Chapter 22
CHAPTER XXII. IN A STORM-SWEPT CITY The Cell River at St. Soupley flows almost due north. Its banks are extremely steep and just east of the river stands a great railroad embankment ranging from 30 to 40 feet in height. When Captain Thomas and his little party drew near the city,
the tops of this embankment were being swept by Hun machine guns stationed on the heights a little to the eastward. These guns not only covered the railroad embankment but also the streets of the town of Saint-Soupley and the grounds where the American infantry would naturally form for its attack.
There were no enemy troops in Saint-Soupley now, for the first time in four years, and the inhabitants were too dazed to realise that at last the yoke of the Huns had been removed from their necks. The vanguard of the American army was at their doors,
even though this vanguard consisted only of a handful of hardy volunteers and Red Cross workers, who had come not to kill, but to save. It looks as though it will be pretty hot in there, averred the captain. Saint-Soup-Lay is now no-man's land, replied Grace Harlow. Shall we go in now?
Watch your step, commanded the captain, leading the way, all hands seeking such cover as they could find. Barely had they reached the western edge of the town when the whistle of machine-gun bullets filled the air. This was followed by the bursting of shells,
for the Huns, after having lived on the inhabitants for four years, now turned their guns on them. The Hun is such an appreciative animal, observed Captain Grace whimsically, which brought a laugh from Captain Thomas. Yes, think of it.
They are seeking to cut off the hand that fed them. the brutes. Flattening themselves against the walls of buildings, here and there dropping into gutters, taking advantage of anything that offered cover, the Red Cross man and his plucky volunteers entered the stricken city. Captain Thomas had divided his party into groups and assigned them to districts. They were to visit every house in the village
and make a survey of the needs of the stricken people, but even this work was full of peril, no one knowing what he might encounter on entering a building. For all the volunteers knew that every house might hold a squad of Bosch's with machine guns and rifles.
Gas! It was Grace Harlow's voice that first gave the alarm in that shrill, insistent tone in which the warning was always sounded. The Huns were pouring the deadly fumes into the village, determined to kill whatever life remained after they had deluged it with steel. Masks were snapped on and the squad started bravely out on their missions.
Such scenes of misery as Grace Harlow beheld brought the tears to her eyes. Such suffering as she gazed upon was unbelievable. Old women, children and old men, broken from four years of slavery, were found nursing the wounds that the Bosch had inflicted with shell and bullets after evacuating the town. Those who were able were protecting themselves from gas as best they could, many having masks on. Grace learned that these masks had been picked up or stolen from the enemy from time to time in expectation of an emergency.
Fortunately for them, a strong river breeze had sprung up and cleared the town of the gas fumes ere it had penetrated the houses to any great extent. In the first house that Grace entered, she found an aged woman, wounded in both legs,
lying on a bed of straw. Cheer up, madame. The Americans and Australians are coming, cried Captain Grace. The Bosch is gone for good.
Let me dress your wounds. It is too late, mademoiselle, moaned the woman. We shall see, answered Grace cheerily. Grace gave a careful first aid to the woman who, she observed, was in a serious condition, made her a cup of tea, and, after doing other things to make the old lady more comfortable,
left her to continue the work of mercy. When Grace stepped out to the street, American patrols were entering the town, dodging from wall to wall, seeking cover from the enemy machine-gun fire. "'Any boshes here, girly?' called a doughboy.
"'No, but I smelled their breath a short time ago,' she answered, referring to the gas which Sally brought a shout from the patrol. "'You're all right,' was the laughing answer as the men dodged on.
Grace was just about to enter an adjoining house when a tremendous explosion shook the street, sending down showers of plaster and stones, shattering windows, bursting in many doors, and throwing the Overton girl violently against the door which she was about to open. What is it? A mine? she called to a soldier who was picking himself up from the gutter
into which he had been hurled by the explosion. Bridge over cell blown up, I reckon, he answered. "'That's good. It'll keep the bushes out,' flung back Grace as she entered the house. Enemy shells were falling in the towns in increasing numbers, while overhead shells from the American artillery were wailing through the air
on their way to the German lines to the eastward. It was a long-toward morning when Grace finally met her superior at the city hall. "'Situation pitiful!' she shouted in order to make herself heard in the din. "'Beyond imagination,' agreed Captain Thomas. "'Many will die.
