South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-09-08
Goldberg Gets Action
But no TaxiS as That
Dear Paris MobilizeS
BY Il. L.. GOLDBERG.

Let me see. Where was i When i
last unbridled by slumbering thoughts
and lived over again the scenes the
stage manager of war built around
me when the big trouble was first
started. Oh yesi 1 was seated on
my trunk, looking out upon the peace
full harbOr of Hayre. France, with its
many canals and locks and draw
bridges and piers. am still sitting
on my trunk, and my trunk is still
sitting on the wharf. None of us has
moved-neither /, the trunk, nor the
wharf. At present the only action
/ can hope for in this direction is that
/ shall soon be moved to tears.
So l take another pull on my 80
centime and go back to Paris to the
day when France first realized that
she was about to take one of the lead
ing parts in the war of all wars
| had just emerged from the bank
with the last s92 ] was able to raise
on my still healthy letter of credit
and something told me l was in
wrong.
MObilizing the Soup.
/ hailed a taxi / did not expect
to ride back to America in it l just
hailed it for want OF something bet
ter To do. Hailing taxi is like rails
ing a mustache. There's no reason
for it. SO, being shorn of reason by
the rapid succession Of starting de-
veIopments l hailed a taxi:
The driver, rare specimen of pale
ozoic foliage, looked over his hedge,
bowed sweetly and kept moving.
| hailed another. He threw me
kiss and kept moving. / hailed taXis
as they were never hailed before. But
they all kept moving Each one had
a soldier on board. Each soldier had
cigaret I'm his mouth and a lady in
his arm. They were going to join the
colors. They were modifying.
That's the word-mobilizing! I
went To the pOstofiice and asked the
man i'm the cage when the next mail
steamer sailed for America. He look
I'd at me pityingly and answered,
Mobilization" l rushed over to the
Gallerie Lafayette and asked one of
the upholstered floor walkers to d.
rect me TO the lawn sprinkler depart
ment. He lifted his embroidery,
clutched a butter mold, waved it in a
warlike gesture and answered. Mob
iliZation."
The strain was beginning to tell on
me The strangeness of everything
was beyond my understanding. | sud-
denly remembered 1 had had no
breakfast.
l slipped quietly in Wells, glided
loosely into a chair and looked around
for a waiter. An S1-year-Old hat boy
was doing In a corner. l tickled him
behind the ear with his crutch and
he woke up.
Il am famished" 1 said. II want
something TO eat He answered
Mobilization" and sank back into
dreams OF his schoOlmate, Napoleon.
Ny thoughts dashed through my
brain in hyperbolas and parabolas
Everything was rapidly growing dim
I sank down into my chair like an au-
tomobile owner who had just received
his first bill for repairs. A menu lay
before me on the table. II seemed to
read:
Canteloupe de mobilization. Mob
ilization consOmme. Turbot au mob
ilization. Poulet a la mobilization.
Mobilization Frontage. Mobilization
Melba. Mobilization Tasse.
IL was mobilization from soup to
nuts.
Outside. the air was full of the mu-
sic Of patriOtism-yelling. cheering,
singing and the tramping of feet
Tremendous crowds OF men, women
and children were marching through
the streets. making noises which,
when properly assorted and carefully
focused on "A sensitive eardrum, reg
istered the French national anthem.
4 little girl. with coarse. rugged
shawl thrown over her narrow should
ers and the light OF heaven IN her
dark brown eyes. waved a French flag
in the breeze, Four hundred walters
fell in behind and ''vived" themselves
into hoarseness while we poor boobs
sat at our tables trying to recall the
features and general appearance of a
steak.
Grand Old Flag Stun.
When the extra editions OF FL
CARO-" "Matin," Petit Journal
Temps" La Patrie" and other Paris
dailies which were literally flooding
the streets. began TO be digested by
the infiamed crowds and a vague idea
of the order and sympathies OF the
various allies began 20 Irvine around
the blood corpuscles of the people.
flags OF other nations appeared upon
the boulevards.
The English nag was soon as much
in evidence as the French.
When the Russian cOlors loomed
up on the horizon a great cheer scat
tered the garlic fumes in all directions
The Belgian flag. he Turkish lag
the Chinese flag. the Bolivian flag, the
Montenegro gag. the Hindustan hag