The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-29


 she might have endured from Roman days to take me in was another thing. l She insisted her house was full and was in fact just turning me out when young officer whom I recognized from headquarters came in. He inter ceded for me even offering me his room. This she would not hear to, but consented at last to my sharing her room. Perhaps she felt she could bet ter watch me in this way. She insist ed on being paid in advance for each night, but when she saw the thousand franc bill she became at once much more friendly. I thought it was be- cause she felt sure of her money, but I was wrong. Your Englishman must be rich as well as induential,'' she said quite as matter of fact. I didn't dare to say what I should have liked for fear I might be set adrift.
 I went to my room, which was back one, up a flight of worn stone steps. It was small, but beautifully clean. On the bed [ noticed, tired as I was, comforter quilted in the most elaborate design of flowers and leaves and with stitches so small it would have delighted forever the heart of my grahdmamma. But was so fa- Hgued that in spite of the excitement I lay down and slept the heavy sleep of youth and exhaustion. Hours after I was awakened by a boy with big brown intelligent eyes, who had come to say that luncheon was ready. Later I made friends with him. He was Rene, my landlady's grandson, and his father was a sergeant in the French artillery corps stationed near by. He had the communicativeness and the acumen of the gamin the world over.
 Rene at once offered to take me-for a consideration-aroun the country and show me the abandoned trenches, the battlefe1ds and the graves and he lowered his voice1'where the big guns afe.' The last offer made my heart jump with joy. The peasants knew this lad; he was one of them. In way it was certain protection from inquisitiveness, suspicion.
 That afternoon, by way of getting my bearings as well as satisfying my interest in hospitals everywhere, I ask ed to go to those near by. It was vis- itfng day, and almost every man had a friend sitting beside his bed. Those who had not looked somehow lonely and out of it. As we were slowly passing through one of the wards in
  noticed just in front of us a French officer He was hunting a German who was supposed to have news of an aerop1ane that he had, helped to bring down and in which one Of the French mans best friends had been killed. Passing a bed around which a screen had been placed, the officer sudden 1y stopped and listened intent1y to a few words that were being Spo- ken in German by the patient. Without waiting to ask, ssBy your leave,'' he pulled the screen away and stepped to the side of the bed. The young private so desperately wounded was the officers brother. They were Alsatians,a and one had early in life joined the French co1ors, and when the war began the other brother had been drafted into the German army. In second the officer was on his knees caressing the boy as tenderly as he might have child, while the tears streamed down their faces.
 The next morning remained in my room as long as possible to avoid being seen and discussed by the peasants. Then, dressed in one of the old 1ady'S dresses, went down. She was fat. short little thing, and | am tall and slender, but, by careful manipulation, had managed to show my orange pet ticoat and somehow to look rather like the peasants. explained to Rene that my dress was being washed. He laughed a good deal at my altered ap- pearance, but suspected nothing. The grandmother thought she knew my se- cret, so all was well.
 CTo Be Continl1ed.1