The First Canadians in France: The Chronicle of a Military Hospital in the War ZoneBell, F. McKelvey (Frederick McKelvey)
History
The First Canadians in France: The Chronicle of a Military Hospital in the War Zone
Bell, F. McKelvey (Frederick McKelvey)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals -- France; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, Canadian
Paris-plage was only two miles distant, and its smart cafés and pretty
girls called irresistibly to the lonely boys. The girls, however, never
worried Jogman. His life was full when his stomach was full, and the
fumes of "cognac" or "whiskey blanc" beckoned him like a siren’s smile.
Loaded down with his full month’s pay and with a twenty-four hour pass
in his pocket, he took the shortest path through the forest towards his
objective.
The day was clear and almost warm, and the soft breeze droned lazily
through the pines. As he reached the edge of the wood he saw before him
the sand dunes rolling gently toward the sea. There was a weird
fascination about those great hollows and hills of sand. Time and the
wind had beaten them so firmly that one might tread upon their crusted
surface and scarcely leave a footprint. Craters as large as the Roman
Coliseum, surrounded by tufted grass, spread before his gaze, but he
tramped stolidly on, hardly conscious of the lonely beauty of his
environment. All that Jogman saw was the top of the large French
hospital which marked the edge of the town and stood out clearly against
the deep blue of the sea.
When he came to the highest point of the dunes he idly noticed the
strange house surmounting it—a dwelling made from an overturned
fishing-smack, with door and windows in its side. But a little farther
on a habitation, stranger still, by accident attracted his attention.
He had lain down for a moment’s rest beside some bushes, and on turning
his head was surprised to see a small window on a level with his eyes.
The house was buried in the sand; its little door, scarce big enough to
permit a man’s body to pass through, was cunningly hidden by the brush
and grass. Whoever lived within was hiding from the world.
Jogman got upon his knees and thrust the brush aside; he pried open the
window and peered within. He saw a small room, neatly furnished with
bed and rug and chair. A dresser stood against the wall. An electric
light hung from the ceiling, but no wires were visible without. The
clothes still lying upon the bed, the overturned chair and the remains
of a lunch upon the table all spoke of a hasty departure. Perhaps it
had been the secret home of a German spy. If so, he had decamped some
time since.
Dismissing idle speculation, but making a mental note for future
reference, Jogman rose and proceeded on his quest. He soon found
himself in the streets of that lively little town which has been aptly
called the "Monte Carlo" of northern France. Its big gambling "Casinos"
had long since been turned to better use, and the beds of wounded
soldiers now replaced the gambling tables and _petits chevaux_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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