The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-03
Doushboy Had Hard Time Making Old
Woman Understand That
He Would Help
Her.
WANTED MILK, NOT WINE
Even French Cow Needed Interpreter
When Farmer Lad Sought
to Milk
Her.
[By Frank J. Taylor, United Press

[By Frank J. Taylor, United Press
Staff Correspondent
WITH THE AMERICAN FORCES
IN FRANCE, June 3o.-(By MaiD.-
She was little and stooped-over
woman, somebody's grandmother.
With rather feeble strokes, but
strong ones considering her age, she
was cutting hay with scythe in
field where you could hear the guns
She would swing a few
strokes and then pause for breath
The amount Of hay already cut was
far from encouraging, compared to
the uncut waves of it. But she kept
brayely on, cutting and resting, cut
ting and resting. and making the
most of the situation.
He was doughboy from q middle
western state. farmer lad whose
temporary profession was whipping
the Germans. His company was on
rest and he had a few days OF COM
parative liberty. He used his spare
hours to hike" along the fields He
said cit took him back to the home
stead" to be where hay and grain
was growing.
He saw the old French woman cut
ting hay, in one of his travels, and
his impulse was to jump over the
fence and offer his services. His
forethought was to keep on the road.
because his French vocabulary did
not include the word hay" nor
"scythe' nor enough grammar to
concoct the sentence, May / help
you by cutting some hay?''
His impulse won, and he hoped
- - O
honest self before the French woman.
Taking the scythe from her hands,
he said, pointing at himself. the
scythe and then the hay, me cut
hay, me tire strong farmer boy"
He doubled up his fist and clenrhed
his elbow to prove the latter.
Evidently his French misled him,
for the old farmeress protested,
thinking he wanted to borrow or
confiscate her scythe. 1t was her
only one, she explained. More French
made the situation more Of d.
lemma
A doughboy soon learns on the
French front that once you get into
a scrape, the best way out OF 1t Is
to use action, not words. This dough
boy had learned already and he be-
gan cutting hay with wide swinging
strokes.
The old Frenchwoman's apprehen-
sions turned to joy and admiration.
"Vous etes I'm bon garcon," she re-
peated, following him, and II the
words meant nothing to him, the
tone of her toothless lisp meant
much
Down the field they went, the
doughboy cutting and the old woman
following, carrying on a conversation
in French, to which he always re-
piled, "Oui, oui" He knew that much
French.
Near a tiny house on the edge OF
the village and at the end Of the
field, she stopped him. wait a
minute" she said in French, until
l get you something to drink
When she came out of the house
with a glass and a bottle, he was
half way down the field. She followed
and poured out glass Of wine.
He declined it with, pas bon two
other words he knew.
The old woman was offended.
Not good?" she said. 'fIt is good
wine and old. 1t is good"
He understood she was hurt, and
tried to make it clear he did not
drink wine and did not want it. She
insisted he take it,
You cannot do kindness in
France without having it returned,
and this doughboy understood it.
Yet he did not want the wine. Also
he was not cutting hay while he was
protesting.
Then he had an idea. II haven't
had a glass of milk to drink since I
left home" he said. That's eleven
months. Give me a glass of milk,
and I'll think I'm home again with
this hay to cut"
''Comprends pas she said, shrug-
ging her shoulders.
shrug.
He pointed to cow in the next
pasture. Milk, milk" he said, you
know milk"
She understood something and
hurried into the house. Presently
she came out with some cheese and
bread. She beamed with the pros
poets of delighting this young Ameri-
can.
Bon" he said real Frenchily. But
cant l have some milk?"
"oui, oui, oui," she said, without
understanding.
ooh, you don't understand. I'll
show you he said.
He went to the house, she follow
ing obviously. Taking a pail he
sided up to the COVE with, whoa,
Bossy, steady" and attempted to
milk her The COW did not under
stand whoa, Bossy, steady" and re-
fused to be MIXED
But the idea dawned on the old
French woman. ooh, vous voulez du
lait." she said. Bon" She mo-
toned him to follow her.
In the little hut, she gave him a
chair, and brought pitcher of milk,
which he drank as he ate his cheese
and bread She looked on, delighted
that he had accepted something, but
I,