True Stories of the Great War, Volume 4 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
History
True Stories of the Great War, Volume 4 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
There arrived in New York from Europe a young Frenchwoman, Mme. Simone
A. Puget, dressed in deep mourning. Watching her as she stepped ashore,
a stranger scarcely could picture her as she actually was, not many
months ago, wearing the uniform of an English soldier and risking her
life in that vague, blood-soaked and shattered inferno of trenches,
craters and barbed-wire called "somewhere in France," to reach her
husband before he died.
Even before that Mme. Puget had achieved fame as the daring Frenchwoman
who accompanied her husband, M. Andre Puget, the playwright and
novelist, through the Orient disguised as his brother, and as the
brilliant tennis player who captured the woman's championship for
her country four years ago. Mme. Puget also is the author of "Les
Etrangères," and other novels.
"There is so little to tell," she said quietly ... as she folded
her hands on her simple black dress. "We were in Paris when war was
declared and my husband was called to the front.
"I volunteered as an ambulance driver and worked almost day and night
for four months carrying wounded from a field hospital to the big
emergency hospitals in Paris.
"Then I heard that Andre had been wounded and sent to Moulins. I went
to him immediately and stayed to nurse him until he was able to rejoin
his regiment.
"After my return to Paris I received another message, this time from a
little village close to the Belgian frontier, but across the border in
Belgium. It did not say in so many words that Andre had been wounded
again, but merely gave me the impression that he wanted to see me once
more and that I was to try to reach him.
"I quickly realized the difficulties and dangers of such a journey.
Only a short time before the military authorities had made it a law
that any soldier whose wife was found in forbidden territory would be
shot. But Andre and I had been through many dangers together and he
knew that he could trust me. I prepared to start at once. Armed with
my letter, which simply asked me to come without delay to the bedside
of my dying grandfather, I left Paris for Belgium attired as a Belgian
peasant girl.
"Outside Paris I was stopped. The military guards absolutely refused to
let me proceed.
"'We see too many letters like yours,' was the only explanation offered.
"In vain did I plead and weep. Then when I had almost given up in
despair, I spied an English officer whom Andre and I had met in India.
I told him who I was and he recalled me at once, despite my peasant
garb. I asked him to help me to reach my husband. He said it was
impossible.
"But I was desperate and when I wept and quietly implored his aid, he
said he would help me if he could. That was the last time I saw him,
but after my return to the little hotel where I had spent the night I
received a parcel containing a soldier's uniform together with some
instructions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account