The Washington herald., 1914-10-11
ROADS THRONGED,
With refugees
Many French People Have
| Walked 100 Miles to Paris
from Homes.
OLD FOLKS NOT HAPPY
All Talk of German Cruelty FROM
Which They Are Fleeing to
Their Metropolis. u
OLD FOLKS NOT HAPPY
d. eEoRGn puFREsNR.

Paris. Oct. lO.-These are indeed exeitins
days for Paris Even though, for the
time being, at least. II seems that the
French metropolis viii not be compelled >
to undergo another siege by the Germans,
there II plenty doing to keep the PARK
slams busy and interested.
A hot, sleepy afternoon Nothing STIR
ring, hardly even q rumor. All the morn<
ing, indeed, there has been a dun NUT
tering! right away beyond the rim Of the
horizon to the. northeast. But you have
TO strain your ears to hear II. and IN
less you had reason to listen you would
hardly notice IT, So those who have
nothing but the vague references Of the
Paris newspapers to enllghten them pag
no attention to that faint rumbling.
old Folks Not Happy.
For ten miles along the long, straight
road that runs to Compiegne one sees
nothing unusual You have only to turn
your head and there are the cupolaS OK
Saere-Coeur. the great white church on
the hill Of Monmatre, floating mistfly
in the hot air behind. And there Is noth-i
ing but nat fields and golden cornstalks
and green copses N the folds Of tbs
ground.
Gradually. too. one comes to NOTES
that nearly all the people we meet along
this dusty road are pushing mail carts
or barrows filled with bundles. And
there are Harm carts numbering along
with parties Of cid folks IN them-not
| jolly old folks, who might be going to ~
Sunday beanfeast that way, but heavy,
eyed. depressed-looking people holding
bundles on their knees.
There are the strangest old motor cars.
too, filed likewise with people and piled
with bundles There are taxicabs that,
seem to have come out from Paris on
some special errand. and furniture vans.
and milk vans. and in all these motleJa
conveyances, or lying by the side of th9
road. are people with bundles.
Fleeing from Germans.
For these are the refugees Of two whole
departments Of France Some have
walked hundreds Of miles already. They
have been driven out by the advance
Of the Germans. as people nee before q
forest FIRE or as they came 1,soo years
ago across this very same country seek
ing refuge from the Huns
| They have left everything they could
not carry and gone, thankful to bring
life and limb with them
| In striking contrast to those who ara
running away are the people who stay
behind. For they on this hot Sunday
/ sfternoon can ind nothing to do but sit
and watch the fugitfves creep past
Yet as they sit there they are all talk-
/ ing about one thing-of what thu
'sBosches" have done to the villages they
have passed through already. They Gu,
the hands on the little boys, % that there
Il shall be no more soldiers TOR Frence'
Il They XIII the women. and the things they
, do to the young girls, monsieur, are too
, terrible to be told They burn every
thing and steal and destroy. Back there
is nothing but q wilderness" And YET
Il is ali said in voices calm and mistaken
for the horror Of It IS beyond the imas'
, Ination Of these peaceful Frech villagers
, , and they cannot realize that this may b
. their own fate.
: Suddenly across the vast space or th'
golden sky swims a great procession o.
seronIanes stretching from horizon tt
horizon. They are air scouts, flying bael
probably to a new base in the rear Ever
. while we follow the last OF them across
the sky We meet the head Of the train o.
! nootorcars that follow them by road