The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1914-12-19

II was lne faS Qe Cala1S at the 9nU
OF October-an October blessed, In
this year of dread, with clear, cool,
bracing weather, much like our OWE
Indian summer. Around turn IN the
road came strange, shuff1ing multi
tude, douhiy strange in that Well-or-
dered landscape. o."
At the head marched an old woman,
a stalwart, straight.backed Flemish
woman, vigorous in spite OF her sixty
years. Beside her walked boy OF
not more than twelve, his figure al
ready settling into peasant solld1ty-
lie, like the old woman, carried Oh MS
back bundle wrapped III sheet.
and between them they dragged by
| the hand a little girl, not more imam
six years old-half carried her, since
now and then she raised her feet from
the ground and let them support her.
1t Was plain TO see why she lifted
her feet. Her poor little shoes, heavy
though they had been in the begin
ming, were worn clear through. Her
clothes and hair were matted with
dirt, and her face was gray with 1t,
save for the streaks made by her
tears. She had stopped crying now,
she was beyond that. There comes
the time with all these refugees, young
and old, when they get beyond tears.
Behind followed the rest OF the refu-
gee caravan, like these leaders except
for minor details. OF course, there
was not among them man OF vlgor-
GUS years-Only a few grandtathers,
trudging along beside their women
folks. Mainly, 1t was collection OF
young children-all, like the little girl
in the leading party, beyond tears
with misery.
A dozen of the women, at least, car
ried babes III arms who had somehow
survived the miseries OF days and
days of walking These were the last
of the Belgian refugees to pour into
France. They came, mainly from that
thickly settled, fertile once prosper
GUS southwestern strip, along which
Germans and allies we're now fighting
for the bridge-head of the User.
But not all Some or them-as
learned from the few who had the en-
ergy to 1alk-lived further North.
month before they had tied from the
German advance after the capture OF
Antwerp; and they had been 1eeing
ever since-Sleeping III the nelds
through rain and shine, eating what
bread OF charity Heaven only knows,
The tail OF the procession. found.
had halted at crossroads beside
uyn inb AFT
from blankets strung on sticks. AS
| approached, wondering what this
might be, an automobile came "hlz-
zing down the road at seventy miles
an hOur-there are no speed laws for
military automobiles in tlme OF war.
1t stopped beside the tent; there was
parley and man III Belgian uni
form wearing a Red Cross braSsard
on his arm allghted
What is lt-what is happeningW |
asked the first OF the refugees beside
the tent-ai Old man who crUuctied
in the gutter.
I'm enfant-a baby is being born,"
he said briefly. The man in uniform
was d Belgian surgeon taking time
from his work or repairing d-ath To
assist IN giving life
Again: 1t was the next day in Calais
-Calals, once SO busy and so veneer
able, and in spots SO pretty, but now
faded and dirty with the passage of
armies Zen thousand Ut these refu-
gees came into Calais that day. That
day, also, the Red Cross was bringing
lii Belgian wounded by the thousand
there mad been serious lighting along
the User.
ihe refugees, herded or escorted by
the police, streamed down the streets
To the concentration yards prepared
fer them on the docks OF the french
government, which was going to trans
port them to the Midi as soon as it
could get the steamers. You would
hear now and then the toot of an au-
tomObtle horn, and the refugees would
make way for the passage of motor
car loaded to capacity with the white
faced wounded. The car would go on.
and the refugees would close their
gaps and resume their weary. nerve
less pace.
At the concentration yards they sat
in family grcLps. the children huddled
about their mothers and grandmothers
like chickens around hens. No child
among them laughed or played: they
were too weary for that: but no child
cried. | was trying to have speech
with these refugees, and finding them
too nerveless to give any account of
their adventures, when an ambulance
arrived
nurse and a physician descended.
\ woman rose from a distant group
and Joined them. She carried in her
arms bundle wrapped in rags. The
slant of her back showed that the bun
die contained a child-there is an atti-
tude o. motherhood which none can
mistake. s...
The women in the nearest group fol-
lowed the pantomime with their tear
less, hopeless eyes .s.,.- if
What is it ~ asked. s.. .s
For a time none of the women an
swered Then one spoke in a dead tone.
| Her baby is dead" she said. She
had no milk in her
All that happened on the fringe of