The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-03-08

III tOuntTy LlIe.
Even in peace-time the life of the
village moves slowly. he says. but
since the tocsin sounded wars alarm
1t merely creeps along. OutwarJlly
nothing Is changed very much; the
small white houses with their bright
Of every passing cloud, the poplars
sing and murmur as they always have.
the little gray church shows an open
door and up the broken pavement of
Its aisle stray lightsome sUnbeams,
fallen leaves and dogs of more or less
sober reputation. as well as women
with heavy, anxious hearts who go to
pray. The cure, kindly man vth
more human understanding than dog
matte principle, welcomes those who
come and refrains from chidlng those
who stay away.
Old women in blue handkerchief
caps lead their cows TO Craze along the
green roadsldes, and younger women
go down to the stream to wash clothes.
| In the fields work elderly men, women,
soldiers home on leave and a. few
children. The long strips of cultivured
ground which make the hillsides look
like n patchwork quilt pass through
the usual yearly processes of tilling,
sowing. reaping and gathering In the
fruits of labor. Poppies. cornfowers,
ragged robin, blue birds eyes, the
cuckoo flower and hundred others
come in turn and throw their beauties
to the right and TO the left with that
prodlgal generosity which Is natures
splendid way. The birds are as gen
erous with their song as the flowers
with their beauty. and among this
pageant of JOY and loveliness walks
the slow-moving, thrifty French peas
antry.
All the Younger Men Gone.
The war has drawn from the village
all its younger men. and already 30 of
them have paid the supreme sacrifice
as against ten In the war of 1870.
Others have come home lame and
maimed others still are fighting. In
one OF the little white cottages with
garden renowned for Its strawber-
rles and asparagus you will find we'll
built young woman with straight darl;
brows and mouth which tells Of both
temper and tenderness. She is busy
patching an old pair of blue overalls
such as French worsmen wear. Op-
posite her sits an elderly man with
fine sensitive eyes and strong beard
He Ia reading the Petit Parisien, the
favorite village paper: "Another at
tack on Mort Homme." The young
womnn's heart is sick within her at
the words. She IL not married, has nc
son OF her own, but she has been O
mother to her five brothers since she
was fourteen. They were all mobil
lied when France went to war. One
has been killed, one has lost two OF
his limbs, two are In services more
or less safe. and the youngest, the
Benjamin. her baby. Is at Nor
Homme. She Is not religious wom
an, but that no stone may remain un
turned TO secure her boys safety, she
now goes TO mass regularly and prays
before the blue-robed Virgin whenever
she has time. The boys face Is nj
ways before ber eyes, handsome, gay
the very pride Of her life. She never
speaks of him, but her father knows
what Is passing in her mind, and thei
common silence is more painful thar
any words.
At the end of the village stree
stands little farm tumbledowl
white house set In a yard where cow
and pigs and poultry have it all taei
own way and no one ever sweep
ip." In a field near, very old hors
Is working under the guidance of
thin old man whose admonltions to hi
patient. four-footed companion ar
more picturesque than effective. Blu
the old horse goes gently on In hi
own way. as II he realized that a maj