The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1915-06-01


-Four children crowded around the
Belgian farm woman AS she talked to
me
Il TAX" care of the farm myself"
she said. The children help me,
but they az" very little, are they not?
They Ike better to take care of
Me"stcr O'Riclly's grave out IN the
yard. They farm the flowers on II"
May | see Mr.. O'Rielly's grave"
asked
But certainly. Monsieur. come
with me"
We troopcd through the little house
to the back door and there In the
midst of the black plowed ground was
4 huge mound of yellow wood flowers.
In the midst Of them stood "a shining
silver glass vase and in the vase were
fresh white flowers. The children
ran up To the grave and the Oldest
boy stopped down and picked dan
dclion Hover out OF the narrow rim
of green grass, which bordered the
mound.
Private Patrick O'Rielly. Dublin
FusiIccrs killed in action" read the
lettering on The the white wooden
cross
The children loved him" said the
woman.
oh. did they know him?"
Knew him? Did he not used to
live in this house, with us? Did he
not bring the children oranges from
tho town and candy? Was he not
always playing and laughing and
making funny sounds like he thought
were French words? To hear him
talk through his nose, like the said
Frenchman did? How the children
used to laugh. And, | too We were
never afraid of the shells and bullets
in our house when he was there.
Only half mile over there behind
tho hills are the English trenches
and Mr.. O'Riclly used to have to go
there very often. He used to al
ways let the children pull his long
wooden mittens for him before he
started out for the trenches. Then
he would give them all one spank
apiece and we would all laugh, and
then he would start out and We would
lay in our beds and think of him
there In the cold and wet on the other
side OF the hill where the bullets can
hit you.
"Onc morning when the soldiers
( came back from in front of the hill
along the road that passes in front
of our house. Mr.. O'Rielly was not
( with them. Pretty soon other men
came from the trenches and they
were carrying men on stretchers.
( Where is Mr.. O'Rielly.' | ran out
/ and asked them.
Hes on that stretcher.' said a
soldier.
/ bring him into the house.
said. | started to run into the house
| for some cognac, which Is very good
when Il man is weak, but they stopped
me and IA soldier said; No use. Mr.
O'Rieny is dead
They were going to bury him
somewhere nearby and l asked them
to make his grave in our yard. And
SO there it is. We will always take
care of it," The woman bit hei
thumb nail contemplatively and then
said: When does Monsieur think
the war will end?"
! Madame in the little store there
SAWS the king will come home before
our crops are ripe she added.
Across the plowed field In the mex
little farm, | saw n Belgian man ant
woman trudging across a field, draw
ing after them a heavy roller will
which they were forcing the sect into
tho plOWeu euTtH. hwy "''o wa"
ing like beasts.
Their horses have gone to war;
said the farmer woman beside me.
II was later in the afternoon whei
climbed the hill with an Englisl
officer From hiding place WI
could look down on two sand colore'
streaks that ran through the greer
valley. They were the English ant
the German trenches. The rifle fir
was scattered. but constant. Their
are few places on this long line o
trenches across Western Europ
where It is possible to see both o
the trenches ut the same time, pu
this was one Of those rare vantag
points.
With our glasses We eould sc
the backs of the British soldiers; pei
haps they were still sucking MAD
su.,1,, nvonnnc In tha (fprmA