Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-09-17
PARIS NEVERLESS
FACING THE. :. BOMBS ! ||||||
City Regards German Aero
planes Visits as New
Sport, Says Writer. i!
INV William Philip simms).

(By William Philip Slmms).
Paris. Sept. 2.-tBy mail to New ss.,.
York, Sept. 16.)-Paris IS the city
luteiy to be frightened. Drinking
grenadine sirups, diluted with water.
and watching, quite nonchalantly, the
dropping of German bombs on the
city, is now the favorite pastime.
This afternoon was sitting on the
terrace fronting the Cafe Cardinal. le
was quite warm, brilliant sunshine
having poured down upon the city all
day. Scores of men and women-most-
ly women with a scattering Of youths
and old men-were sitting about me,
imbibing favorite sirups and water.
Walters hustled to and fro-if the
amble of the aged and crippled wait
ers, the only sort available at present,
can be termed bustie-and every
thing was quite peaceful and serene.
Presently a passerby stopped and,
shading his eyes, gazed into the sky.
Hostile Craft Appears.
Another German aeroplane," he
said, quite as If accustomed to watch
them fly over his head many times q
The people on the terrace looked
up, too Sure enough. there. high ov-
erhead, was a "taube." meaning "pig-
con-" a German aeEoplane.
A pretty young French woman near
me. slipping her pomegranate MIXTURE
remarked:
what gall!"
She did not move, Her face did not
pale. Her voice was as steady as IL
she were asking the waiter for a
carafe Of fresh water. She looked up
now and then, alternating her upward
glance with sips Of rosy grenadine.
Bomb Let Fall.
Suddenly there was a boom. A bomb
exploded just around the corner. The
German aviator had let 1t fall from
khaki, seeing all eyes gazing upward.
stopped in front Of my table, fired
seven times each at the passing air
craft. and grinned sheepishly when
they saw 1t did not falter, but went
impudently on.
The people on the restaurant ter.
race kept their seats. They went right
on drinking and gazing upward alter
nately. The little French beauty said:
"Such poor bomb. Not nearly SO
loud as a cannon"
Then another bomb exploded and a
third. The aeroplane turned deliber-
ately over the Eiffel tower and from
chine gun ratified away. Then a cam
non roared from somewhere near the.
Champ de Mars-again and again.
The German pilot turned now and be-
gan to back track. Near the Sacre-
Occur, the church on the top OF tho
Montmartre hill. the aeroplane flew.
and presently the patter Of machine
gun, working from the DOME, reach
ed our ears. s5v4 g4 Lii
Funny they can't get him." said
the pretty little FrenchWoman, dab
bling her straw in the grenadine.
" "Armored. said her. companion in
a bored sort Of way. He's flying an
armored aeroplane." !.- 49,.
why doesn't a French pilot go for
him 2" asked the woman.
Search me-" replied the man.
The aeroplane disappeared and the
crowd on the terrace went right on
with its drinks
Another Flying Visitor.
While writing the above, the sound
Of gun firing reached me through the
open window. Looking ,outI saw ev-
eryone below me gazing up. ABOUT
1000 feet over the Rue Montmartre,
directly over my head, a "taube'' was
blithely making its daring way toward
Eiffel tower. From the roofs men were
firing by, the dozens. Soldiers in the
streets blazed away at the speck in
the sky, but through the glasses T
could see that the machine was an
armored one and that the bullets were
doing no harm.
The people were not excited They
were only curious. Those who have
watched a crowd at an ordinary avia-
ton meet can picture the Paris
throngs mentally and perfectly, as
they watch a bomb-throwing aviator
from the enemy's lines sail over their
heads.
After circling the great steel tower,
receiving a baptism of fire from the
top Of it. the "taube," returned, pass
ing over the bourse, A number Of
people collected under the terrace
roof there as matter Of precaution.
One man expressed the sentiments
of all the others:
German bombs don't always ex-
plode." he said. "but I'll bet one
would hurt a mans head IL 1t fell on
it," .sN
Everybody laughed. The German
aeroplane over their city didn't worry
them q bit. They were not in the least
panic-stricken. They took it as a; new
sort Of an exhibition, providing q new
thrill. They watched the German piioc
disappear IN a hail Of bullets, quite as
II accustomed to such things all their
lives.