Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02

Frenchmen in general totally unlike
the general conception of them. both
physically and psychologically. In the
across a single one of the AFTER you,
my dear Alphonse" type.
1t will be quite q shock to the Amer
lean boys. now going over there ex-
pecting to ind stage setting of high
ly excitable. goateed. artistic looking
Bohemians entoning the Marseillaise,
when they land in an up-to-date port
among humdrum people in usual
clothes. such as you may see in any
American city. And the soubrettes are
all busy taking fares on street cars. or
blowing the fields or selling tobacco.
or doing any of q million things at
which their soldier brothers worked
before the war. And business Is good,
and food is plentiful. although expen-
expensive as right here.
Indeed. were it not for the uniforms
every man wears. for the weeds so
many women wear, and the countless
counters on the streets, one would not
know there Is war.
However. when one gets to the front.
he knows there is a war, all right.
According to Hoyle, war is a strictly
scientific game in which the element OF
chance Is supposed to be eliminated.
Troop movements today are carefully
worked out beforehand by the general
stan. Neither is the Irresistible push
of the enemy's millions accepted as an
excuse for retirement. nor should an
advance be made without orders, what
ever the opportunity.
This is the theoretical war. but, in
practice, 1t does not always work out,
and seemingly unimportant incidents
sometimes change the battle line with
out asking permission of the G. H. Q.
On Christmas day. 1915. the enemy
lines were within a hundred yards of
ours near K. in the Champagne
district. For several days there had
been 1ull in rifle hre. although the
an intermittent duel. trying to locate
each other, and incidentally greatly in
terfering with our communications to
the rear.
Supplies were scarce for the moment.
Several times we were obliged to break
into our store of emergency rations.
and. although there was still some to-
bacco available. matches were unob-
tainable. Luckily there was one chap in
that particular trench who had a ''bri-
ouet" (automi.tic cigar-lighter). He.
1.-The neighborhood. Even the officers had
cook would give him the choicest bits
in exchange for the loan of his
"briquet."
On Christmas there was not a shot
hred in our sector. Despite onicial pro-
hibition. many Of the men started con-
versations with the enemy, some of
whom spoke French, and exchanges of
souvenirs were effected with them.
At last. one German asked for a box
of matches. saying that he had not
Upon hearing that we were in the same
hx. he 'begged the loan of our "briouet."
Conf1dingly. we threw 1t over into the
German trench, and, after few min
utes. asked for its return. To our
disgust. we were told that 1t could not
be found. and. when we expostciated.
we got the laugh.
That night we had to chew on our
unlighted pipes. and mighty little con-
ISOLATION did they give US. A soldier
needs a smoke when he needs one. To
make it worse. the Germans began to
sing Christmas carols. When they
struck up. Deutschland Uber Allies 1t
was the last straw. and we resolved to
get even.
Our ofacers were in their dug-out a
little In the rear. and there was no one
to stop US. We stole up to that trench
in the darkness while the transporting
Boches INDUCED IN close harmony. and.
at the point of the bayonet. we took
their trench and two hundred prisoners.
We went through them. and, to Four
nier's delight. found the "briouet."
After that he would never lend it to
any one
T.
Michelon was fat and was not allowed
to forget it by his comrades in Squad
b, 5th Company -th Engineers.
BY right of weight and age. MicheIon,
who was forty and had three children
dependent on him. should have been
holding down a desk job in the aux
Hilary service somewhere In the rear; but,
underneath his adipose tissue. there
glowered q flame Of patriotism which
had prompted his volunteering for &C.