The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1914-11-18

est news from Paris and giving out
newspapers. leaned over them, the
box of cigarettes still In my hand
A tall Senegalese standing back
from the group caught sight of the
box and called out: Cigarette
eh?" | motioned him to my side OF
the car. He came running weakly
followed by fifty others. | handed
out until that box and several 9TH
ers that | dug from my valise were
exhausted. called several times
that I had no more, but still they
crowded about. stretching out their
arms and crying Cigarette, eh?'
One of my companions warned me
that we might ourselves feel the
want of tobacco--that money would
not buy II in the country we were
traversing, because it did not exist.
We still had a box of cigars, and !
had several loose in my pocket.
The black face of Turco appear
ed at the car window. One arm was
in a sling and bandage was wound
about his brow. But his eyes shone
brightly at the thought of tobacco,
and at the smell of IL now arising on
all sides. He was tobacco hungry.
He was more than that. He was
tobacco starving. He poked his 9TH
er arm into the car. ! motioned
him to crowd his entire bulk into
the window so that the others would
not see.
Then | gave him cigar. He
hung over the car frame as | held
out the lighted end of my own cigar.
He pulled a cloud into the interior.
He looked at his cigar fondly and
seemed to measure its length. Ii was
a good cigar. VI it had been a mis-
cradle cheroot his regard would
have been the same. He took an
other puff. and drew a complete
mouthful into his lungs. His cheeks
bulged and his eyes glinted inward
as though he looked at the tip of his
nose wondered how long he
could keep that huge mouthful of
smoke within him. Again he held
the cigar close to his eyes and SEEM
ed to measure it's length. Finally
he poured forth the smoke from
nose and mouth and calculated the
only English word he knew, Good
! nodded and asked in French
where he had been fighting. He
cooked his head toward the fore
part of the car and took another
puff | asked him where he had
been wounded. and he replied that
he did not know. but that it occur
red in the trenches. ia bas" | ask
ed him how long he had been fight
ing in France-how long since he
had left Africa and he spread his
arm far out to indicate that the time
had been long. asked him where
he was going; he rolled his eyes to
the rear of the car and said that he
did not know.
| sank back in my seat and he
climbed down into the road. Most
of the troop had limped off. To the
few still lingering we indicated that
oG5 stock of things to give away was
exhausted. They eyed us wistfully,
theI passed on.
The chauffeur asked if he
should start the car. but someone
said: NO; let's wait until they all
pass" The rear guard struggled
up; many We're ready TO drop with
fatigue and pain and loss of blood,
| asked a Britisher how long they
had been on the road. He replied,
since sunrise and plodded steadi-
ly on. It was then noon. Several
sank down for moments under the
trees by the roadside. A chausseur
stopped and asked our chauffeur to
tighten thong of his bandage. We
tsheu MN where lHcg were SOlHS, !
and he replied vaguely. ITO the
rear"
And what them" one Of us ask
ed.
"Oh, | hope We will all be fight
ing again soon" he replied,
They We're all like that. They.
wanted to be fighting again soons
They were not happy. They were
not unhappy. They We're indiffer-
ent, more or less. made so by utter
fatigue and the pain of their
But they all wanted to be
fighting again soon.
We watched them top the hill and
disappear down the long road ito
the rear" The last straggler. his
head bound with red and white. van
ished. They were all privates-
common men of all the world from
Scotland to Iiindustan. The major
ity were coming from and going