The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1917-04-05

out oenOlu, ] have two sons left.
have lost much and suffered much
Day by day l have seen the losses OF
those about me increasing. l am fifty.
eight years old. and peace would give
me back my two sons. There are 60
many like me-"
Madame" the soldier answered
and this time he seemed to include
me In the argument-''peace will not
give back to the many hundreds of
thousands Of French mothers the sons
and husbands they have lost. Peace
would only dishOnor their memories,
would bring the cruelest of all bitter
ness into their lives. Look you. they
fought for their homes and their
womankind, they fought for a sacred
cause, they fought for others besides
themselves. See how 1t is today with
those others! Belgium! Can one
speak of it! 1t is Belgium who shall
make peace when 1t comes. Who has
better right? What will she ask
for. l wonder? Fifty thousand Ger
man men and women to make slaves
Of them? The maidenhood Of Ger
many to debauch? No, they are not
Boches. But strict Justice would give
them all that. and more"
Madame shook her head. She, too,
was moved.
Zone must forget" she muttered. Il
had a niece myself at Lille-but one
must not speak Of those horrors God
alone can punish such crimes"
The POilu rolled another cigarette
viciously.
Monsieur" he said, glancing across
at me. II appeal to you. You are Eng
lish. are you not?"
Il am English" l told him; '.but
with your permission will he silent.
Even our friends call US somewhat
obstinate nation. They say that we
find difficulty in seeing any side of
these great issues save our own. Let
me hear you speak more of the peace"
The Poilu lit his cigarette. Madame
leaned forward.
"There 10 the Trap"
Listen" she intervened. II have
heard 1t said that the Boches now are
willing to restore all Belgium, that
they will give back the whole of their
conquered territory"
IF we leave their military machine.
their great engine Of tyranny, autoc-
racy. aggression and destruction, with
all the power in 1t that made them
begin the war;" the Poilu interrupted
vigorously. "Ah, madame, there is the
trap. We trusted once to German
treaties and German faith. See how
they regarded them! Treaties! It
was Germany who dismissed them with
the immortal phrase, Mere scraps of
paper! Pr misses! Listen. madame.
Their own chancellor. he stood up in
their parliament and he pleaded guilty
to a great broken faith. Necessity, he
declared, demanded it. And tell you
this. when necessity, which with them
means German ambition, demands
anything, then German promise and
German treaty are worth just snap
of the fingers-no more. That Is why
say-l and those others who have
lived and fought through these desc
late years-that with an unconquered
Germany-there can be no peace"
One Who Had Thought Much.
MY son." the old lady declared,
looking at him with interest, "you
speak like one who has thought much"
The Poilu glanced down at his mud
stained clothes.
Il was an advocates clerk before
the war;" he said grimly. "What am
now God only knows; but up there In
the front it is not all fighting. There
are long, lonely hours when the ruin
works, hours of solitude when one
sees the truth"
Madame sighed.
1T is not often" she confessed,
that I read the journals. My eye
sight is failing, and my daughter
well. we will not speak of her. l lost
her. Therefore It Is q new thing for
me to talk to one like yourself. Re
member now, If you please, that !
speak only in the language Of the vii.
lage. They say-I have heard it said
that Germany hungers for peace
that therefore it is better for us to
give peace now and so spare needless
suffering
A little cloud Of smoke surrounded
the soldiers head. His clinched fist
struck the knapsack by his side. His
eyes-hot and red they were with fa
| tigue-tlashed.
Forty Years Of Preparation.
"They talk like cattle, madame" he
declared vigorously. "Where are Ger
many's conquests? Belgium, with odd.
against her Of ten to one in men anc
fifty to one in artillery! Montenegro
mountain tribe! Serbia? Well, Il
took them eighteen months and cos
them good many army corps tt
drive the Serbians from their country
and the end of them is not yet! Rou
mania? Victims Of a foolish cam
paign, If you will, but even then over
powered with the war machine which