Evening journal., 1915-09-07
Rr W1LLIAM PHILIP sMMs.

United Press Staff Correspondent.
Copyright, 1915 by the United Press.
Copyrighted in Great Britain)
There has been a violent bonn
bardment of the Forest Of Apre-
ncnt From the French Com
munique OF August 8.
WITH THE FRENCH ARMY AT
THE FRONT, Aug 5.-(By MaiD.-
When the performances of Bern
hardt. Irving, Duse and Mansfield
cease to be anything but faint rec
objections / shall still remember viv-
idly an unpreteutious vaudeville
show given by soldiers 10 soldiers out
here in the open air 1900 yards back
of a certain famous woods through
which a most unhealthy part of the
firing line runs.
The performers we're soldiers; the
stage was built by soldiers with
scraps of lumber collected here and
there; the curtain was painted by a
cavalryman on tarpaulins which had
served in the beginning as covers for
boxes of ammunition; the sky and a
few walnut trees played the part Of
roof. while that part of the regiment
al band not busy bearing wounded
on stretchers of the field. furnished
the music these men and a young,
stoutish surgeon-lieutenant who dou-
bled on the piano when not stage
managing the acts.
The bill was the regular bill. II was
not especially arranged for visitors.
Since January IA the "house" has
been playing to standing room only,
two performances day, at p. m.
and at 6. Sometmes-as often as
possible-the bill changes; sometimes
the headliner fails to be on hand for
his cue; a shell or a bullet has in
terfered. But always, rain or shine,
good bill or bad, the curtain goes
up" on time and the soldiers on their
repose week Casually they have a
week in and a week back OF the
tTenches) never miss a performance.
As D. m. drew near the plank
benches in front we're crealng un-
der their maximum burden and hum
dreds of other poilus-the soldier S
nickname for himself, meaning shag-
gy-were standing at the back ana
on either side. A heavy rain began 10
fall precisely at o'clock but the rat
surgeon. on opening the piano, turn
ed and shouted:
"Poilus, you don't mind a little
thing like a few drops OF rain do
you?"
'No!" the poilus thunder back and
the surgeon sitting down in a very
wet chair began pounding out an as
tonishing intermezzO, on a no doubt
greatly outraged piano. For. being in
the place where the orchestra usually
sits. the piano as well as pianist was
CATCHING the full force of the young
cloudburst Every time a chubby fin
ger struck q key there was splash.
As the curtains parted the Ger
mans began to lombard the French
positions a short distance away The
explosions Of shells punctuated every
spoken line which followed and beat
time to the music as II jealous of the
big base drum.
A clown in costume ana make up
which only the ingenuity OF french
soldier can account for, rusned ou'
and began 10 sing and grimace Inc
audience roared. It was clear that
he was a favorite. He was just back
from the trenches and as he labbereu
q comic patter song, with grlmaces
and antics like any Barnum a balley
star. one caught sight OF his matrlc-
ulation number bound by a steel
chain to his wrist; for identification
in case he fails to dodge bullel
some day. The clown sang on and
when he got round to the chorus
his comrades in front Joined in. A
captain of dragons. occupying a seal
on a bench reserved for officers. sans
and laughed with the others, freels
and without reserve, yet l recognized
in this captain a count and a member
OF one of the aroudest families in the
Faubourg nobility of Paris.
The cloNn with his Identification
tag gave way amid applause to an
acrobatic soldier-in times of peace
fessional-wearing the pink tights
of tradition. He. too, had a tag or
his wrist A horizontal bar had beer
rigged up on the stage and as the
soldier in pink tights began to 81
rate upon it the connie" partner came
out and "comicked" in the way every
one who has ever seen a variety show
knows. Under his very much toe
large comic" dress coat. on a very
muscular wrist, was his in-case-of
death tag, never letting one forge
that just over the ridge ways deatf
was falling out of the skies at thai
very minute. The tags and the bonn
bardment made the war seem very
near.
An imitator of Houdini came next
wriggling out of handouts. paddock:
and chains. ropes and other queer
paraphernalia. No chain seemed toe
securely fastened about him for hin
to free himself out of it-save thu
one which, held the plaque which
would identify him if some day h'
and shell should get too well ac
quainted.