New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-10-11

damn slime. III give you a pull"
A mighty wrench. A-h-h. there
that's better. He chafed the frozen
whist, and hunched forward. on his
elbows to see his friends face.
1T wasn't Jim. Sybil. Only his
arm. 1t came Oft. you see-in my
hand like that"
JOHN! Don't dear"
"Yes-yes-l've never talked be-
fore. It's like a dam that's broken.
Thoughts flowing free again. 1t
helps. Sybil."
So she let him deliver himself of
his misery. Vaguely. lncoherently.
At last they found him. Took
him to hospital. Base Hospital
No. is. At BazzoilleX. His leg was
broken, and his left arm.
"See-how crooked it is. The leg
set better. Shrapnel scars on my
body Ribs caved in. Pretty much
OF bust. And ] couldn't tell them
thing. sybil. Not my name, or my
outfit. Nothing at all. My mind was
an absolute blank. Everything that
happened before the explosion
might just as we'll have NEVER
happened, SO far as ! was con-
cerned."
When squads blew up, men were
put down as missing. presumably
dead The presumption was safe
enough. And that was how John
Lawrence came to be listed first
as missing" - and, finally. KILLED
in action"
He had escaped in delirious
flight from Base Hospital No. is :"
his pa jamas one night. Ii they had
known his name. they would have
dropped him after 10 days, as a
deserter. But. because he was name
less. he was spared that ignominy.
And, when they came upon him in
Bordeaux they sent him back
again.
There were months of it. He did
not know how many. Finally the
ATllllStlCe was lefIaTeu.
But was off my nut. didn't
care"
And you didn't ever think OF
me-" she whispered.
mo, dear. You see. wish
, I could make you understand. II
was as II my past was all behinu
a great wall. If ! could pierce the
wall. knew I'd find the life I'd
left behind. simply couldn't get
to it. 1t was like physical strus-
gle, trying.
1T was as If had died and
! gone. Oh, say I'd gone to Mars
And after death. knew Id lived
on different planet. But 1t wat
dreadfully far away. There was nc
one on Mars who could help me &c
hack, and no one on earth to cons
| to get me. DO you see. dear? Can
make you feel the thing at all +!
was like standing on a brink
with darkness behind me. Trying
to remember was like trying to see
with eyes bandaged. There was no,
one gimmer of light to help.
Il tried to reconstruct a life sucn
as other fellows had. / studied
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS even. Searching
for features eyes -smiles-any-
thing that would help me remem-
Der. Middle-aged faces. like
fathers and mothers. tried to re-.
construct my childhood.
Then ] began to wonder II there
had been girl. A sweetheart.
read love stories, seeking to rev,
any romantic episode that had cor.
ored my life. I closed my eyes
and thought of kisses-soft arms, q
beautiful face. / lovely body. And
I made myself ache with longing
but that was all It brought bach
nothing.
"Finally they sent me home-to
the States. Walter Reed Hospital
in Washington. There was corr
gresswoma3 from Massachusetts
there-Mrs, Foster. Angel the fei.
lows called her.
"She took an interest in me
the same sort If interest she tool
in every poor devil. She had a no.
ton ! was from Boston. She talked
to me about Harvard. but IT didn't
mean thing. ] knew a little Ger.
man and some Spanish. I'd read q
good deal. and discovered ! could
translate Greek. But I don't know
yet where learned those things
you're all ! remember. dear
Nothing else but you. And until
saw YOU. when I opened that door
you hadn't crossed my mind In II
ye"rs."
Syhil bit her lip on a despairint