New Britain herald., 1926-12-30
WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE

 The Elwells adopt the girls.
 The story then moves forward , IS years. The twins, now growing s to beautiful womanhood. have been [ named Margaret and Elizabeth and nicknamed Rusty and Betty.
 America enters the World war , and Jim Elwell cnlists. He then discovers that one of the twins loves him and he loves her He , tells his mother this but does not l tell her which one.
 Over in France he is wounded in
 his first big battle and sent to the
 hospital. He is discharged again . and sent to the front and put in
 charge of a machine gun detail.
 He goes back to a creek for water
 and a shell obitcrates their nest,
 killing his men. including John
 Powell, whom Jim had promised to
 mail some letters for in the event
 ot his death. Jim removes Powell's coat containing the letters. puts it on and another shell explodes near
 by, destroying his memory. He is taken to a hospital as John Powell and James Elwell is reported dead.
 NOW BEGIN THE STORY
 CHAPTER XVII
 l The package left by the doctor contained two addressed but un- lsealed letters and two small photo- |graphs. One of the photos was that
 of of E0 nd hf nt Q pretty girl of 20 or thereabouts.
 The nurse turned them over. On the back of the first was written in ink. Prom Mother 10 Son-John w. Powell Jr.. Newark, N. J., L. 6. A." On the other was the name. Helen R. Craig.
 She would write to both of them that night. the nurse whispered soft fly to herself. She would mail his letters 10 them. I'll tell them he's in the hospital here. But, oh, dear" she added moment later, T just can't tell them the terrible shape he's in"
 Perhaps, she was thinking. he would recover. Doctors couldn't al ways tell for certain how such a case was going to turn out.
 And so because of the kindness and pity in the heart of the young nurse from New York, four letters, | two addressed to Mrs. John W. ! Powell Newark New Jcrsay, and | two to Helen K. Craig, reached their | destinations on November 27 and ! ] brought joy and thanksgiving to the | hearts of two who were close to de- , spair. Thus did destiny place her ! pawns in the strange game she was . , playing in the lives of a soldier in France and a mother and girl in . l Newark. And at the same hour in the FL well home out in Indiana four hearts . were beating in joyful anticipation of that happy day when their Jim should return from the war all safe . and sound.
 But they did not know The soldier called John Powell in | the hospital at Metz didn't die as the doctor had thought he would. That is. his body remained alive and he ate when Nurse Downing put food in his mouth and he drank when fluid was poured down his throat. But so far as there being any sign of a living intellect. he had died the instant the big shell hit the ground on the hillside of a ravine at the Battle of Sedan. He did not talk. He did not smile In his eyes was that vacant stare.
 There was something about him that compelled the interest of Nurse Downing. And this was something she could not account for. She had seen thousands of pitiable cases in her war experience and had grown accusto omed to them. She had lost none Of her tenderness in this merci- full yet terrible work of hers, but she had learned to shut her eyes to certain things and had acquired new philosophy.
 But this poor young soldier with the fine. pale. delicate face, and those pitiful eyes. The thick hair waving back from his forehead and the constantly moving hands. The dcadness of him. He had struck strange cord in the young nurses heart and she found herself spend- ing good deal of her time at his bedside, strcking his forehead, hold ing the restless hands to soothe them. trying to get him to sleep sometimes after he had lain there for hours with unblinking lids turned toward the ceiling.
 Weeks passed. with hardly q per [ ceptible change in his condition Other cases came and went. Some vent out healed and some went out ! dead, but this young man remained. ]
 And save for slight cessation of the nervous twi'ching of the face and jerking of his gs and hands his condition was in no manner i'm | proved when the transport on board I which he was placed al Er"st dock ed at her wharf in East River New York. on December "0.
 From here this living dead man
 
 Island and Mrs John W. Powell and { Helen R. Craig, Of Newark, were mo- tificd of his arrival
 Then. the nature of his case brinE explained 10 the nurses, he was mad" as comfortable as they could make I him and left 10 await the arrival of his mother.
 "Oh, Nurse" was the tremulous { cry of q swcet-faCed little woman who introduced herself a little later | as the mother of John Powell. sol dier, as she and her companion were being escorted through the corridor ( on the way Co the main ward, tell $ me, is my boy very weak yet? Will ' he be able to sit up and talk to us? ' That dear nurse over in France who { wrote us said he vas very ill but $