THE NENANA DAILY NEWS
Published every afternoon except Sunday, by the Nenana Printing
Company, at First and B Streets, Nenana, Alaska.
R. G. Southworth. Editor and Manager
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-1
Rice-Paper and Heaven
By ARTHUR GUY EMPEY, Author of “OVER THE TOP”
Vi ■ - ■ — J
I had been slightly wounded i
an attack on the the German line
and had been sent to the base hos
pital at Rouen.
The bed next to mine was empty
The sheets were turned down, th
pillow was missing and a rubbe
sheet \vas stretched across the cen
ter of the bed, the ends of whicl
were neatly tucked under the mat
tress. It was my first time in j
hospital, but even to me, a recruit
it seemed that that bed was speciall;
prepared, was waiting for sonv
special case. I was right. It was
In the bed on my left was a Jock
a Scottie from the Fifteenth Roya
Scots, or “ladies from Hell,” as thi:
particular Highland regiment wa
lovingly called by Fritz, our neigh
bor across No Man’s Land. Thi;
Jock had lost his left foot from i
shell burst. I asked him why thi
bed was made up in such a peculia:
manner. He told me that the occu
pant, a Canadian, was up in thi
“pictures (operating theater)” hav
ing both hands amputated at thi
wrists and also that the Canadiat
was blind, caused by the explosior
of a bomb while raiding the Ger
man trenches.
In about half an hour four whiti
clothed orderlies came down thi
ward carrying a stretcher. In thi
wake of the stretcher came a Re<
Cross nurse. They halted befori
the unoccupied bed on my right
Then I marveled at the efficient am
gentle way in which the wonudec
man was transferred from the stret
cher to the bed. The “undertaker’!
squad” left, but the Red Cross nursi
sat beside her patient, eery now am
then shooing a fly away from thi
bandaged head or using a piece o1
gauze bandage to wipe away thi
white froth which constantly oozei
from the half opened lips of the band
aged form.
In a short time the ether begar
to die out, and the frothey lip:
twitched. Then a sigh, and the mar
began to sing, not “God Save the
King” or “The Maple Leaf Forever,’
but “Never Introduce a Bloke tc
Your Lady Friend.”
Pretty soon this tune changed tc
a shout of “Ammo (ammunition)
Ammo! Ammo forward!" You coulc
hear him all over the ward. The
nurse started to sing a crooninj:
little lullaby. The shouting ceased
Further twitching and twisting, am
the ether was expelled into an ever
I'eady little receptacle held in the
hands of the nurse. In a few min
utes rays of consciousness pene
trated to the brain of the woundei
man and he started to mutter:
“Turn on the lights; it’s, dark, it’i
dark. I can’t see. It's dark, dark
Take that damned pillow off mj
head. It’s dark, dark, I tell you
What’s the matter with my mitts'
They’re tied; cobblestones on them
Where am I Smokey? This dug
out’s dark. Switch on the glim.
The nurse was talking to him it
a low voice and crooning a lullaby
My God, how that girl could sing!
It was not long before the blindec
soldier fell asleep. He slept fo:
three hours, the nurse beside him
Not for a second did she leave he;
post. I inwardly wished that thi
patient would sleep for hours longer
The presence of that nurse made mi
feel happy and contended all over
The form on the bed stirred, am
fh“n in a plaintive voice:
“Where am I? Where am I’
Turn on the lights! Turn on thi
lights!”
The sun was streaming througl
1
the window.
3 The nurse was crying. So was I.
- The Jock on my left was softly curs
ing to himself.
. The angel of mercy leaned over
» her patient and in a low voice whis
r pered to him:
“Never mind, dearie; you are in
i the hospital and will soon be in
. Blighty for a nice long rest.”
i The Canadian’s mouth twitched. J
, 11 thought he was going to cry. it!
r! was a pretty mouth, but the lips
, i were blanched to a bluish white.
. ! He asked the nurse, “What time
( ■ is it?”
i j She answered: “Three o’clock,
;i dearie. Try to go to sleep. You’ll
; feel better soon.”
. | The Canadian asked in a piteous :
i|voice, “Why is it so dark?” Then:
, I he shouted in a terror stricken voice !
• “I know! I know! They’ve put my j
• lights out! Good God, I’m blind! I’m
. blind! My eyes are gone— gone” |
, |—And his voice died out in a long!
j sob.
• I Three doctors came through and j
held a low-voiced consultation. Two !
of them left, one stayed.
| The Jock whispered to me: “Poor;
• bloke! He’s going west. I know!
the signs.”
•1 The dying man began to mutter.
• The nurse bent over him. She had
a writing-pad and a pencil in her
hand. She whispered to him:“Dear
ie, the mail is going out. Do you ,
want me to write a note home to !
the folks—just a short note telling |
them that you are all right and will j
be with them in a couple of months?” i
' The patient answered:
| “Home? Folks? I’ve never had i
any since I was a kid. Home! God,!
I wish I had one!”
