Across from US was q barracks in
which there were English officers, and
somehow it seemed to me that they
must have had a drag. Every once in
while I saw what looked like vege
tables and bags Of something that was
a dead ringer for brown -four. So
told Slim, or Kate, as was calling hin
by then, and with him on guard,
sneaked out. .-
| After two or three false starts, I go1
over our barbed wire and their barbet
wire, and in through window.
| There I saw carrotsl And graham
flour!
i took all could carry, to divide u1
with Kate, and then started eating
so as not to waste anything. It wal
certainly some feast-the only thini
besides mud bread and barley coffee
and shadow soup that I had to ca
In Germany. Then I started back t.
, the hospital. I got over their barbet
wire all right, and Kate gave me thu
go-ahead for our entanglements, blu
just as was going over them sentr,
nabbed me. At first I thought Kat,
had turned traitor, because we ha.
had little argument short time be
fore. = =
But later on figured that he woul,
; not have done trick like that, an,
besides, he knew was bringing hin
something to eat. So. the sentry mus
have sneaked up without Kate seeinl
) him. Who got the carrots and ora