The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-05-11

Rhets EhiIde DOriend the rush of
Champs Ulysses, a few yards distant
from our side street, soon made It
plain the alerte had indeed sounded.
and our party separated and went
its several Ways according to tenn
perament. Some OF the cellar, some
to safer abn In the immediate
netghborhood and others to the porch
Of the hotel AS for me had long
ago made up my mind never TO die
in q cellar. went to my room for
warm coat and the little bag that
holds my papers.
Mo Defense Barrage.
Meanwhile the expected barrage.
which usually begins about ten min
utes after the sounding of the alsrte,
remained unaccounta,bIy silent. Not
q gun Was fired, not even altar an
explosion or two Gignihed the pres
encs of the Hun planes.
It was a perfect spring uightr
warm and fragrant, and the sky waa
powdered with stars their brilliamca
q little diEnmed by an efrulgent moon
almost at its round With q member
OF the American embassy stam
started on a tour Of the abriH. or
cave refugees In the neighboFhood.
abris, designated by tha municipal
authorities and open to the public.
A perfectly typical a,bri is q wine
cellar, approximately two ordinary
staiT &ighta below ths surface OF the
earth. The halls and stairs are diTn@
" lighted with candles stuck in bot
ties or In innproviBed tin or wooden
candlesticks. Most of the arriving
guests Rcut&lS downward aGsasbed by
the beams Of their own electric
torches. q household necessity tllesa
days.
Down In one Of these caves sat
for ten minutes watching the people.
The place, which was marked az q
refuge for fifty persons. was a stone
walled room about fifteen feet
wine barrels, and In Salothar IN racls
holding q hundred or more enptyi
bottIeg.
A few boxes answered for seats.
and on these and on camp stools
brought along by the refugees, some
thirty-five men and women BaG and
shfvered, not with fear, but from EIaat
cold and damp OF the place.
Men In Shelter Too.
A French officer, with a row az
decorations across hfs coat, locked a.l
little ashamed OF being there, but as
he was in charge Of two young girls
and an elderly woman, who might
have been his mother. he had his
excuses. There were almost as many
men as women In the cave. as a mat
ter OF fact. One woman, in the pF3rm
dress OF an English nurse, held 3n
her srGs a Gwathed bundle, around
which she gtrove TO keep a smail fur
rug obviously picked hastily from a
bedroom floor.
Fancy the Germans choosing 10
come here at the very hour when
had a prsmaturefy born baby on my
hands" she conhded TO ms. The
mother was rather bad, but the dgga~
tor said 20 ms, Save the baby If you
can I didn't know the naighbor-
hood, so chose the first abrl / saw.
Bad luck that it was such q damp
one"
We left her brooding the infant.
which I thought displayed singuIarly
poor Judgment in appearing prenaas !
tureiy in such an unhealthy climate.
Across the wide spaces Of the
Champs Elysees we lodged to what
the man from the embassy assured
me was one Of the gnnartegt abg3g Ga
Paris. In this cave, which Is a subs
cellar OF a fashionable hotel cuBa@
ioned chairs ana tables have bean in
stalled and electT3c lights hung. THE
stone floors ara covered with rIa
end the guests were comfortably
reading, chatting, or playing cards.
They were all amart1Y dressed and
looked entirely at their ease.
Al this time silence rsigned. pune
tured only Of rare intervals with
rnutGled eIpl6sions which s0rns
were bombs falling, and Others 5n~
Elated were defense guns In an n0l
the al clear signal sent people baclz
10 their homes in bewl ldsred sEatas
Of mind.