New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-08
A Story of War and a Woman
Translated BY WiAiam L. Mcpherson .,1.

Now there was nothing more for Frau
Hanna to do
The father pulled the covers up over The
wounded man, laid congresses on his brow
and listened again to the beating of his heart,
Near by the children slept in their beds
The night became darker and stiller. The
picture of the far-away father smiled under
its glass. 90, - ess-
The young wife stole silently out of the room
The great excitement under which she had
been laboring had quoted down. She bit Der
teeth together so as not to cry out in the sud
den fit of doubt and perplexity which now
seized her. She had an enemy in her house!
She had perhaps saved his life so that later be
might take another's life. Had she done right
The lantern, still burning, stood on the vim
dow case by the stairway, where her father
had placed it, And right in front OF her, on
the uppermost step, lay strange, black object
the same that the wounded man had he'd
fast in his fingers down there in the garden
and which he had dropped when they carried
him upstairs. Frau Hanna bent over and
picked it up. 1t was pocketbook Of scratched
dingy leather, with blood stains on it which
were still moist.
The young wifes fingers shook so that The
pocketbook fell again to the floor and lay there
opened All sorts of papers slipped out, and
at her feet she saw an upturned photograph Of
two children, who seemed to be about the sane
age as the two children sleeping in their BEDS
across the way
Quickly Frau Hanna snatched up the piet
ure. Something was written at the bottom
the white cardboard-quite awkwardly, just
awkwardly as her little boy had scratches
God keep you, dear papa on the photosrsr
of herself and the children which Franz hsa
smilingly stuck in the pocket Of his field gay
uniform when he was called away to war
Certainly the good God will keep me, emu
dren, if have your picture with me- ne n''
said
This was also children's picture Also
chid's handwriting in big, stiff French letters
The young wife read, spelling it. out n'
sinking her head deeper and deeper over vn''
she read:
"Que Dieu te protege, cher Papa" s2
For while she stood there, unable, to e'~'
prehend at once all that was passing eeo,
fusedly through her mind. Then she brestnS
a deep breath of relief. A smile came ~"
her stern, set face-the first smile In many
weeks, warm, motherly and full of love.
So she turned again, softly pushed agar w
door of the room where the old man stqoo "
the bedside of the wounded French soldier nov
ing the outstretched hand which had wes~
sought his own.
HE lives" exclaimed Frau Hanna sxue
antly. "He must live, just as our own Gem, -
fathers must live, for whose safety ther CIV
dren tremble and pray" -.
She stepped to the bed, looked into the We.
open, pleading eyes, saw face hsggard Nv,
continued privations in the field. She rs1s
the hand in which she held the strange ca
dren's photograph, with the foreign in's"F
ton: "Que Dieu te protege, cher Papa,
Quietly she laid the picture on the es0 ="
and saw how the two waxen-yellov Ia ~
grasped it. Then she heard two French
dren's names weakly spoken. She turneI 4.
went out again-to her own children sn
smiling photograph Of her husband.
There she sank on her knees. ~
Franz" she cried out, half laugn".
weeping, you will live like this father ~
have kept safe for his childrsns ssA"
so wills" -
The face in the picture smiled on N -
but proudly and sslf-eenhdsnty' %
German fighters smile $3.50 IS Z.