The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-17

sisted on remaining and closing tn
last trunk. Its the captains orders
miss And Shipman had served to-
long with soldier to allow anything
to swerve HIM
We left the station at o'clock and
rode down to London in the Lowell.
misty sunshine, going through the sof
rolling hills, wet swith dew and over
hung with violet shadows. I found
myself drawn with a peculiar indie
scribable affection for this emerald
world. Had my ancestors been Eng
nsh might have explained the pull al
my heartstrings in that way; but be
ing French I gave it up and aban
doned myself to watching the hills, the
black faced sheep and the picturesque
cottages until we reached London.
, Some one has said, after all, since
life is a Pigment of the brain, built uI
notions OF things are far more impress
sive often than the actually" Lon
don to the initiated means a fanfare
of names, a swirl Of memories, vast
regulations, history, poetry, noble
8deals, recollections of great deeds.
We were leaving for Paris the mex
morning, so mademoiselle and I spent
the afternoon buying various articles
that DR.. T. had suggested, as his re-
port from France was that most hos
IpitaI supplies were falling. We re-
turned to our hotel late and tired, but
lmademoiselle insisted we go down to
id me. I think she thought I needed
the change. But it wasn't a gay ex-
perience. The dining room was almost
deserted. There were not more than
@ half dozen tables occupied.
Sitting next to us was a party of
&our-a mother, father and son, the
fourth being young English girl who,
Z felt instinctively,' was not of the same
family. She was tall and slender, with
"a lovely white and pink coloring, such
as had never seen before. 1t made
her appear to me as unreal as Undine
and as beautiful. Masses of shining
blond hair framed her face. She fas-
Ginated me, and unconsciousIy my eyes
Hurned again and again to that table
THE young man was soldier. I was
beginning already to know the type
Tall, clean cut, he looked the scion of
a long race.
Their conversation had the familiari-
fy of a devoted family and was unin-
Iteresting to the outsider We soon
knew that the young soldier was going
on the morrow to the front and that
the lovely girl was his fancee. The
Others talked a good deal, but the
young girl said little. It was as If she
did not trust herself Her great wide
blue eyes were scarcely ever. even for
a moment, taken from the young Off
Ger. Once heard her say something
about tthe great danger at which the
young man leaned toward her. and
there was in his voice a note I had
never heard. He spoke with deep CON
Etction- I shall never forget his words:
You must remember, dear, individ-
Uals cannot count. We are writing q
new page Of history. Future genera
lions cannot be allowed to read of the
decline of the British empire and at
tribute it to US. We live our little
lives and die, and to some are given
the chance of proving themselves men,
and to others no chance comes What
ever our individual faults, virtues or
qualities may be, it matters not, but
when we are up against big things we
must forget individuals and act as one
great British unit, united and fearless.
Some will live, and many will die. but
count not the loss. 1t is better far to
go out with honor than survive with
shame"
AS he was speaking 1 watched the
faces of his hearers. There came into
the eyes of his mother an expression
great, soft eyes Of the girl, but only
a moment, and then there fell over
them a heavy, dull curtain of pain.
Her expression hurt me, and looked
away, for had premonition of hap
piness foredoomed to sorrow-that this
hopeless expression had come to stay.
The mother proba bly, felt just as
deeply, but she had-fortitude-a mask
that was never raised. Only the eyes
of God, 1 was to learn, are permitted
to see naked an Englishwoman's soul.
CHAPTER III.
Ominous Signs of War.
WAS oppressed-this was the
beginning of war; was be-
ginning to see its face, and its
. face was ominous Mademoi-
Eelle, who knew my every mood, some
times before I was conscious of it my
self, realized the shadow on my spirit
and suggested we have coffee upstairs
Two men, one a soldier in kits, en-
tered the dining room and stopped at
our nefghbors' table As we passed I
heard the Scot say to the older man
with him, Gather, this is Captain -
of the - I did not hear the regi-
ment.
Months after, under conditions
which had I known at, the moment
would have frozen the blood In my
veins, was to learn the name of his
regiment and all that it stood for.
The next day we started for Bou-
logne. We arrived in a pouring rain.
Finding we had hours to wait for our
train, decided to look up a Miss Rus
sell, a Canadian, who had for several
years been DR.. Curtis operating and
Once nurse In New York and had vol
unteered at the beginning Of the war.
aan. I deuktfqi asDorteraatE