"'What have you done? "'Given first aid where needed, and cooked a few light meals,' answered Grace. "'I wish our countrymen at home could go into these homes "'and see what the Hun has done. "'Wild beasts could do no worse.
The Huns are wild beasts, interjected the officer But without the supporting instincts of the jungle sort The latter will give you a stand-up fight But the Huns, bah! Mrs. Grey, your experience qualifies you to form an accurate judgment as to conditions here
What would you offer as a remedy? What would you suggest should be done? I mean immediately, temporarily "'These people should be evacuated, sir, in my opinion,' answered Grace promptly. "'I do not see how this can be done with any degree of safety for the next twenty-four hours,
but what can be done, however, is to bring up field kitchens and give them something to eat. They are starving, sir.' "'I agree with you. I would also suggest that the wounded be concentrated at some point, say in the basement of this building
the City Hall for better attention that they must have at once or the loss of life will be appalling can't we get some of the patrols to do it for us sir
I fear not Mrs. Gray your suggestion however is excellent how are we going to carry them we have no litters there is a lot of wheelbarrows at the lower end of this street
why not wheel the patients I have forty families on my list where there are wounded or sick persons. I would suggest that a field surgeon be sent for and put to work. Can that be done? Surgeons will be up shortly.
I see the patrols are coming in. There comes a body of men now, he added. Engineers, Grace informed him, having observed that they carried tools. Where to? she called. to bridge the river was the answer
pleasant job that captain they're the hundred and second the fighting engineers I think your wheelbarrow idea is worth adopting we will have the men fetch up the barrows
I will go after one now sir with your permission be careful pretty hot here yes sir
it might be worthwhile in the meantime to have someone look up the mayor if he is alive and have him assist us in occupying this building. The doors are locked.
We will break in. I'll ask an engineer officer to have the doors smashed in for us. This Captain Thomas did, and the doors went down with a crash after a few blows from a wall. While the captain was investigating the possibilities of the city hall
as an emergency hospital, Grace was running down the street to fetch a wheelbarrow. She picked out a good one. First come, first served, she chuckled. I think I'll get that poor old woman first.
Getting the woman was not an easy task, and Grace was obliged to exert all her strength to bring the woman outdoors and place her in the barrow, the woman keeping up a constant moaning, begging to be left to die. Just have courage, madame, begged the Red Cross girl.
I am taking you to a much safer place, a place where you will have the attention that you need. Grace wasted no more time in talk, for she had need of her strength. Grasping the handles of the barrow and nearly upsetting it, she staggered down the street, bumping over the rough cobblestones, weaving from side to side, in her efforts to keep her balance and hold the wheelbarrow on an even keel.
She finally arrived at the City Hall without disaster from shell or machine-gun fire and without once upsetting her patient. Here's where I must call for help, decided Captain Grace. Getting the woman up the steps and into the building she knew was beyond her. Running in she called to Captain Thomas for assistance.
The patient was carefully deposited in the cellar, which was large and with more conveniences than what had been found in the average home of St. Soupley. Others of the volunteer workers had begun trundling their burdens up to the city hall by the time Grace was again ready to start, each bearer confining himself to the houses at which he had called in his survey. In this way the night passed, though to those plucky workers
it seemed that they were accomplishing but little. Twice more did Captain Grace trundle her barrow to the hall, the last time bringing in two children, both of whom were suffering from gas. In the meantime a surgeon had come
and taken active charge of the emergency hospital. Word had been sent back for soup kitchens, though the Overton girl knew that many hours must elapse ere these could be brought up. On her next trip out, Grace visited a home, a stone building of two stories, whose occupants had been reasonably well-to-do before the war, but who had been stripped of practically all their possessions after the Germans took the town.
The mother had been severely gassed and the daughters wounded by shell fragments. These three patients meant that many trips for Grace Harlow. She took the mother first, promising to quickly return for the daughters. This time, instead of entering the city hall, she laid her case down at the foot of the steps, there being sufficient help now to take care of the patients left there.
Grace ran all the way back to the stricken home for the daughters. She had lifted up one of them and had started staggering toward the door with her, when there came a dull roar and a deafening crash. The floor of the room heaved under her feet Stones came crashing down
The building itself seemed to be crumbling Grace Harlow felt the supports underneath her give way And was thrown down into utter darkness With the ripping, rending, crashing sounds Ever increasing in volume
End of chapter 22 Recording by Ashley Jane
