The Washington herald., 1916-06-19
Through a Woman's Eyes
X.-PARIS AND THE WAR.
By MAY CHRISTIE, M A.
Copyright 1916 by Mcclure Newspaper syndcats)

marble stopped tables of the little cafes.
Poor, lonely "permissionaires"'
Once every two weeks the wounded
soldiers are decorated at Les Invalides
In the center of a square formed by
French troops stand the "blesses." the
decorating generals beside them. Slowly
the shattered fighters limp up to receive
their honors II is a most pathetic sight
Poor boy" said a spectator to hand
some lad whose right leg had been shot
away. you have suffered much for your
country! The boy shook his head. Il
still have another leg to give to La
Patrie II she have need OF IT," he said,
earnestly And that is the spirit that is
actuating France today.
Among those who marched up to re-
| ceive medals was a lovely young widow.
She was dressed in the somber mourning
which the Parisiennes wear, and her pale,
pretty face was inexpressibly sad. AS the
great French general handed her the
decoration on behalf Of the husband who
had died so calamity at his post, the girl
| tears splashed on the medal. A wave of
sympathy went through the crowd as it
stood back to let her pass
The bravery and the quiet endurance
of Paris need no recording. They are
| known the whole world over. One sees
| their evidences at every turn in the
| street. Here come the brave little women
! car conductors, their earnings only total
! ing 70 cents a day-but they are glad
| to take the places of their men. In
times of peace we shared our husbands
| troubles, so why not now?' they say.
The daughters OF France can fight the
good fight at home" One finds them
hlling every occupation with that wonder
full business capacity which is the heri-
tage of every Frenchwoman.
! Through the Place de Ia Concorde a
stream of traffic eddies about a gray
painted ambulance. The driver is in
khaki. hatless. red-haired and smiling
There is something infectious in that
boyish smile OF his Gee whiz!" he says
nopping a wet forehead Little old New
York hasn't anything on gay Paree for
heat" And he touches the accelera tor.
while the big car springs ahead. the
traffic moving to right and left at sight
OF the Red Cross painted on it. For
| all Parisians like the Americans from
the big hospital at Neuilly. They like
their dash, their efficiency. their sincerity
But most of all they like the help they
are bringing to France. For it tells
them Of the sympathy they have found
in their sister republic across the At
lantic.
| Inc american nOSplLdl ~ 4>ellIIy Is an
| intensely interesting place. Most re-
markable work is done here. One hardly
exaggerates in saying that miracles are
| performed by the American surgeons.
| When the patients come in, one frequent
| ly sees among them horrible wreckages
Of what was once a bright and happy
face. The eyes are gone. or peer be-
tween swollen flesh: a red hole just heal
ing marks where the nose should be
! H.A
shot away. Impossible to mend such
wrecks as these, one says! But the Amer
lean doctors have learned to tackle even
sitter Jobs. A bit Of bone Is grated,
and bent to form a nose; flaps Of skin
are turned back from the neck to form
a mouth; then the dentist comes with
a set OF false teeth for a Java bridge
is inserted. and the shattered wreck
is a face again.
! I saw a soldier there who had had his
! features swept away by shrapnel His
entire jaw and nose had vanished. While
| the doctors were planning the means to
/ build up a new face upon him. this in
genious boy devised a way whereby he
could smoke. Into one end of a rubber
tube he put a cigarette, and inserted
/ the other end through the hole that had
once been his nose, The results, he de
clared. were perfectly delightful.
/ Up and down the corridors OF the Neun-
/ ly hospital fit the pretty nurses. They
hail not only from America, but from
Canada and other parts of the globe.
| Over their white uniforms they wear
silk sweaters of every color-a charming
rainbow, and one much appreciated by
the "poilus."
| 1t was on a visit to this hospital that
I first encountered my good friend Jac-
quemin the Zouave and with him faith
fuI Fend lAir. the dog that saved his
! life. This soldiers history is a most
extraordinary one. He comes from Al
giers, and when war broke out he sailed
for France to fight for La Patrie. Poor
Fend IAir was not allowed to accom-
pany him But just as the gangway of
the boat was withdrawn, the dog leaped
across the intervening space and joined
| his master.
! When the shores of France were reached
Jacquemin perforce had to join the mill
tary train for the north. abandoning Fend
! IIAir But by some miraculous means the
dog found his way up to the Arras dis
trict, and, weary and footsore, Joined his
master on outpost duty!
we were stationed in a hole made
by an exploded she'll" said Jacquemin,
telling the tale. There were eight other
men with me. and we were very close
| to the German lines. All night we
watched. When dawn came in, 1 saw the
! earth beneath my feet was moving
gently. 1t was the Germans who were
mining their way towards our lines.
/ Quickly 1 rushed out to warn my lieuten-
ant. And just as qU e watchful
Germans turned their HIe on me. The
| big shell hit me on the L., blowing it
right off and covering me with twenty
eight wounds. was buried ten feet in
debris. The other eight men were
| killed.
Jacquemin paused to pat the head of
his beloved spaniel. 1T was my dear
Fend TAir who dug me out" he said,
''or soon I should have been smothered.
The first thing I remember is that he
was licking the wounds on my face, and
with his paws was scratching at the
earth that covered me. Then he ran
back to bring assistance-and my life
was saved"
Fend rAir wagged his tail apprecia-
lively until the medal round his shaggy
neck jerked wildly. The love in his eyes
as he looked at his crippled master was
almost human
Thanks to the kind Americans I am
recovering gradually" said Jacquemin
earnestly. and when you write to
them, please say that it is not my graft
tude alone they have for all their kind
deeds-it is the gratitude of Paris, and
indeed all France"