The Washington herald., 1917-07-08


has not received. there are millions.
when the war broke out two men
Nent mad In this village. They were
carried away to Gheel, raving. Their
eyes stared, their lips frothed, and
they twitched all over. When the
Germans came here. certain ones
went mad at right of them. / have
seen Il with my eyes. monsieur. They
say that when the Germans came into
France they sent whole long train
loads OF mad ones back into their own
land. When the big shells burst in
the forts. all the garrison goes mad.
When the aviator flies over the
trench, men go mad You have seen
there are always two German sentries
together2 1t is 80 that IL one goes
mad the other will be at hand. For
they go mad monsieur, by dozens, by
hundreds, by thousand. Have you seen
their eyes? They are mad. And their
| lips? They work like the lips Of men
always talking TO themselves. When
the war began, too, was mad.
dreamed terrible dreams. For two
months / was mad-like all the
world"
but the woman thereg' / asked.
pointing to the hgure beside the turf
glow.
The man elattered over TO her and
laid his hand gently on her shoulder.
Madame" he said. there is a gen.
tlemsn here to speak with you"
Nay. rnynheer." she answered quiet.
| ly. mot until midnight"
He is not the doctor, madame"
She turned and gave me a searching
glance. The movement revealed that
her breast was uncovered, and that
she held the sleeping child against
| her heart. Nay" she said again,
mot until midnight"
He came slowly back. when a child
| is sick. she knows IL and she comes. -
| he explained apologeteically.. AT
midnight she goes back to the doctor s
| house."
"Alone?"
Alone, monsieur. God and the Devil
alike love the mad. God and the Devil
alike watch over them. This one." he
pointed 10 the woman with the child.
was a lady of Louvsin. Of the Kraken-
STRAIT; she was rich: she had a hus-
band and two children. They were
killed by the Germans. and she was
wounded in the shoulder. Her house
was burned; her money lost. She went
mad. She was taken TO Duffel, ]
think; then 10 Antwerp. then 10 Hoog-
straeten, then she was brought 10
Gheel. screaming for her children and
her husband-mad-mad and soon 10
die. Then monsieur, Saint Dympna
wrought a miracle through the love
of little child, a little sick boy in
| the doctors house where madame was
confined. and she became well after
a fashion. And now in whatever
house a child is i'll. madame by the
grace Of God knows OF IL, and she
comes and nurses IL back TO health,
The first madness is OF the Devil,
monsieur. violent and bloody; the sec
ond is OF God. and it is kind"
In the midst Of his prattle the wom-
an rose slowly. holding the sleeping
child in the hollow OF her right arm
and buttoning the bosom o. her dress
with her left hand. Hush" she ad-
monished softly. Listen, mynheeren!''
From some instinct OF courtesy. rose
TO my feet. She raised her hand
warningly, but did not turn her head.
Listen" she repeated. staring toward
the fireplace.
1t was an uncanny thing We
stood as IL frozen. The heavy
breathing of the peasant woman
pulsed through the quiet room; the
old man stared with all his eyes;
a sleepy chicken chuckled from an
adjoining shed, but there was no
other sound from outside. A min
ute went by; another; a third. and
still We stood stiffly in the center
Of the room. At last madam beck
oned TO the peasant-mother. who
stole across the floor toward her
and paused at her side. Silently
she gave the mother her child, her
finger on her lips, her eyes still
fixed on the spot near the fireplace
Then she turned, and laying her
hands on the head of the sleeping
boy, she began in n strange, low.
Kissing voice: This one shall be
an avenger OF Louvain, he shall be
an RvenEer OF Dinant. and Ter
monde, and Aerschot. and Andenne,
and Liege, and Tamines, and Wise.
He shall svenge our nation. He
shall not forget In the days OF
his happiness, he shall remember
our sorrow; in the days OF his pros
perity. he shall remember our mis-
cry; in the days of his strength,
he shall remember our. weakness
Go! Be healed" Their in her quiet
natural voice, pointing to the spot
on the level with her eyes at which
she had stared. she added. "a sick
child is there, mynheeren. Three
four kilometers away il is, aud ]
must go to it."
Cod" the old man breathed.
Il must go now. The child is
very i'll. I must go now. or shall
be too late"
The old man crossed himself again
and again. God! God" he repeated
helplessly.
The young woman wheeled sud
denly. What is that noise?" she ex-
claimed, pointing 10 the roadway.
The roar Of an automobile resounded
outside, and ! knew Pierre was com.
I ing
rs II the Germans."
''No, madame, it is my automobile
at your service"
plexity. Her mind seemed wholly ID.
sorbed in the problem Of the sicR
child. Take me in your automobile
to the child, monsieur" she replied
rapidly, speaking in French. Let us
| hurry, hurry"
but where. madame."
Il do not know. monsieur, but 1 will
show you. There! There She
/ waved her hand in the direction OF
GheeL
I We hurried like fugitives from the
house and into the tonneau. leaving
/ the awe-struck peasants standing
with mouths aEape. Pierre stared in
consternation at our coming. but said
no word. ! did not try to explain.
I Our passenger sat tense. her head
turned 10 one side as IL she were
! listening closely.
We came quickly to fork Of the
road. Which way. monsieur" Pierre
asked.
II do not know. II is for madame