The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-05-29

Frenchthe tiioughtfulnesS they show
10 those Americans who are at rest in
flie French cemeteries. The graves OF
the Americans wherever | have been
are cared for AS carefully and tender
Iy as are those of the Poilus who have
given their lives for France writes
Don Martin in the New York Herald.
Private Albert " Of the American
army has had opportunities to see the
people Of this wonderful country in
/ their homes. He is native of New
England but Of French ancestry aud
through his ability to speak French
gets perhaps in more intimate touch
with the French than does The average
American.
A university student when the war
came 10 his own country, he enlisted
and has been here ever since. In the
few spare moments he has had he
wrote a little article about the French
and their thoughtfuIness OF The Amer-
lean soldiers. 1t Is as follows
All the morning | had seen people
going past the office on their way 10.
church carrying small branches of
"buis, plant which looks very much
like our box elder. This WIS Palm.
Sunday, and the French--old men and
wOmen, boys and girls-were bringing
then buis to church to be blessed
Visit to Cemetery.
In the afternoon | did not work, so
/ met Mr. Duphand, well-to-do4lawye
of the town, and accepted his. invita-
tion 10 accompany him in walk to
his garden
1t was treat to walk with such
pleasant company on such bright
summer day after solid week in The
office from eight in the morning TO nine
or ten and sometimes even until eleven
o'clock at night.
So at two in the afternoon little
party was formed in front Of Monsieur
Duphands house and we started In
the party We're Monsieur and MADAME
Duphand with their two daughters,
MesdemOiselles Therese and Madeleine.
Madame Reyeillon aud Madame Toll
lot. All the ladies' carried "A bunch OF
bnis. And as we started out Madame
Duphand said we would first 90 to the
cemetery, where we would visit the
plots and place branch Of the blessed |
huis on the graves of their relatives.
1T is The custom Of my country, Mon
sieHr told me, TO decorate the graves
with buis every Palm Sunday.
All Graves Decorated.
AS we passed through the ancient
gate we entered a narrow aisle lined
with tall pines whose boughS inter
locked over our beads. Half way the
aisle widened and in its center rose a
tall stone crucldx, so tall the figure
of Christ was fUst among the green
branches. There was no grass except
that which lined the aisle beneath the
trees. The little plots were covered !
with tiny pebbles, level and neatly |
kept.
AS we came to the grave OF one
well-knOwn of the party. it was re- |
and a little twig placed |
upon it. We went from one plot 10 |
another, stopping only at those of the !
relatives OF the party or |
very close friends, until we had made |
the round of the cemetery.
From here we went to The Soldiers |
Here we entered under an
arch bearing in big silvered letters
Mort pour la Patrie," | paused in /
the gate to cast glance over the
field. There were hundreds Of French
graves marked by the French eocarde
three rings, red. white and blue, in
a circle of about six inches.
Arabians Buried There.
AT the right were several Arabian
graves facing 10 Mecca, and in The far
left hand corner some newer graves
whose markings y could not distin-
guish from The distance. We had not
gone in very far when Mademoiselle
Therese took a little branch Of ehnis
and placed ii upon a French grave. Ii
was that Of private in the French
army. who had been killed at the be-
ginning OF the war.
Il knew him well before the war"
said Mile Therese as she placed the
little holy leaf in the ground over the
body
What are you going TO do with the
rest of the buis?" ] asked mademoi-
sele. Those are for your comrades"
she Informed me.
"Nv cumradeS:" asked in surprise.
"Noi!a. she said us We neared the
graves that had heretofore. hcfn un-
lble to make out. over the first one
Mas a beautiful piece of floral work
1eariug the Information, - nos CANA
AIDES les Amerlcains" tFo our COM
AIDES. The Aiuericans). 1n
Twenty-Four American Dead.
Here in this little corner OF the
ield were "A American graves No,
lot killed in action, nor not buried
With tie croix de guerre, but nevefthe-
ess "Norf pour Ia Pairie" | inspect
d the names aud the Organization
md found they were nearly ali from
ny division. Mademoiselle knew ibis,
90 and she gave me little piece OF
'uis aud said;
eC'est pour votre camarsde, s'il est
ri" (rhis is for your comrade II he
: here),
] thanked her as best I could ia a
Ow voice, because somehow | could
ot trust myself to speak loud or long.