Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-12-17
STRANGE INSTANCES Of fRlEND[|NESS
BETWEEN ENEMIES N TRENCHES
Men in bitches in Flanders Close They Couldn't Get ur
to Eat, Set Dinner Hour When Firing Ceased-Ger-
mans let French Lieutenant Die in Peace.

This does not happen every evening.
But some days the British find them
selves absolutely starved for music.
By various devices they make their
need known to the enemy.
Lets have q sing-song, what?" is
the English way of putting 1t.
Usually the Germans agree. That
evening. after firing has stopped-for
part Of this factory efficiency with
which war is carried on nowadays
prescribes that rifle firing is of little
value after dusk-the German band
parades to point between the lines
There they play until they are tired,
German airs for the most part, but
invariably mixing in few of the ia
vorites Of their hostile hosts. An es
pecially good hand is certain Of en-
thusiastic applause. Sometimes the
no band. The difference is one Of de
gree only. The canned music hour is
amicably enjoyed by both sides.
I'VE are singing 'Tipperary' ell
along the line" they told me in Ber-
| lin.
It's catchy little air. is clipper
ary," and the simple words are easily
learned. So many of the Germans
know English that weeks ago they
had picked it up from hearing the
fellows In the other trenches sing.
They usually sing it better. too, for
music is recognized as an aid to the
warl!l1e spirit in Germany. The Briton
Is singularly toneleSs bird, but be-
cause he likes music he makes an ex-
cellent audience. Almost every night,
after the days work is done-thesc
model soldiers refer to fighting as
work--some one in the German lines
is certain to begin singing the simple
little ditties of the fatherland. If the
trenches are near enough n request
will be shouted over:
Wont YOU sing 'Tipperary' next ?"
And SO they sing the army song of
England. and tired English soldiers
sit in the darkness and listen. Some
times. though not often, they join.
The German mass chorus can hardly
be improved by volunteer aids who
have been squatting on their haunch-
es in muddy trenches for days On
at least one occasion the artillery duel
was called off in order that the sing
ing might not be interfered with. In
any case, the big gun work always
slackens with the darkness. 1t is said
that there is no record of either SIDE
firing upon the other sides concert.
smells have. of course. dropped among
the singers. But, then, they came
from Il distance, and the artillerymen
were not held responsible They didn't
! know.
Matches ut Target Shooting.
1t often happens that the opposing
trenches have been pushed SO neal
each other that neither side dare at
tempt rifle fire. In that case a stale
mate is reached The men sit about
in the bottom OF their trenches, out
OF danger from everything except ex-
ploding shrapnel. They have nothing
to do but sit. Days become inpossi-
ply long and dull. Then they arrange
target matches. Each side puts up
proper target. The best rif1emen on
either side take turns in firing. The
other men keep. themselves hidden,
but watch the score. Each side sig
nails the rest,lt Of each shot. There is
a story OF one angry rifIeman who
threw down ,shfs gam and started sim
gle-handed to storm. the German
trenches
The sanguinary triflers," he roar
ed at his protesting comrades. '"rhey
signalled me a bull at 7!''
The English are particularly we'll
supplied with bully beef in tins
The Germans all have sausage. AS
soon as a wounded German begins to
convalesce he is placed on diet of
sausage and beer. I've seen this in
the Berlin hospitals. Sometimes the
English digestion rebels at more bully
and the German epicure wishes to
vary his sausage with beef. So that
some hungering man runs up a little
individual flag.
>. "A four-pound sausage for three
tins Of beef" is the usual ratio of ex-
change.
| A neutral point-marked by a
stone or q tree or a dead man-is
selected, and the dieticians leaves
their guns behind and take their food
forward. AS the processes of war
cannot be halted just because two men
want change of provender, the ex-
change Is usually arranged upon a
company scale. That night there is
gluttony in France.
Near Lille a farmer had located his
COW stable in a sheltered hollow, Ma
turally enough, the shells and rifle
bullets passed safely over the calm
bovine heads. The trenchers on eth
er side discovered the lacteal mine
awaiting them in the hollow and ar
ranged modus vivendi. Diplomatic
representatives from Scotland and Ba-
mails. Night and morning milkmen
IN kits and milkmen in greeny-gray
visited the hollow and milked the
COWS. When on the fifth day the Ger
man charge swept forward the dour
Scotchmen held to their trenches like
badgers. The milkman encouraged
them: -:
"Wud ye let they Dutchies ha' the
wee coos?" he demanded, angrily.
Two little groups, one German and
one French, were entrenched within
a few yards Of each other in the Ar.
gonne forest. Over them hung that
frightful odor that is characteristic
of war. The wounded were every.
where. The Frenchmen ran .up a
white flag.
will you cease firing for an hour? ?"
they asked. "Our lieutenant is dying
and the noise pains him.
So the Germans ceased, and in a
little more than an hour young man
walked forward from the French
trenches and bowed like a courtier to
the enemy.
"1t is over now said he. I'VE
thank you, for we loved him.
And as the French soldier returned
to his men the German captain rose
in his place, his hand at the salute.
The less money a woman has the
more things she can afford to see that
she would like to buy.