The Meeker herald., 1921-11-05
AN INTERESTING LETTER

The latest reports show that he IL able
to be wheeled about the hospital
grounds, In Washington. The follow
ing letter to the Rotary club Of Grand
Junction, and published In the senti.
mel Of that city will show the terrible
ordeal through which our beloved con-
gresham has passed the last five
months:
Ny dear Friends:
Rather against the advice OF my
attending physicians I am going to try
10 extend you friendly greeting and
express my very great appreciation OF
your thoughtful and very kind tele-
gram Of sympathy and good will,
which you sent me several weeks ago.
Your kind words and good cheer came
at 4 very opportune time. They were
wonderfully encouraging and helpful
to me, and I will never cease to fell
grateful for them.
have always wanted to attend one
of your luncheOns, hut somehow have
never been able to; and the thought
occurred to me that you might care to
hear from me Just as now feel, and
In my present condition. and as II
could be wheeled into your presence
and was able (which would not he,
to talk to you for few minutes. 30
with that thought in mind I am going
to try to dictate letter In that very
informal and familiar way.
This is the very first letter that
have attempted to write or dictate In
nearly five months 30 know you VIII
he charitable with its rambling i'm
perfections. But I do hope 1t will not
be anything like as weak and wabbly
as feel. In the language of Jerry on
the job sickness am something what
amt got nothing else but SO trust
you will overlook the possible impro-
priety Of my writing principally about
myself.
am not yet ont Of the woods. hut
think ! can begin to see the clearing
ahcad-at least 1t looks brighter than
1t ever has before. am still on the
little iron cot in room % of Officers
Pavilion No I where I have spent so
many dreary and frightfully hot days.
weeks and months. But thank fortune
i can now get In n roller chair and n
soldier orderly wheels nc slowly n
round the grounds for an hour or two
each day for the past ten days and
am confident my heart action IL slow
~ getting a little stronger and more
regular. l am not quite ns confident
vet as would like to be, because
had two serious backsets when I felt
nearly this well before. My recovery
has been retarded not only by all the
aff lotions that every person has who
In compelled to lie still In he'd for sew
cral months. hut by a severe case OF
bronchitis with relapse and by three
or four teeth that have annoyed me
nearly all the time. and have been
too weak to have them attended to.
and few other things thrown in for
good measure. One day had fright
fully terrific pain In my back. between
my shoulder blades. 1t was almost be-
yond endurance and 1t drove my pulse
from Is to 100 and 1t seemed as though
my heart was very rapidly beating the
life out Of me. The physicians put
large and awfully hot water bag at my
back and large ice-pack over my left
front side; and II anyone ever wants
to know what the genuine reality Is OF
actually being between the Devil and
the Deep Blue Sea. near the north pole
I can unhestitatingly commend that
treatment to him. had to stand that
about two hours and once, while was
writhing between the cooking behind
and the freezing In front. trying to
get little relief first from one and
then the other, the orderly that was
watching me consoled me by saying.
You had better look out there boss
! how you move. because all you got to
1 do to commit suicide is to fall out of
that bed
l That night when my heart was at
its worst and 1t seemed almost i'm
possible for the physicians to keep 1t
going at all and 1t was utterly impos-
sible to sleep any and ! had been hop
\ ing and longing for daylight 1t seemed
for atleast forty-eight hours. asked
the orderly what time 1t was. He told
me 1t was 3 o'clock. and then he look
ed at me with kind Of curious quiz
zical expression and said, What the
Hell Is time to you? You amt any
where"
Confidentinlly. 1 would have been
most awfully glad just then to have
had some more nuthorative assurance
that I wasn't going aMywhere than