New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-02

as the days of the Commune. Do you re-
member your street fighting in Les
MiSerablcs'?"
Il surely do replied. Breast high
carthworks and the citizens crouched be
hind under the patter of bullets"
"This is going to be good" he went on
in h Oh enthusiasm. The soldiers were
rolling heavy barrels to the gutter and
knocking off the heads. The barrels were
packed with fish, about six inches long,
with scales that went blue and white in
the fresh morning sun. The fish slithered
over the cobbles and the soldiers STUN
bled on their slippery bodies. They set
the barrels on end, side by side, and
heaped the cracks between and the face
with sods of earth. thick packed clods.
with grass growing. The grass was
bright green. unwilted A couple of peas
ant handcarts were tilted on end, and the
flooring sodded like the barrels.
look who's coming" pointed Rossiter,
swivelline his lens sharply around.
Steaming gently into our narrow street
from the Grand Place came a great Sava
mitrGilleuse-big steel turret, painted
lead blue. three men sitting behind the
swinging turret. One of the men, taller
by head than his fellows, had a white
rag bound around his head. where bullet
had clipped off a piece of his forehead
the week before. His face was set and
pale. Sitting on high, in the grim ma
chine, with his bandage worn as a plume,
he looked like the presiding spirit of the
fracas.
It's worth the trip" muttered Romeyn.
grinding away on his crank.
There was something silent and efficient
in the look of the big man and the big car,
with its slm-waisted, bright brass gun
showing through.
Here, have a cigarette" said Rossiter, 4
as the powerful thing gided by.
He passed up a box to the three
gunners.
"Bonne chance" said the big man, as
he puffed out rings and fondled the trim
bronze body of his Lady of Death. They
let the car side down the street TO the left
end of the barricade, where 1t came to
rest.
Over the canal, out from the smoke
misted houses, came a peasant running
In his arms he carried little girl. Her
hair was light as fax, and crested with
gaudy knot of very bright red ribbon.
Hair and gay ribbon caught the eye as
soon as they were borne out Of the doomed
houses. The father carried the little girl
TO the bridge at the foot of our street and
began crossing toward US. The barbed
wirs looked angry in the morning sun.
He had to weave his way patiently, with
the child held fat to his shoulder. Any
hasty motion would have torn her face on
the barbs. Shrapnel was sailing high
overhead between the two forces, and
there, thirty feet under the crossfire, this
man and his child squirmed their way
through the barrier. They won through
and we're lifted over the barricade. As
the father went stumbling past me |
looked into the face of the girl. Her eyes
were tightly closed. She nestled content
eddy.
Did you get it, man? Did you get it,
asked Rossiter.
TOO far" he replied, mournfully, "only
A dot at that distance"
Now all the parts had fitted into the
pattern, the gay green grass growing out
Of the stacked barrels and carts, and the
sullen. silent. waiting mitralleuse which 4
can spit death in a wide swath as 1t re-
wolves from side 70 side, like the full
stroke Of a scythe on nodding daisies. The
bark of it is as alarming as its bite-an
incredibly rapid rat-tat that makes men
fall on their faces when they hear, like
worshippers at the bell Of the Transub-
sanitation.
"She talks three hundred words to the
minute" said Romeyn to me.
How are you coming?' ! asked.
Great" he answered, great stun.
Now if only something happens.
He had planted his tripod fifty feet back {
Of the barricade, plumb against red
brick. three story house, 50 that the lens {
raked the street and its defences diagonal
Iv. Thirty minutes we waited with SheiI
fro far TO the right Of US. falling into the
centre Of the town with rumble, Ike
train of cars heard in the night when one
is half asleep That was the sense OF
things 20 me. as ! stood in the street wait
ing for hell 20 blow off its lid. 1t was {
dream world. and ] was the dreamer IN
the centre Of the strange unfolding S'sh''
look HABIT. Il
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