all night the bombardment continued. now and then the girls slept, but more often they lay awake, wondering just where the fighting could be taking place and if the field hospital could be in danger.
but at daylight the noise grew less and three of the girls fell into deeper slumber than they had known since saying good-night to one another.
but eugenia did not wish to sleep again. very quietly she got up and went about their little house hiding away their stores of provisions. then she locked up odd windows and doors that might by chance be forgotten. afterwards she investigated her own bag of nursing supplies and saw that everything that might be needed for emergency work was there.
although it was still between five and[165] six o’clock, eugenia next made things ready for breakfast and then went upstairs and waked the other girls. well she knew that their services would be needed earlier than usual that morning! the night’s fighting meant many more wounded, who would be brought to them for succor as soon as possible.
therefore, once they were up and dressed, the girls naturally wished to be off to their work at once. yet against their wills eugenia insisted that they eat unusually large breakfasts. she even packed a basket of food for them to take to the hospital, although their noonday meal was always given them there.
however, nothing was said at breakfast about her proceedings, but later barbara followed eugenia about their little house, regarding her suspiciously.
desultory firing was still going on; occasionally one could hear the cracking of a score of rifles or the shriek of a bursting shell. but this had become a common experience in the past nine months to the american red cross girls and would hardly explain[166] eugenia’s unusually serious view of the situation.
finally barbara managed to corner the older girl in the kitchen, where she laid her hand quietly on her arm.
“tell me, eugenia, please, have you any special reason for believing that the fighting is to be more serious in this neighborhood than any we have yet seen? have the soldiers or officers told you to expect unusual trouble? tell me the truth. i would rather know, and i think i can promise not to be such a coward as i was when our war nursing started.”
for a moment eugenia hesitated. her face was serious but not severe this morning and the two expressions were very unlike.
“i am going to tell you exactly the truth, barbara, when i say that no one has given me information of any kind. i have only heard, just as you have, that after months of fighting in this locality the germans evacuated their trenches and moved back of the line of their own accord. but the truth is, i have been feeling horribly[167] uneasy ever since i became aware of the impression this had made on the french army near here. i have always feared it was a piece of clever strategy on the part of the germans to gain time and perhaps to bring up more guns. and all last night, while the cannonading was going on, after weeks of comparative quiet, i became more and more convinced of my idea. of course, it may be absurd, but just the same i have the feeling that we ought to be prepared for perhaps the most strenuous times of our lives.”
suddenly eugenia placed her hands on either side barbara’s cheeks, which had grown round and rosy as a child’s again, with the weeks of outdoor life and the easier work.
“i want you to promise me something, barbara; promise for yourself and if you can to use your influence with the other girls. if by chance the enemy should conquer this part of france and our field hospital be forced to move further back, you will go back with them. but if anything should happen to make this impossible, go[168] to the countess amélie and remain with her. she is a stranger, but she is an older woman and i’d feel ever so much happier to have you under her protection.”
trying her best to show no signs of uneasiness at eugenia’s speech, nevertheless barbara meade’s face unconsciously whitened and her blue eyes grew dark.
“that is a rather impossible promise,” she returned, smiling, although her voice was not quite steady. “of course, i am not convinced that you are right in your fears in the first place, but if you should be, why are you asking me to influence the other girls to leave this neighborhood? you have a great deal more influence that i have. do you mean that you don’t intend to go with us?”
at this the older girl walked across the room and stood for a moment by the one window which looked out upon the woods. if she had wished to reply at once it would have been impossible. for at this instant a tremendous shell exploded at no great distance away, shaking the little house and making a noise that was almost deafening.
[169]
yet neither girl mentioned the occurrence to the other.
when it was over eugenia turned quietly around.
“i expect to remain here if i find i can be more useful. but after all, i may be talking like a foolish old crow croaking over misfortunes that never come. goodness knows, the french have repelled numbers of attacks before! even if the germans have reinforcements they will probably drive them back. i only wanted us to be prepared to meet the worst. but i’m dreadfully sorry if i have frightened you unnecessarily, so perhaps it will be best not to speak of my foolishness to the other girls. now let’s hurry and be off.”
but barbara would not be hurried, neither would she be silenced.
she sat down for a moment on the top of a high wooden stool, her feet swinging in the air, looking like a little girl of fourteen, in spite of the fact that she wore her nurse’s cap and uniform.
“i think you forget that we are red cross nurses,” barbara argued thoughtfully,[170] talking not so much to her companion as to herself. “so even if the germans do take the trenches in this vicinity and occupy the french country, we shall be perfectly safe. our red cross badges are our protection.”
the older girl put her arm across the younger one’s shoulder, not affectionately, but protectingly.
