Evening star., 1914-10-24
STRAGGLERSLNED
ONBEST NFRANCE
When Asked to Pay, They
Pointed to Line in Book: 6"
Am Without Money"
WAS TOUGH ON MONSIEUR,
BUT WHAT COULD he DO?
Many Interesting Stories Told in
Letters Of "Temmies" From
Front ON Battlefield.

LONDON. october love are get
ting all sorts of stories from soldiers
returning from the front, but one OF
the best I have heard was of two
British Tommies. who. without a word
OF French or any money. managed to
have good time of their own for
quite while in that country now
most friendly to all Britons.
These two had lost themselves. They
had got adrift from their units. They
had become stragelers. Their regi-
ments had become broken. It was war.
and by paths they had come across
each other. One was In the Bedfords
and the other was an artil1eryman.
Irish. and bearing the name of one of
the Kings of Ireland. They had been
in all the fights from the borders Of
Belgium down to st. Quentin. No. they
had never met before: it was Just
chance. They were two stragglers. and
they had lost their companies and their
kit.
Unconscious for a time? They sup
posed SO. Anyway. there they were
round them foreign signe. and a for
eign tongue. Some one had bandaged
their wounds somewhere! they did not
know. They reached an inn-a pretty
place in a wayside village. They had
their little book fortunately. They had
their little book, and the French and
English sentences would help them. II
want some food"
Knew What They Wanted.
That will do for a start. And the
fnnkeeper served them with some food.
The book said SO in French, and the
innkeeper knew what was wanted. He
did not question them. A goodly meal
was put before them-eggs with French
sausages round them. Rolls. coffee. And
then more rolls and coffee. and some
little pats OF butter.
81 want some cigarettes" (Page 3
in the little book.) There II was. hrst
the English. and opposite the French,
Monsieur. the proprietor. could read.
Yes. And the cigarettes were forth
coming: And then the awakening:
The little book again. The soldiers
replete. satisfied. putting rank fumes
from the caporais-thumbed the pages.
What's this? The phrase was pointed
out out Monsieur s the proprietor could could
were indeed without money. They
could not pay their bill. They knew
that when they ordered their food and
their coffee, and the cigarettes they
were still smoking so braxenly. 1t
was too bad.
Monsieur the proprietor made mild
complaints. To no purpose. The food
had been eaten. The ally had been re-
Monsieur the proprietor had been SO
good. SO attentive. But what could
they do?
Lived Four Days.
Thus they had lived for four days,
four days of the best. They had big
meals to eat, large drinks to quench
eE.r thirst, cigarettes-bad French
cigarettes. but still something to
smoke-and always at the end this
well thumbed page of French and Eng
lish phrases, with it's blank unanswer-
able reply to a request for payment: Il
am without money"
And they always selected the best
hotels; the places that could best af-
ford their patronage. There was meth
they were "twicers." Never was such
unity in selection Of meals and smokes
and drinks!
''Of course, their laughter was out of
place." said the man who told the
story. "Of course, 1t was very wrong
of me to join in. But who could help
joining in? 1t is war-and they did not
know the language. and they were
starving. Did they look starved? No:
never were such healthy specimens OF
mankind seen on the platform of this
little station. Their necsk were red.
where the hot sun had struck them.
little station. Their necks were red,
A half-smoked cigarette was tucked
above each ear. They had more in their
pockets. They had not ordered foolish
they had had enough. the book spoke
the well thumbed page. the telling
sentence that spoke their poverty-1
am without money.