The Washington herald., 1914-11-01
LITTLE TRAGEDY OF BIG WAR.
French soldier. Forced to save
Old wanna. Ar.fust Her WIZ.


French Soldiers Forced To save
old womaa AEaIast Her VIII.
The old woman was busily feeding her
chickens as we rode up.
you must come, vite. tante" says the
Officer in charge Of the rounding-up party.
I'VE will give you lift"
But l cannot leave my pullets," says
the old countrywomsn. aghast. They
will starve."
You must come. tante." repeats the
oficer, infiexibly. 81 am sorry for you,
ma mere; but this bitter time We must
make sacrifices. Get your clothes, old
lady. We cannot wait now"
But my pulletsT' walls the old woman
again. They will starve IL l am not
here to feed them"
Come, come, old lady" says the Of
Z ficer, and signs to his sergeant
"Dismount, Jean and help her pack"
But the old woman backs up against
the coop and fddles a moment behind
her with her left hand. Abruptly she
has the door open and with a movement
wonderfully quick for so old a body
she steps inside. among her beloved
poultry, and slams to the wire-cOvered
door.
There is a tumultOus Tapping and
fiuttering Of bewildered poultry. and the
air inside the coop is full for some mo-
ments Of dust and feathers. When the
chaos subsidies and the woman looks out
dehantly from her refuge within the
coop.
The officer looks at me and laughs
gently. yet with a queer little look Of
unexpected understanding in his eyes.
ha NH he
old body! 1t breaks their hearts. But
how many hearts are breaking these
days, l have seen them thus many times
these last days"
Then he dismounts and goes forward
himself to the coop. He does his best 20
persuade the old woman to listen to
reason and come out. but she is too old
and too frightened and too rooted 10
y, ,ar-long customs and habits.
No. no! / will not come. My pullets-
they will starve." she says, reiterating
endlessly.
But the Germans will come. ma mere"
pullets and eat them"
Never" screams the old woman.
The situation has become impossible.
The old woman is insensible to reason.
totally unable to face and comprehend
this sudden new necessity which war has
brought across her quiet life.
Picture the scene as ! see IT in that
moment. standing, pitiful and silent
helpless as all the world is in this mo-
ment to help the old body.
She stands in there. backed rigidIy
against the far side of the coop. with
the chickens crowding away into the cor
ners, caCking Uneasily Outside the Of
icer stands. silent. for he has ceased to
eXpostulate. The sergeant. a big. black
bearded man, is crying quite frankly. and
see that several OF the other men
are in tears. II is an extraordinary
moment. but / am getting used here TO
seeing these Frenchmen show emotion
like a woman one hour and fight like the
inCarnate spirit Of war the next. COM
nrehend their tears. though I am very
far from tears myself-Only fun of a
great pity for the old woman.
Thus this moment OF drama around an
old hencOop. and then. suddenly. action
showing the iron underneath the sur
face in these men who are not ashamed
Of crying
The officer turns quietly and saws three
brief words TO the serge ant The ser
e ant and two OF the men step forward
and around the front and sides of The
coop There is a sudden crashing Of
woodwork and the coop is torn apart
Then-an Old woman screaming wildly
insanely, and a vast fiuttering and Cluck-
ing OF outraged chICkenhOod.
They lift the old woman. fighting and
kicking, out of the ruins Of the coop. and