, The writing-pad in the nurse’s j
hand was wet. The bandage on my :
' shoulder was wet. Perhaps the !
j blood was soaking through. But
blood is red.
The voice of the wounded man ;
again : “I want—want—I want a |
l
The nurse: “What do you want,
boy? What can I get for you—a
nice cool drink?” •
The answer came back:
“A drink? Hell no; I want a
smoke! Where’s my makings? I
want a fag—a smoke—a smoke!”
She looked at the doctor. He
nodded. She left the patient and
came over to me. I felt as if I were j
in the presence of God. She whis
pered to me: “ Have you a cigarette,
my dear, for that poor boy? We
are all out—have not received any
for ten days. If the people at home
only realized what a godsend tobac
co is for these poor wounded lads
they would send them out. They
are as important as shells.”
I told her to look in my kit bag.
She looked through and found one,
all out of shape—a Goldflake. I
think it was the only smoke left in
that ward of" sixty-nine patients.
With joy in her eyes she went
back to her patient, gently put the
cigarette between his lips and
lighted it.
A contended sigh, two or three
weak puffs and the lighted cigarette
fell out of his mouth on the sheet.
He was asleep.
It was getting late. I fell asleep.
When I woke up it was morning.
The bed on my right was empty.
The nurses in the ward had red
eyes. They had been crying.
I turned an inquiring gaze to the
Jock on my left. He solemnly nod
ded and his mouth twitched. I
thought he was going to cry, but
suddenly he looked at me, tears i:
his eyes and said, '“Aw, go to hell
and turned over on his side. D<
the men in the trenches wan
smokes? Do they want theii
mothers?
Do they want the fields and th<
flowers at home?
Do they want SMOKES?
God, do they want them? Thej
need them! They cry for them
They must have them!
Americans, if you could only se<
with your own eyes, realize the cry
ing need for smokes in France, yoi
would starve in order that thei
could have them.
Do your bit—win the gratitud*
and thanks of the boys who an
fighting your fight—our fight—
Uncle Sam’s fight—the civilizet
world’s fight.
Let your slogan be: “Smokes foi
Sammy.”
And turn the words into actions
DO IT NOW. How would you havt
liked to have been the one who fur
nished that smoke for the dyinj:
man? You can be for another. Wil
you? The answer is you are ar
American. That means yes.
Nenana is doing her bit, to kee{
the fighting men at the front sup
plied with tobacco. A campaigr
was launched on Sunday night bj
Rev. Robert Joseph Diven, durinf
the course of his four-minute tall
at the Coliseum, and already a con
siderable sum has been depositee
in the cans which were placed about
town yesterday by Dr. Diven. These
cans are to be visited daily by Mai
Smith and the funds forwarded
through the Northern Commercia
company.
Dr. Diven suggests that the pres
ent plan can be improved upon
greatly by substituting glass jars
for the cans, so that those contribut
ing can see the contents grow. He
has volunteered to prepare the jars
for use and to distribute them pro
viding Nenanaites will supply him
with them. All who have jars that
they are willing to donate to the
cause, are urged to make the fact
known either to Dr. Diven or to
Max Smith. They will do the rest.
Billy Butler, Fairbanks republi
can and sourdough dog musher, ar
rived in Nenana this afternoon at
4:30, having made the trip down
from Fairbanks with one passenger,
in exactly eleven hours and thirty
minutes. He left the upper town
at five this yiorning.
Butler reports the river trail now
in fair condition for dog teams and
predicts that there will be much
travel over that route between now
and the breakup.
i
Try One of Our
COCKTAILS
Shrimp, Clam and Oyster
Martin’s Pool Hall
BROOKER’S
CAFE and
BAKERY
YOU’LL LIKE THE PLACE
BIG SALE STABIS
I AT SIU SLOPE
| _
Ben Simson, pioneer merchant of
Nenana and one of the heaviest
property owners of the town, has
announced his intention of retiring
from business in Alaska and has
| placed his entire holdings—merchan
dise, real estate and buildings—or
; sale.
The sale includes eerything at the
; big Simson store, in both men's and
| women’s departments, and the man
1 ner in which goods of all kinds are
i leaing the store today indicates that
exceptional bargains are being of
ifered.
! No excuses are being made foi
| the sale. Mr. Simson merely states
that he has made up his mind tc
uit Alaska and is taking the only
' course open to him under the eir
| cumstances. He realizes that ir
i order to dispose of his enormous
- stock quickly, he must cut prices
j and this he is doing with a ven
: geance. Profits, he says, have beer
forgotten. The cost price of the
| goods is all that he wants, and this
in many instances, is less than the
goods are selling for at the present
j on the Outside.
: The sale started this morning and
| will continue, Mr. Simson says, un
til everything has been sold,
i_
.WANTED—Two passengers for
j quick trip to Fairbanks with horse
rig. Fare $10. Inquire News
Office.
