Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-03


tanglement of German submarines M
| guard does not extend the whole distanos
OF course.
Arrival at Boulogne was most com.
piicated affair before we could lana
Passports. embarkation cards. letters ana
tickets were produced, and each persne
had to pass . tribunal OF nve French ON.
cials, military and otherwise, and displat
| all the documents before them Men
came another tribunal, composed ot
French and British officers In uniform
The four young British officers asked an
sorts of questions.
A FEW OF THE QUESTIONS.
"what sort of articles do you propos.
to writer" said one little lieutenant, blush.
ing at his own temerity, but feeling thar
he had a duty to perform. And what
paper do you write for?"
"Do you carry any letters with you~
murmured n second.
Are they sealed or unsealed2" inquir5
third.
what are the contents of the lettersr
said a fourth.
Are they purely letters of introduo
| tion?" said the first.
| This cross-examination remindeda M.
| strongly OF a game we used to play Al
childrens parties-in fact, the whole ner.
formanceswas like an amusing game, psr.
ticularly when we landed on Bouloqns
dock, and saw the brilliant scene there
Soldiers in every shade of color and n
uniforms which would have credited tha
latest American Revue for Theatrical
effect crowded everywhere The Enoe
tacular result was gorgeous l am in
formed that there are Sc different shada.
of blue in the French army-and indeed
1t seemed like It! Dashing Zouayes. with
loose red pantaloons, yards wide, ana
little short, blue Jackets, and their hesds
adorned with small crimson fez. wers
much In evidence. The dazzling uniform
of the French Dragons mingled with tha
khaki of the British "Tommies." Tbs
sun shone on nodding plumes and rllt.
, tering helmets of gold and silver. aud
the blues and reds and yelIows OF M
various French regiments completed
wonderful scene. On no stage hava
even seen anything half so Spectacular
not even at the famous Winter Garden
shows of New York
Dozens of Red Cross wagons filled win
wounded soldiers were drawn i'm ara
whlte-coated surgeons and stretehers
were in evidence. 1 saw some very sad
sights at Boulogne. The ambulances had
Just arrived direct from the firing Ilns
which after all was not so very far away
I pinched myself to find out IL Il wasnq
N4A "a "OA4htilul hEtdIll4
A great deal of noise was going nm 4.
every quarter and perfect babel II
French. Queer-looking porters in blus
smocks and weird hats besieged me Al
once, all speaking at the same time and
all gesticulating The Paris train. bound
for the Care du Nord, was waiting, and
they all wished to carry my luggara
thereto. Two ancient Frenchwomen sail
ing cherries also captured me, and
large and resolute woman dressed like
nurse, who brandished a large money.
box and insisted on an immediate contri.
button Pour les Blesses." No one knew
word OF English, and it was all vey
interesting and delightful
FINALLY OFF FOR PARIS
Finally the train started, and we raa
smoothly through peaceful orchards and
past quietly flowing streams. The eoun.
try-side Is extremely pretty between Bou.
logne and Paris. and when he reached
Amiens 1t was hard to realize that We
were so close to the firing line. and that
that peaceful place once had actually
been captured by the Germans. The little
red-roofed farm houses nestled amlda
green fields and waving corn, and the old
country folk looked as If they had stepped
straight from the pages of a book Of
fairy tales.
L got out for few minutes at Amiens
and took short walk hoping to hear the
noise OF shot and SHE'LL as we were IL.
formed that the trenches were onIy
thirteen miles away 1t was hard to
realize that blood-stained battlefelds wers
SO near that lovely little spot.
During the whole of that railroad Jour
ney we saw soldiers everywhere. The
little country lanes were full of them
the country hay carts were full Of them
and almost every man in France was ia
uniform! They made brilliant patches o.
color among the green, and many OF them
We're sadly wounded.
In my compartment were three British
and one French officer who had cons
direct from Ypres only that morning. IT
is difficult to realize that only four hour
ago we were being 1red onl' said one q
them. Doesn't the green countrysda
look good after the trenches7''
Ihey looked very tired and mud-stainea
after spending the last As hours IN ths
trenehes' and one of them told me thal
only the night before he had had a narros
escape, An explosive she'll had fallen e.
tween his feet. but by some wonderfu
chance had failed TO go off! "0Hss
nerves get very hardened" said he. !
picked II up carefully later on and carried
1t away. We were very heavily shelled
by the Germans last night and am glad
OF the chance Of getting up to Paris @
business today Forty-eight hours In tha
trenches is hard work, and I'm lookihs
forward TO a good sleep tonightr'
II was a strange experience to talk vim E
soldiers who were still covered with ne
dust and dirt Of battle and who had iss.
the battlefield but an hour or two ego
They were very cheerful and very optln
istie. but some OF their experiences hss
been terrible. OF course, they were ua'
able to tell exactly where they had bed
nghting, as they are forbidden to do that
but the locality Is Ypres.
we live In a charming little 'dug-oH
when We are not In the trenches" ths
declared And II you manage to get
The front be sure 10 come and visit us
us Just hole In the ground like a FaR
olt-Warren or a robbers cave but
have plano there and we viii give %
afternoon tea! The roof and floor e
walls are OF mud. and shell Is hase
20 drop In any moment-but we are ven
happy and eomfortable"
And this Is the cheerful spirit wh
every British and French soldier / has
yet encountered in this most terribls
wars Is showingl
Paris was reached late at night
Journey having taken more than twice =
usual time 10 accomplish.