The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-08-16
Carrying On "
in France
By 1T. CURTIS WHEELER
Of The V19iL0nses

= France by the author Of Letters IRON
an. American Soldier to His Father"
Before / turn over for good this
: one Of many other pages, must draw
for you two little pictures.
: The first I saw one sunny afternoon
q when the shadows were beginning to
> lengthen out. Three of u.s. Americans
all, were walking down country road
that bordered rolling field. In the
distance, at the end of one long
straight black furrow, a figure was
toiling at two-horse pillow. AS 1t
turned and started back, after consid-
cradle confusion, we could make out
two horses, steady old white one,
and a frisky bay. The old white horse
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, like
a green wheel-borse on a caisson. AS
the team came closer, we looked with
amazement at the figure guiding it. 1t
was a boy of ten.
different from ours, and does not re-
quire as much weight ON the handles;
but even so, he had practically to ride
1t all the way. 1t was plain that guild
ing it when it threatened to twist off
or up required every ounce of strength
the kiddy had. Yet each moment he
applied it at just the right moment
and just the right place, so the furrow
Premained 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 pillow
around and didn't see it in time. When
he looked at the horses they were all
tangled up, the bay lunging desperate
Iy into her old team-mate. He had
only a single rein to the nigh horse
and on this he yanked and shrilled at
them valiantly enoegh. They quieted
obediently at the sound or his voice,
but seemed unable to move. He
dashed forward cracking his whip, but
pnthing happened.
Never Felt So Ashamed.
4
off hind snarled up in the trace, and
hoped off down the road. 1t was
only a seconds work to lift her foot |
out and straighten the trace. AS l
stood up the youngster 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 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 I
one CT the men, moved curiously by l !
know not what, offered the youngster
a package of cigarettes. He smiled {
and shook his head, saying, obviously
"ne fume pas" "For your IA
ther," insisted the man, and wished {
the words unsaid; cor your brother" S
The boy said nothing for a minute, his t
eyes clouding little, and in the inter- |
val he'had grown much larger than |
we. We stood before him like truants. {
Finally he took the cigarettes, wadded q
hem down into his bagging trousers, |
,hirruped cheerfully enough to his L
cam, and plodded sturdily on across 4
he field. Behind us, on the hilltop,
hree crosses stood black against the '
Iun. 20
The Sc, ond picture I saw but two r
lays before left, as was walking up n
he hill to dinner. The sun had set S
IS I left the village and the frogs in "
he pond below the horse-trough,
where the ducks quacked and dabbled G
n the mud all day, were beginning to D
sing their evening song. Suddenly l a
eard the pitter-patter Of many feet. S
The road ahead was packed as far as e
he next turn with sheep. On they lie
anne, butting each other from side to
ide and occasionally baaing queru-
ously. Their even, gray-white backs
eemed to pave the road evenly from
ide to side, until you began to see, =
arting back and forth, scores of little
ambs.
AS l watched, two mongrel dogs,
uardians Of the flock, came bounding s.
llently along one side. A lamb had sc
trayed up on the bank there and they 10
ounced upon it to turn it back. But VI
ne of them bit too deep, and not even
ure sheep-dogs are always proof 81
gainst blood. saw what would hap NJ
en- in minute and leaped on the of
ank. At my approach, the dogs IN
Sulked off like military policeman 81
iscovered in a cafe after closing r,
ours. The lamb lay motionless, blood
inning from its nose. vc
The Mothers Of France. til
I called the universal French appeal
,r someone, anyone-"Dis done p and lie
rs answered Immediately. The sheep yo
uddled stupidity In the road below, in on
GIT of home, while little girl toiled tie
p the bank. She looked at the lamb TT
IspaAsionate1y, kicked 1t, and 1t rose tn