“more than probably you are right, barbara. but somehow i’d feel happier not to have you girls too near here. many of the houses may be burned and the german soldiers excited by their triumph. it would be the same in any conquered country, i have no doubt. i do not mean that i think the german soldiers more brutal than other men under like conditions. but remember, we have been living in an enemy’s country and nursing their soldiers and even if ninety-nine of the soldiers were considerate, one might be rough and unkind. of course, i can’t make you promise to do what i ask against your will, but if the danger comes will you remember what i have said and try and be prudent?”
[171]
and barbara nodded as she got off her stool.
“i won’t say anything to the others, but i am going to put the red cross flag on our little house before we leave,” she answered, speaking in the most matter-of-fact tone. “it can’t do any possible harm and i think might have been a good idea all along to advertise us to our neighbors. dear little ‘house with the blue front door,’ i hope we may not leave you in many months! somehow i have grown deeply attached to you!”
a little while afterwards the four girls started for the field hospital, which was situated about a mile on this side of the last row of the french trenches.
although they had been up for some time, it was not more than half-past six when they set out. the air was still and heavy with smoke. it would have been difficult to decide whether the noise of the distant guns or the ominous lull in the firing was more trying to the nerves.
but the girls did not discuss the situation as they walked along. indeed, they[172] did not talk at all, but plodded quietly ahead, intent on the work before them and saving all their strength until then.
a short distance from the field hospital they were met by two of the hospital assistants. one of them joined eugenia, the other kept in the group with the other three girls. they were two american college boys.
“things are pretty lively around here, miss peabody. i suppose you have been hearing the racket all night. the news is that the germans have captured thirty yards of the first line of the french trenches, but of course we are expecting the frenchies to get them back again. still, it might have been wiser if you had stayed in your own place today. your house is a little farther back.”
eugenia smiled in a friendly fashion at her companion. she was surprisingly popular with the staff at the field hospital, although ordinarily having little to say to them except upon matters concerning her nursing. but the young fellow who had walked out to meet them was a harvard[173] university boy who had come to france to assist with the field hospital work. he was one of fourteen or fifteen young fellows who were able to take down or set up one of the new field hospitals, consisting of some twenty tents, in about half an hour.
naturally as he and eugenia hailed from the bay state, there was that bond between them.
“have they been bringing in many wounded this morning?” eugenia asked as quietly as if she had been discussing an ordinary topic.
her companion nodded. “it has been pretty bad,” he returned, trying to speak with an affectation of carelessness. the fact is he had intended studying to be a surgeon after graduating at college and of course should not be upset by a few wounded men. but it wasn’t very jolly to see a lot of fellows suffering and not to be able to help them.
“then i expect we had best hurry,” eugenia answered. afterwards neither of them spoke again. yet the young man looked at eugenia admiringly. perhaps she was not as much of a beauty as two of[174] the other american red cross girls. nevertheless, she wasn’t bad looking in her way, and certainly a man would like to have her take care of him if he happened to be bowled over. you could always count on her being right there when the time came, and knowing exactly what to do. one couldn’t help admiring efficiency in this world wherever one saw it.
certainly the american boy had been right in his statement. conditions at the field hospital were pretty bad when the four girls arrived there.
all the beds in the tents were filled with the wounded. yet every five or ten minutes another injured soldier requiring immediate care would be borne to the hospital by his companions until long lines of them were stretched out upon the grass. moreover, one knew that there were perhaps hundreds of others lying hurt in the trenches to whom no relief could be given until the fighting ceased.
now there seemed little prospect that a lull could come until the night. then perhaps the bombarding would not be so continuous.
[175]
however, the germans must have previously located the weak points in the enemy’s defences since the cannonading had begun the night before.
three or four hours passed and no one appeared to think there could be danger at the field hospital. perhaps they were too busy to think at all. besides, the firing seemed to be directed upon the trenches, so that only an occasional shell, failing to hit its mark, shrieked over them or burst at a distance too far away to cause alarm.
but it must have been about noon, though no one knew the exact hour, when suddenly news came that the french had been forced to retreat from the front trenches to the second line. then immediately after the germans directed a number of their large guns, not upon the trenches, but upon the little town of le prêtre, which lay behind the field hospital, the forest and the chateau of the countess amélie.
nor did the shells and shrapnel continue to pass over the hospital. indeed, they sometimes seemed to be the actual target of the great guns, though this was of course not true.
[176]
one of the white tents was torn to pieces and a doctor and two nurses hurt.
barbara had just come out of this tent on an errand for the surgeon. after the explosion she found herself standing but a few yards from the débris, with nona davis running toward her.
“the field hospital is to be moved, barbara dear, and they wish all of us to go along with them. eugenia and mildred cannot leave, but you and i are to go back to our little house and pack up the things we actually must have. everything and everybody connected with the hospital must be on the move in the next half hour. there is a chance that the french may retreat beyond the village, so as to force the enemy out of their trenches into the open fields. come, we must run for it. i don’t see how we shall ever manage to get to our home and back in such a short time. but we can help to bring up the rear.”
nona slipped her arm through barbara’s and the two girls started back for “the house with the blue front door.”
