Evening star., 1922-03-15
BY w.A. cuAGE,rT.

Dear Folks: $500 ,.ss. ~ 'H7'
Mister Edisons thunder. but there is.
! just one question I'd like to have
| answered, and that is: II q Colorado
miner can trip of to. war. fight like a
hellcat. lose both legs up to his trunk.
lay In hospital for nigh on to four
years and still have grit enough left to-
make himself expert silversnfith. then
| what ought able-bodied, healthy
| American lad do. who's got nothiR' be-
fore him but peace times and .1oppor-
| tunity? II
| How's that. You've got your doubts
iahout the Colorado miner! Is that so!
| Well. some ba'my afternoon, 1ustt%;n1ke %
yorself out to the Walter Reed Hos
fpitah hunt up the workshop ana ask
for Ralph Grimm. native Of Cincinnaei.
worker in Colorado. and former member
of the 355th Infantry. S9th Division. VINO
! not only single-handed brought. down a
the second Argonne offensive WAS. 30
badly tore up that he had to nave potd,
propellers deducted from his torso, ana
| watch him at work.
Brought sup underground. rs it were
| this stalwart young miner never seen
silver boDbon box or lady's bureau
| set In his life until they slapped HIM
! in q hospital ward. but when he real
| lied that the jigswas up so far as n,lnin
was concerned. he didn't NOPE around
and below about hard luck-ao. Stree.
not that old doughboy! But with grin
on his face and determination in his
heart he hoped right into a trade. lis
tened to Whnt'was told him. stuck hard
nv his task, until today he's Jaked him.
self so that once he leaves "Reed any
4 4 fk,et 10 nd yxyIII
gets him! .-.~
Lots More Like Him.
| And he amt The only one out there.
neither! merely detail his case to
get my query over! There are others
a whole mess of others. basket weav:-
fers. rug makers auto repalrmen'
painters. leather workers, metal eS-
perts. mimeographers; AlussFa.1brst, ,.bst
not: some armless. others deef, some
i half blind. while more'n dozen are
! bent in the middle. but all OF EN-
smilin', workin' their darndest ana
doin' what they can to forget ABOUT
| trouble! ,..,
| on the invite of certain local
| psrty. who's done lot to help make
! the lives of the Walter Reed lads just u
| little the. brighter. ] slipped OUT 20
the big institootion yesterday a1teI-
noon. and after payin my res.spGSS sss Rsa
! Gross field director in charge, was IN
| trodooced to Mrs. Reeve Lewis, mrs.
George Dunlop and Mrs. E. o. Fox
three charmin' ladies of that organl-
| zatiQn, who manage to hnd tune IRON
| their multitoodinous dootfes TO Vis!t
| the hospital at least three, times. each
week, where, with baskets loaded to
| the gunwales with cigarettes. chewin
| gnm, tooth paste. shoestr:ngs; 1ruit'
| magazines and other sich delegates
sens, they tiptoe through the differ
emit wards dispensin' the little "ac-
| cessories'' to one and all alike-and
mebbe they amt welcome, oh, hasten
| the day!
Lewis, / trailed that good woman
through every ward at the mammoth
| plant, and never in my life have l
| been SO absolutely befuddled! Where
expected to fnd gloom there was
nothin' but sunshine, where I looked
for q groan | was greeted with tn,
I heard only thanks! Optimism: did
you ask! Faith! Hope! Good will to
all! Great God. folks. If 1t amt out
let Walter Reed Hospital. it amt IN
our fair land!
Never a Kick There
Never did 1 feel prouder Of bein'
citizen of these United States than.
| yesterday! yet never Qio teeA note
selfish for the blessin's I enjoy than,
when strollin' through that vast In
closure Of human misery. seen rows
and rows of bright-faced, clean
thipkin' American lads, my feller-
icountrymen. stricken down In the
bloom of youth, strugglin' against
every odd. never kickin', never back
sassin'. only waitin'. only hopin'. only
longin' for the day when they'd be
able to hike back to the old folks at
| homa manand be happy again.
| ERE dye hail from. pal?" n
I, asked one poor laddie. who'd been
| strung upside downwards for more'n
! six months. -
/ california, Boz he sang back with
grin. 1.-The best damned state in
the whole bloomin' Union. There's