He wrote from morning until
night, and watching him stretching his lean old hands, I asked him if he
suffered much pain from writer's cramp. He looked at me almost
reproachfully before answering, "Mademoiselle, it is the least I can do
for my country; besides my pain is so slight and that of the comrades is
so great. I am proud, indeed proud, that at sixty-seven years of age I
am not useless."
At one hospital I was shown a copy of the last letter dictated by a
young French officer, and I asked to be allowed to copy it--it was
indeed a letter of a "chic" type.
"CHERS PARRAIN ET MARRAINE,
"Je vous ecris a vous pour ne pas tuer Maman qu'un pareil coup
surprendrait trop.
"J'ai ete blesse le ... devant.... J'ai deux blessures hideuses et je
n'en aurai pas pour bien longtemps. Les majors ne me le cachent meme
pas.
"Je pars sans regret avec la conscience d'avoir fait mon devoir.
"Prevenez donc mes parents le mieux que vous pourrez; qu'ils ne
cherchent pas a venir, ils n'en auraient pas le temps.
"Adieu vous tous que j'aimais.
"VIVE LA FRANCE!"
"DEAR GODFATHER AND GODMOTHER.
"I am writing to you, so as not to kill mother, whom such a shock would
surprise too much. I was wounded on the ... at.... I have two terrible
wounds and I cannot last long. The surgeons do not even attempt to
conceal this from me. I go without regret, with the consciousness of
having done my duty. Kindly break the news to my parents the best way
you can; they should not attempt to come because they would not have
time to reach me before the end.
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