The sun., 1916-12-24
By WILLIAM r. r 7

TH HE girl who a few days ago
was In deep mourning, but
since has added an occasional
BIT Of light colored material TO her
dress a. her means would allow. "a
sns Of . dense throns that pours from
the compartments Of the train to the
platform Of the station. She leads
eagerly one who. still in his soldiers
upiform. walks falteringly and gropes
o6out nerveusly. for he is blind.
Unlike the majority Of those about
on her face Ia almost a Joyous sx-
pssssion and a. she speaks 20 him she
smiles.
He 10 her husband. ana months be-
loro they had sent her word that he
haA been killed in battle. Several days
ago, at her little shop in Paris. she
was notified that Il had been q mis-
take, that he was not dead. but had
6een . prisoner In Germany. and vas
On his way to her.
He was Q grand blesss." one Of Q
e~sainload Of men hcpelessly unft and
fsesvsr useless - soldiers who were
being sent back In exchange. In the
br1sf message they had stated when
the train would arrive. She was there
waiting when Il finally came in. hours
late. II Wa with Q little cry Of horror
that she saw him. They had not told
her no was blind.
And now. after many long hour In
. reeking. o~vercrowded train. they
have come TO the town Of Lourdes. far
In the south Of France near the border
national pilgrimage and thousands are
there to seek Divine help.
To tho shrine nea the town In the
latter part Of every year people flock
In peace times from all. orne OF the
World-in q mighty pilgrimage that
sweeps over the place in a vast wave
and lasts several days. To most Of the
pilgrims II Is a mission Of great sor-
row. In tho lives Of the many who
20 there II some consummate tragedy
and they ask relief at the shrine. Most
Of the aflictions are physical.
For q long fine the two stand at
the spot where they alighted, unable TO
move in the crowd. while others still
SOOtiuuO 10 pOut i''ih 'hV
II takes time to empty the cars: there
IN much baggage. innumerable parcels
Of every description. II seems, and there
are frequent mistakes and much con-
fusion. Then slowly the OF peo-
pie moves toward the gates and the
couple are swallowed UP in II.
1t u q gathering that IN America
would Be dih1cult 10 match. The peo-
pie Just arriving are peasants many OF
them and come from the little villages
Of the north. There are faces drawn
and hollow that reflect lives OF trag-
edy. Many are those Of women IN
black; there are old persons In whose
gait In the tale OF overtoil.
They are a sombre lot. Black IL the
prevailing color Nmong them, and the
Gaudy little spots conspicuous here and
there chiefly belong to the dresses OF
the children who move along in awed
fashion clinging TO the garments of
their elders.
In the crush are many soldiers,
MANNED beings hobbling along on
crutches or supported by others. and
there are those with guides whose eye
balls between blinking lids turn un-
ceasingly at nothing. Arranged along
the sides OF the platform are rows of
O%tretchers which q o are filled.
They have been carried from the
coaches last Of all. these beings unable
20 help themselves. and a few still are
being borne through the doors at the
atives and friends hover about help
ing a. they can
Others too badly wounded or from
long periods of illnees unable to be
moved even on tho stretchers are be-
Ing carried on the filters they have
lain on in the train. Yet others are
being carried over to wheel chairs and
placed in them.
Meanwhile in the choking smoke
now filling the long shed another train
arrives. It II from the opposite dlrec-
tion. The trains come in frequently
from both tho north and the south,
This one IL a local. made up some
where further south. down near the
border. and II has arrived an hour
late. The extra traffic at the way sta.
tons has delayed II.
The crowds that pour out of this
train are OF the same Glaze, many
MANNED or deformed, with faces
seamed with great lines cut into them
They are Of q poorer type; the ma
9or'ty are peasants from the tiny vii.
lagos Of the country near by and the
secluded reaches Of the giant noun,
tnins further away,
Standing there in the shed, seen un.
certainty through tho dirty clouds o