Evening star., 1916-03-12
I'm a French City Within Range Of the German Czu1

there is the faint glow of q light sone-
where. Looking closer she discerus
several people moving about IN the
darkness outside.
coming nearer. she sees what Il Is.
\ little pastry shop. kept by a woman
and her daughter, has been here since
the beginning of the war II was
caught in the bombsrdment. for the
place is In ruins.
There is an instant gleam of eager
ness in her eyes, comes 'kenine
thought for the welfare OF those VIII"
ran it, old friends of hers. So she loses
no time in rushing forward to hnd
out what has happened.
She stops dead there in the street
almost in front of The place, amid piles
of dusty ruins. Her nand falls from
her shawl and II seems as though the
basket fun of packages will drop as
The clutch of the other hand relaxes.
But she erasps it firmly and utters no
sound
Through the broken window they are
passing something dravn-out bundle
of rags seemingly. As II comes through
il takes human form. torn and bleed
ing-an elderly woman apparently.
Her face is Rruesome. One eye only
remains 1t is open wide and there 10
last expression of sudden shock and
terror. 1t is not describa BILE. but IL
sinks deep into the memory.
The woman has seen enough and
with a gasp hastens through the street.
She has recognized her friend in that
glance. the friend of her childhood. aud
she does not stay to the rest. As
she passes along. something lies in the
shadow of the adjoining building. with
a covering thrown over it and a dark
puddle around it,
In that instant some great force
within her seems to pe at bursting
point. She feels she is going mad. But
she clutches al her basket and walks
on. Then she manages to throw il OF.
the feeling of something breaking.
she thinks of other things she has
been through.
She is home now. She feels her way
into dark alley ana. some feet in.
turns a knob in door ia the wall II
is coy enough within. homelike NJ
a table lighted by shaded lamp are
two little boys and girl of about
fourteen. The table rs spread for sup
per: the girl has attended to that. The
boys chatter away.
The mother throws off her shaw and
prepares TO make additions TO the meal
Her face is pale and ser in deep lines.
1T is terrible. the war. the mother
saws at The table and she feels that she
goes off tomorrow for the rear She
thinks of The little ones. But she knows
that with The morrow she will choose Ia
remain in town. Everything she has
here. and the life is bad living al ell
bows with erybody in the ca aserle back
there. And they might separate hei from
her children. II is gloom that even the
light hearted residence Of her French
temperament cannot throw off.
Tomorrow is Sunday. She will think il
out better then. probably. in church. She
remembers her friend and sees her miss
ing from the next pew. Also others. she
is sure. for she hears from The girl thai
thirtyseven We're killed this afternoon
But the congregation changes from week
to week. anyway. Even the old priest
has been wounded. and for the last three
weeks a new one has celebrated inass
Just now they sit there with merry
fire i'll the place 10 stave off the chilli,
nights-a fire made from logs gathered
from the debris of wrecked houses-war
seems a long way off. There is moi even
The sound of rifle shot in the trenches