The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-12-24
NAN VISITS EUROPE
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.

| Copyright, 1914 by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.
When Nan went on her first visit to
| Europe she had not the slightest hint
/ that she would arrive in a land brown
into the horrors of war. She had
/ taken her trip across the ocean on a
/ long delayed holiday and had expected
/ to find only joy and merriment, for
! Nan had way of meeting happiness
! half way wherever she went.
But in Belgium she had fed from
| the advance of the common enemy
into Paris and from the gay city she
! had enjoyed a scant three weeks when
| with hundreds of other Americans
| she had scrambled onto safer Eng
| lish soil.
London was a haven of refuge to
Nan, who had smelled the smoke OF
battle and heard the boom of dis
tant fire. She had seen pitiful little
| families of Belgian refugees fleeing
along the roads from devastated
homes, leaving behind them all beau
ty and all hope and going they knew
not where.
But London was waiting with open
arms to receive all of the weary refu-
gees from the courageous little coun-
try, and Nan found herself again face
to face with the realities OF war.
There were no less than a dozen of
| these Belgians sheltered In hospitable
homes in Norland square.
1t was in the acre of green park
belonging to the square that Nan be-
came acquainted with little Jean
Leman, Belgian child who had been
| brought over from the devastated city
| of Louvain.
who was sleeping beneath a flower
garden in Belgium. Her father was
soldier, Maj. Albert Leman.
From that moment on Jean and
Nan became fast friends. They
romped and played and went on long
bus rides through the city and out
into country lanes.
When the wounded soldiers began
to arrive in trainloads, Nan could no
more have left the city of London
than she could have cut off her own
| right hand She simply had to re-
main. Something held her, she knew
| not what.
1t was during the sixth week of the
war that Nan discovered little Jean
| Leman's photograph on the front page
| of the Sketch Major Leman was
anxiously seeking news of his little
girl and had asked the papers to as
sist him in the search. Nan did not
wait to have her breakfast but went
quickly into the boarding house next
door in search of Jean.
Nan explained as swiftly as posi-
BILE in her improved French that Dad
| dy Soldier was in London and that he
was looking for his little girl.
1--WE will go down this morning
when you have eaten your nice break
fast" Nan told her and went off to
ascertain the location of the King Ed
ward VII hospital and the quickest
way of getting there.
Jean chatted necessarily on the
journey down; she was so excited
that Nan felt her own calm engulf
her as if for the purpose of steadying
the child Consequently, when they
arrived at the hospital and ap-
preached the big Belgian officer
whose head was swathed in bandages
and one arm pinned in like fashion
to his side, it was Nan who displayed
a most wonderful calm. Major Leman
broke down emotionally - perhaps
more than he had during the entire
weeks of fierce f1ghting-when Jean
was swept into his uninjured arm.
Over her head, which he held against
his breast, he looked at Nan and made
swift apology for having conversed
in foreign tongue.
Zone is apt to forget convention in
moments of great emotion" he added.
"'In a moment l will thank you for
having cared for my little JEAN
You are not going away from me
again, are your" Jean was asking her
father.
Yes, dearie, as soon as this arm ia
better, and the more often Miss Nan,
ny brings you down to see me the
sooner l can get back to help the sol
diers at the front"
So it was that during the long hours
of convalescence Nan came to know
love- The emotion was so great and
wonderful that Nan was shocked al
her own weakness before the attack.
Jean did not know what her father
and Nan were talking about, nor why
her father swept Nan so suddenly into
his arms, but she smiled for the pic
ture was pleasing and Jean knew that
all was well.