The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-09-13

"Oh yes, we'll hold them, fast
enoughw agreed the first one. "Well
never let them get past US" (This
type of declaring poilu is much given
to contradicting himself fatlyD "But
never, never, never, an offensive
from the French! They've done Their
share! They've done more than theii
share. Never an offensive. Well
hold till the Americans get here, but
not more"
We were pulling into the station at
Meaux by this time, and as the train
stood there waiting, heard a sound
that brought my heart into my mouth
the sound Of lot of young mems
voices singing an American College
song! Everybody sprang to the win
dows Tine too of courseD and there
was the group of American boys, in
their nice new uniforms, singing at
the tops of their voices, and putting
their heads together like a college
glee club. Their clear young voices
completely filled that great smokey
station and rang out with the most
indescribably confident inspiring eff
feet! "Good God" cried the dingy
battered soldier at my elbow, "How
little they know what they are going
intow The soldier from Bourgogne
said nothing, but looked very stern
and sad. The contrast between these
men, one so rebellious, the other so
grimly enduring, both so shabby and
war-worn, and those splendidly fresh
boys outside, seemed to me the most
utterly symbolical episode imaginable
There was America, there was France
1t changed the current of the talk.
After that we talked all together, the
two bourgeois joining in--sober talk
enough, of probabilities and hopes and
fears, comparing notes as to our OBJ
servations and as to what we had
heard and guessed, the curiously dis
similar little group of human being
drawn together like members of one
family. | told them as much as
could about what thought there was
to hope for from America, and re-
assured them as tothe seriousness with
which America was taking the matter.
| found they had, like all moderns,
such a profound distrust of the press
that they really didn't know for sure
that Americans meant to give more
than financial aid, and thought 1t
might be the U. s. were going to
be like Japan, more form ally than a
real one. So | talked and told every
thing you, in America, have written
me, and they listened and discussed,
and before we knew it we were In
Paris, all very good friends, separat-
ing with hearty hand-shakes Of good
will. As this was one o'clock in the
morning and no cars or tramways TO
be had, walked home through the
silent, black streets of Paris, turning
over and over what that poor, disin-
herited slum-dweller had said as we
parted, quite as earnestly and simply
as he had poured out all his disgust
and revolt, Goodbye Maine Fisher.
| never met an American before. !
hope III meet many more. Thanks for
what you've told US Of America. You
tell the Americans the French will see
il through--if new offensive is nee
essary-we1l do it. It's the only
chance anybody has TO have world
fl TO live in"
That's what they all come back to,
after their fit Of utter horror at their
life is over. II does them good appar-
emily TO talk II all out to a patient
listener. They always. always end by
saying that even what they are living
through is better than a world com
manded by the Germans--what per-
fectly amazing distrust that nation
has accumulated against itself!