The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-03

A DESCRIPTION OF how tho plain
n people lived through the siege 90
\ Paris IN the Franco-Prussian war
as % appears IN Arnold Bennotts most
famous novel "rh- old Wives Tale
CDoranJ IL one of the most celebrated
war fiction documents ever printed lhe
following is an extract from that des'rlp-
ton:
When I was living In Paris, said TO
my old railway servant: by the way
YOU went through the siege OF Paris.
didn't you?" He turned 10 his wife ana
said uncertainty: The siege OF Fairs =
Yes, we did didn't we? TNe siege oil
Paris had been only one incident among
many In their lives or course they re-
rnembered H. though not vividly, ana l
gained much information from them. hut
the most useful information which !
gained from them was the perception
startling az first that ordinary people
went on living very ordinary lives IN
Paris during the siege. and that to the
vast mass Of the population the slcg" was
not the dramatic. SPECTACULAR, thrl.llng,
ocstatlc afra'r described In history.
The landladys ignorance Of the military
and pollucnl situation was complete the
situation did not interest hcr. What m
terest,d her was that she mad three men
To feed. ana that the price OF eatables was
rising She bought hfty pccks Of potatoes
NJ franc a peck ''llf Ill'l ll4l.-F '''i ~N'..'
To DO hor marketing. size found notice
across the shattered window Of her
creamery In tho Rue Notre Dame he
Iorette: CLOSED for want OF milk. 20"
siege had begun II was In the closing
of the creamery that the siege Inquired Tor
her, in this and I'm eggs az hv' sous
aplsco. She went elsewhere for her milk,
and she paid a franc q lt'e for H. ina
evening she tod her dodgers that the
prlce OF meals would be doubled, and tina.
II any gentleman thought that hc could
Get eaual,y good meals elsewhere ho was
at liberty to got them elsewhere.
Sh" rented her own room and 's,"h-
llshod herself in a little sky..ghi chtW" T.
amid a world Of domcstics ana poor
neople. on her first night there she
worked very late, and the rays of her
. candles shot up internationally through the
+ skvllght into a black h. nvcn; Al interval"
She nltted Up and down stairs win ~
candle. Unknown to her crowd grad
ullIv formed opposite the house IN the
stroe, and nj about O'Clock IN the
. morning "A file of soldiers woke the con-
/ c,errs and invaded the courtyard and
/ cv,,y window was suddenly populated
/ with heads Sophia was called upon 10
T move that she was not spy sign LNnH
TO the Prussars Throe-qu1rters OF an
hour passed before hcE lhh'''h'- N".,
B established and the stoircascs cleared 'l
uniforms and dish.v,Ned curiosity. Inc
uur,nson OF tho suspicion against h"l
completed in SOPHIA, mind the ruin o'
the reputation OF the French people as q
sensible race. She was extremely cius
tic the next day 10 h,r hoardera.
Except for this episode, the frequenc'
OF military uniforms in the streets me
price of food and the fact that ot least
one house In four was iiying either m.
ambulance nag or IN, nag OF Foreign
embassy tin an absurd hope OF Immunity
from the impending hombordm'nD th'
siore dld not exist for Sophia
Her ears were soon quite accustomo'
20 the sound Of cannon, and she felt tn
Paris had always been bes'egod She d.'
not speculate about the end Of the siege
she lived from day 10 day Occasional!