Young Hilda at the Wars

in action, and the woods and fields on the Hoogar road were strewn with the wounded. Dr. McDonnell, the head of the Ambulance Corps, rode over from Furnes to the

rican, all on one seat,"

Ypres, eastward toward the action. Half way out to the noise of artillery, th

out on this r

t," pleaded Hilda. "We will bring

k," he ordered. "My name is F

hem limped, they held up a red hand, they carried a shattered arm in a s

es," said Woffington, "

is war's best gift. War's other gifts are malicious-fever and plague, and the maiming of strength, and the fouling of beauty-shapely bodies tor

Hilda. "They're expecting too much of us. The whole t

verest of the cases, and returned to the white house of

seven Tommies in a row with hand, arm, foot, leg, shoulder, neck and breast wounds. It was too good a pi

will probably stop you. But, remember, my permission holds good only for to-day. The

ever had Hilda felt the war so keenly as now. She had been dealing with it bit by bit.

of length, and every foot close packed, like fish in a tin, with helpless outstretched men. The grey stones and the drab suits on the bundles of straw,-what a backwash from the tides of

ell fire. The moaning and wasp-like buzz of the flying metal, then the earth-shaking thud of its impact, and the roar of its high explosive, had played upon nerves not elastic enough to absorb the strain, till the man became a whimpering child. And they carried in a man shaking from ague, a big, fine fe

ing him, so that he rode leaning down

to measure up to any situation that had been thrust at her. It was buckle to it, and work furiously, and clean up the mess, and then on to the next. But here was a wid

ently and skilfully, so that the wounded men inside should not be shaken by the motion. They had a snack of luncheon with th

ganization of the military had found it necessary to hold a hundred or more ambulances of the Royal Army Medical Corps in readiness all day in the m

hing its body from side to side as it struck invisible hummocks and dipped into shell holes. It was loaded with outstretched forms of men, whose wounds were torn at by the jerking of the cart. In companies, fresh men, ta

od, which had been hotly contended for, through the seven days. It had been covered with shell fire as thoroughly as a fishing-net rakes a stream. Th

ped out of

ed Cross?"

ell, "and we have our

some wounded men in the Chateau at the

r?" ask

ore than h

f size and beauty. In the cellar, three soldiers were lying on straw. Two of them told Hilda they had been lying wounded and uncared for in the trenches since evening of the night b

u been like this?

lock, yesterday

ours," sa

hoisted them through the cellar window. Woffington and McDonnell took the lantern and searched till they found a wheelbarrow. The third man, wounded

ntly. After a few hundred yards, they met a small detachment of cavalry, advancing toward the house. The horses seemed to feel the tension, and shared in the silence of their drivers, ste

They put the three wounded in on the long wooden seat. The boy with the torn biceps fainted on Hilda's shoulder. She rode in with hi

er for you," s

r and gave the lad to drink from his

onvent, the officer in

"Can't take any more, full up. Next trip, go on

d back towa

h for one trip, and then ho

octor, "out to the farthest tre

ack of the mounded earth, the reserves were sleeping in the mud of the road, and on the wet bank

wounded?" aske

n," answered the officer. "What is

many as I can,"

read his men out in the search. Three wounded we

r case," said Dr. McDonnell

man," ordered

nt woman, grey-haired, heavy, her b

ing out in the fields here, while the firing was going on. She was shot in the leg and fell do

," said

ier than a soldier, he

said Hilda; "you

ficer

wered; "here come a

. On the trip back, she jumped down at the Hoogar dressing-station, and there she found sixteen more

elf, down through the Grand Place, and then abruptly through a narrow street to the south. Here they found

arted Tommies, who lent a hand in unloa

ust keep this hospital for the so

do with her?" aske

aid the officer

war-time. They'll turn us away from all the hospitals. Anyo

eyond repair about her appearance, and something unrebuking, too. "Do with me what you please," she seemed to say, "I shall make no complaint

rdered the Doctor;

ode to the door, and pulled the hanging wire. The bell resounded down long corridors. Five min

old peasant woman in my car," plead

he door wide open, then turned and s

ilda; "we have

grey hair and white hair on the pillows, red coverlets over the beds. To the end of the room they went, where one wee little girl was sleeping. The Sister spread bedding on the floor, and lifted th

said. "Fifteen and a

under the shelling, and cannot be rebuilt. They paused to pick their road back to Furnes, for in the darkness it was hard to find the street that led out of the town. They thought they had found it, and went swiftly down to the railway station befor

will send another shell. They always d

t, still puzzled for the way of escape, two shells wen

time, he made the right turn, back of

so good to Hilda

self. Now she knew why brave m

onnell. "We can set England aflame with it. The English people w

ness. In our country we'd have a crusade over the situation, and then we'd forget all about it.

ee," replie

ry," sa

army officers, literary women of distinction, and the host of well-to-do uncelebrated persons, who make the rich background of modern life. Dr. McDonnell's warm friend, the Earl

his will prevail. He was enjoying a brilliant Parliamentary career. He had early thrown his lot with the Liberals, and had never found cause to regret it. He had been an under-secretary, and, when the war broke out, K

the severest in all history. In a day or two, we got things in hand. You came down on a day when the result was just

weren't working?" asked Hilda.

ight long after the bombardment began, emptying the three military hospitals, and taking the men to the train. We sent them down to Calais.

imed Hilda. "How did you kn

t day in Ypres,"

s," repeated Hild

an lady, with a very good motor ambulance. It was a visitation, wasn't it? If we allowed it regularly, what would become of the fighting? Why, there are fifty volunte

nded?" queried Hilda.

proved in the South African War. The wounds often heal if you leave them alone in the open air. But

the wounded is abs

" chided t

ses. The wound would heal itself. But a lot of the wounds are from jagged bits of shell, driving pieces of clothing and mud from the trenches into the flesh. The air is septic, full of disease from the dead men. They lie so close to the surface that a shell, anywhere near, brings them up. Thr

bow. "I applaud your spirit, but the wounded are not so important, you

d come first?" asked

r for military necessity. This is the order in which we have to regard

en food, then reinforcement

KAPPELE

y at full length. No impress of torture could any longer rob them of the rest on which they had entered so suddenly. I saw that each one of them had come to the end of his quest and had found the thing for

erman with his leg being sawn off, and the strange bloated face of the Belgian: all those maimed and broken men condemned to live and ca