The Washington herald., 1917-07-01

smoke from a fire. and We remember
cd how. IN the long ago. we had been
warned to use gas masks. do not
suppose one person in a thousand
among the crowds possessed such a
'hlnG. >. We came a little nearer
TO what seemed TO be the real danger
spot, and whiffs OF smoke fiOatcd by,
but they gave out no poisonous
tumeS, and there was relief in our
hearts as we realized our mistake.
All along this eastward Journey
bombs were falling and the guns were
ma King great noises. But | saw no
quick searching for shelter, no taking
cover. If it had all been an cxhibi-
ton OF flying at Hendon the attitude
OF the people would not have been
very different. Except in the imme-
diately affected streets men and
women, and Office clerks. little more
than children. stood watching. vastly
interested. little excited, but not in
the least frightened.
They were everywhere. Offices with
accessible roofs were besieged by en-
thusiasts who chose to forget official
advice as TO the safety of the base
meht. II was the tops of buses that
the people sought rather than the
refuge Of underground railways, and
hre escapes and lamp posts and
bridges were crowded.
Train of AmbuIances.
After those few minutes of tense in
terest and deadening noise the sudden
silence was very awful. The cessa-
ton OF gunfire told that the raiders
mad been driven off. and, looking to
the sun, one could see that peace had
come once more to the air. Watching
the light and movement in the sky
the drama of it all had so fixed ones
attention as TO eliminate even a flash
ing thought of its meaning. But with
the silence came the swift running of
ambulance cars and their peaIing bells
'old or the ugliness of it all, and its
deep significance.
And these ambulance cars darted out
rom all sorts of little side streets.
JOlhinG together in one long stream
Intt moved eastward like a rapid
SPECIAL constablcs marched quickly
ABOUT their business. Fire engines
came from nowhere, as it seemed.
where, but little while ago. there
had been stiffness in the streets and
great noises in the air there was now
quiet above and queer noises and
movements below.
People gathered together in groups.
exchanging stories of their expert
ences. Men and women rushed TO teIe-
phone boxes, and taxis were hailed
all over with orders to find the raided
streets"
They say there are hundreds kill
ed, someone whispered in a shaken
voice. ''Oh, no." replied a man who
overheard, II think very little dam
age has been done" Il saw six Yep
pelins," cried one woman whose neves
were overwrouSht. And | saw one
of the Taubes brought down." retorted
her neiGhbor.
And SO they stood. telling little sto-
ries of what they had seen, and of
what they imagined they had seen.
finally making their way, many of
them, to spots where little tongues
of smoke told how firemen were fight
ing destruction in those places which
had suffered from the aerial play of
little silver gems.
1t had all happened in a quarter of
an hour. All these things had been
done in Is minutes that seemed like
60. When the time had come and
gone people went back to their shops
and their Offices and their homes to
carry on their normal way Of living.
They looked at their watches and
thought they had stopped. When the
regular lunch hour arrived they pour
ed out into the streets once more,
followlng the track of the raiders.
Good samnritans.
But 1t was not in a care-free spirit
OF adventure. They went in to see
what war had done. and they went
quietly and in, order. Their hearts
sorrowed for those to whom suffer-
ing had come. They wanted to IheIp.
is there anything I can doT That
was the spirit Of the Londonerl yes