The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-09-20
Carrying On"
in France
II
By LIT. CURTIS WHEELER
o. The Vigft0nfss

are given in recent letter from
France by the author of Letters from
an American Soldier to His Father.p
Before / turn over for good this
one of many other pages, l must draw
for you two little pictures.
The first l saw one sunny afternoon
when the shadows were beginning to
lengthen out Three Of us, Americans
all, were walking down country road
that bordered rolling field. In the
distance, at the end Of one long
straight black furrow, figure was
toiling ut a two-horse pillow. AS 1t
turned and started back, after consid-
axnble confusion, we could make out
two horses, steady old white one
and frisky bay. The old white morse
plodded steadily along In the furrow
Just made, using what little strength
he had as cleverly as an aged express
man. But the bay, being little more
than a colt, bounded up into draught
and back again, to left and right, ike
n green wheel-horse on caisson. AS
the team came closer, we looked with
amazement at the figure guiding 1t. 1t
was boy Of ten.
The French two-horse pillow Is hung
different from ours, and does not re-
Quire as much weight on the handles;
but even so, he had practically to r1ue
It all the way. 1t was plain that guld-
Ing It when It threatened to twist orr
or I'D required every ounce OF strength
the klddy had. Yet each moment he
applied it at Just the right moment
and Just the right place, so the furrow
remained deep and true.
AS the team came just below us IN
the field and started to turn for the
next furrow. something went wrong.
The boy was busy swinging his plow
around and didn't see 1t in time. When
he looked at the horses they were all
tangled up, the bay lunging desperate
ly into her old team-mate. He had
only single rem to the nigh horse
and on this he yanked and shrilled at
them valiantly enough. They quoted
obedlently at the sound OF his voice,
but seemed unable to move He
dashed forward cracking his whip, but
nothing happened.
Never Felt So Ashamed.
Then / saw where the bay had her
off hind sn.red up in the trace, and
hoped of down the road 1t was
only a 1ccond's work to liftsher foot
out and straighten the trace. AS
stood TIP the youngsrer came to me-
thanked me, and looked at me squarely
with his clear blue eyes. ! have never
felt so ashamed in all my life.
There he stood, the sweat of LONG
DAYS work beaded on his brow, In
ridiculous big looped-up trousers and
huge wooden shoes--his fathers. And
there we stood, three great hulking
broad-shouldered figures against the
sun who had done no mans work all
that day. There might be other days,
to be sure. but this day was gone, and
here was this boy, blowing for France.
There was an awkward silence and
one of the men, moved curiously by
know not what. offered the youngster
a package of cigarettes. He smiled
and shook his head, saying, obviously
enough, "ne fume pas" "For your ia
ther," insisted the man, and l wished
the words unsaid; cor your brother
The boz said nothing for minute, his
eyes cloiding little, and in the inter
val he had grown much larger thai
we. We stood before him like truants
Finally he took the cigarettes. wadde'
them down in,o his bagging trousers
chirruped cheerfully enough to hi
team, and plodded sturdily on acros
the field Behind us, on the hill-tol
three crosses stood black against til
sun.
The second picture I saw but tw
days before I left, as was walking u
the hill to dinner. The sun had sc
as I left the village and the frogs ]
the pond below the horse-trougl
where the ducks quacked and dabhle
In the mud all day, were beginning
sing their evening song. Suddenly
heard the pitter-patter of many fee
The road ahead was packed as far q
the next turn with sheep. On the
came, hutting each other from side
side and occasionally baaing quer'
lousy. Their even, gray-white bacF
seemed to pave the road evenly FRO
side 10 side, until you began TO Sc
darting back and forth, scores OF lit
lambs.
AS I watched, two mongrel DOG
guardians of the flock. came boundif
silently along one side. A lamb hs
strayed up on the bank there and the
bounced upon 1t to turn 1t back -
one of them bit too deep. and not eve
pure sheep-dogs are always pro
against blood. / saw what would ma
pen in a minute and leaped on Il
bank. At my approach, the DO
Skulked off like a military pollcem'
discovered in q cafe after closil
hours The lamb lay motionless, bio'
running from its nose.
The Mothers of France.
I called the universal French appe
for someone, anyone-"Dis doncr a
was answered Immediately. The she