The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-17
and the courage of that conviction. !"

we were many hours en- route, as a
every station we were A&sidetracked t,
| allow the troop trains to pass. In gu
compartment, accompanied by her maid
was pink, slender, Hly-like woman of
say, twenty eight or thirty, Dresden
like in color. Mademoiselle afterwarC
expressed it exactly in saying, "She
had q perfection of hauteur as to man
ner, SO well bred that her voice seemed
subtly suggestive Of it all.''
| She was a titled English lady coins
over to her husband, wounded and IL
| the English military hospital at Yer
| saiIles. When she knew that I was go
| ing for the first time to Paris she smil
ed and said:
"It is rather too bad you are hav-
ing your first impressions of Paris IN
der such circumstances. Still,'' she
added redectively, 81 ana not sure that
the cleverest intelligence is not very
frequently confused or hypnot3zed by
certain situations and scenes, and
weaker ones filed with the widest
forms of illusion. My own first ina
pressions of Paris were confusing, dis
turbing Impressions, which were not
at all valid" Her blue eyes wander
ed off into space, as if seeing it all
again, while before my own came vi
84OAS Oh N6DOleOA. Tie LOUVRE, gay res
taurants, wide boulevards, everywhere
artistic perfection, enveloped in wine
like atmosphere.
We were arriving at Amiens. Just
outside our windows we saw a little
group of women laughing and chat
tering. 1t came to me suddenly how
little of anything approaching gaiety
I had seen lately. Looking at them,
with their adorably rounded chins,
scarlet lips, dark half almond shaped
eyes, the Englishwoman seemed to
take up and put into words my train
of thought She said to mademoiselle
in French, noddtng toward the group,
with that little touch of .remoteness
which a foreign accent lends:
They may be decadent, as one some
times hears, but these sha pely, pi-
quaint, sensitive women, with their
eyes showing a subtle awareness of
what life has to offer, come to me as
a pleasing contrast with the dreary
commonplace of the English type. 1
sometimes think. it IS the uniformly
damp, cold and raw atmosphere that
has produced us, an over sober minded
race" Mademoiselle was silent, and
she continued: 81 always have thought
of France as beautiful, brilliant, frag-
lie child, not made for contests and
brutal battles. But in this 1 sadly
Wr0nged her, as the world has found
France brave, CAIN, poised, under the
fercest invasion history records"
AS we YEARLY went on noticed how
few trees there were in comparison
with England, and missed the rich
green mold which made the English
trees SO lovely. The houses, too, in
the towns seemed narrow and high
and crowded together, but now and
again L got a glimpse of the Gothic
architecture. mazes of slender, grace
full, peaceful pinnacles, soft graystone
carved into fragile, lacelike designs,
and 1 thought what an inspiration re-
ligion must have been in those days to
have produced such noble designs.
1 had always heard. that one finds no
where else in the world the snap and
Intensity of emotion and romance that
one finds everywhere in French
streets. But it was ali lacking that
night, and, while I could not put into
words what constituted the difference
between English and French people,
felt it.
In Paris we went to the Ritz, where
we found DIR. Curtis waiting for US.
It was so good to see him again, and
we sat and talked until midnight and
after. He explained something of
what my life as a nurse would be,
though he felt sure would not actual
" be stationed for several weeks.
There were always delays and formal
ty, especially as there were complica-
tons, due to the three different Red
Cross societies in France. However,
he understood I was to be with the |
regular military hospital Les Secours
des Blesses. Ny application had been
made by him to that society.
"As nurses go, in England or Amer
lea, you are,'' he said, mot at all up
to the standard, but in France you will
find you are better equipped than most
Of the French pnes,e for, you know,
only English speaking races have, in
Dur sense of the word, trained nurses
The next day I was introduced to the |
surgeon in chief, who had been a
friend Of fathers, an Intelligent and |
agreea BILE gentleman, who was pleased |
70 find 1 spoke three languages. He |
assured me v would be helpful and |
thanked me for bringing certain equip |
nent. Promising to send me notice in |
4 few days as to when and where I |
was to go on post. he babe us goodby.
DR.. Curtis had to return at once to |
his own hospital. which was twenty |
odd miles away, but before doing so
5Ook me to call on Mrs. -, one of |
he ladies of the American embassy.
She had just returned that day from |
'ne of her 'tours Of relief" We found |
Ter not only very kind, but extremely |
emcient. She seemed to have exact |
as to what was needed |
most and where. This last trip had |
been to the hospitals near Dunkirk, |
where she had gone. with lorries fol- |
owing her motor, filed with 5athtubs, I
rubber gloves and all sorts |
II hospital supplies. She asked me to |
write her as 1 went about the exact |
conditions 1 found. France, you |
now she said, was not meditating |