. J. B. Bickford, chief clerk of the
Alaskan Engineering commission.
| stationed at Fairbanks, who has been
a visitor at Nenana for the past
j week, left this morning for Fair
banks via the Happy trail. Mr. Bick
ford made a trip to the coal fields
with his dog team, in the company
of Townsite Manager F. S. Ryus,
and has experienced all the trials
and difficulties of the trail south
of town. On his howeward journey
Mr. Bickford will visit the Engineer
I ing and Piledriver camp stationed in
the Goldstream valley, on the Fair
banks-Nenana line.
I _
Mr. and Mrs. M. V. Tyler left
“■Fairbanks for Nenana this morning
' with a horse and sleigh and should
arrive here sometime tomorrow. Mr.
i Tyler was called to Fairbanks to
, serve as a member of the grand
jury.
A1 Sutton arrived in town shortly
, after noon today, with two passen
gers form Fairbanks. He left the
; upper town Sunday morning. Both
! of his passengers came to Nenana
| to receive treatment at the Gov
I ernment hospital.
WAR TAX TICKETS are on sale
at the following business places:
j Thompson & Gagnon, Arctic Pool
Hall, Cooney & Cooney, Tavern cafe,
Terminal Pool Hall, Portland Pool
Hall.
| Better than money, because they
earn money.’ Buy a WAR-SAVINGS
STAMP TODAY!
A country wo»-th fighting for is
a country worth saving for. Buy
THRIFT STAMPS.
FOR SALE—Well matched Cross and
Red Fox Skins. Apply Simson’s.
—
WANTED—Wood. Must be dry,
standing wood. Call on premises.
Nenana Steam Laundry.
I
THE BELMONT HOTEL
AND
POOL ROOM
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
EVERYTHING NEW
BASOFF Sc. SOGURA, Props.
Koland’s Stage
ROUND TRIP WEEKLY
BETWEEN
| Nenana and Fairbanks
Carrying Mail, Freight and
Passengers
Make Reservations at Southern
Hotel
!
!v
«V»*V**V*«*mV
~x-:-x~x-x--x»x-x-x-X"X-X“X-x-:-»
The eyes of the navy and the eyes
of the nation should be 100', effi
cient. Do your part and make sure
that your eyes are what nature in
tended and science can make them.
DR. KENISON specializes in mak
ing people see better and with less
strain.
Office at Cooney Hotel
<~X~X~X“X~X“X~X~X~X~X~X“X~X~:~v;~t~T~v.
•X-X~>
I
OFFICIAL PHOIUGBAPHE#
SNAPS COM FIELDS
i -
A1 J. Johnson, of Fairbanks, and
official photographer for the Alas
kan Engineering commission. re
turned to Nenana Sunday from an i
extended trip out the line south of
town. He went as far as Lignite
creek and has secured a large and
| very interesting series of pictures of
railroad work at various points
along the line, as well as several
views of our great coal fields. The |
pictures will be available to the j
public as soon as they have been
; approved by the Alaskan Engineer--:
ing commission. He left today for
Fairbanks with Chief Clerk J. B. !
Bickford. _!
No trouble to buy, cheap, con
venient, a real inveatment.—WAR
SAVINGS STAMPS.
Union Hall Club Rooms
HALL FOR RENT
See Erick Nelson for Terms
Go to
NELSON'S
for your
SHOES
and Shoe Repairing
FOWLER & MORRIS
GROCERIES
DRV GOODS
COMPLETE LINE
LOWEST PRICES
* Let us grasp this opportunity * |
i
Your government is depending upon you in this, the most (£)
critically and vital need of the war. The navy wants 100,000
extra pairs of eyes to spy out the enemy submarines of the <•
sea. If you have, or if you know of any of your friends hav
ing Spy-glasses, Binoculars, or any good Glasses to loan to (•
the government during the war, have them sent at once to
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt, U. S. Naval Observatory, (•
Washington^ D. C.
Your glasses will be tagged with your name and address,
and if not lost during the war, they will be returned to you.
You will help your country win the war. Think what this
will mean to you, and if you are fortunate enough to have
your galsses saved, you will possess a priceless souvenir; Who
knows but that your glasses will be the ones to spot a sub
marine, and you the American to save a Thousand American
Boys.
This Space Donated By
WM. TAYLOR
WATCHMAKER AND JEWELER §>
We Are Closing Out Our Entire St«ck oi
HARDWARE
Saws, Axes, Planes, Hammer and Axe Handles, Stove
Pipe, Graniteware, Kitchen Utensils and Many
Other Household Utensils We Have In Stock
MUST GO IMMEDIATELY
See Us For Bargains In Any of the Above Lines
COONEYS’
J^^^QOgOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGOOOOOOOGOOOOOCOCOOOOO
THE SOURDOUGHS’ HOME
The Arctic
DAVIS & TAYLOR, Props.
Soft Drinks Cigars Tobaccos
Pocket Billiards Rooms
FURNISHED ROOMS FOR RENT
EVERYTHING FIRST CLASS