The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-03-19

There was to be a great celebration
in the village for which we were
bound. American troops had arrived
and were still arriving in large num-
bers Cotncident with their coming
and even before, a white haired man
in uniform had been busy with his as
sistants in securing headquarters for
a new Y. NJ. c. A. division. A good
sized inn and large warehouse barn
had been the fruits of his labors, and
now the opening ceremonies were to
take place. A banquet had been pre-
pared to which the mayor OF the town
was invited, and the French and
American commanders of the zone, and
Or. James Freeman, a clergyman, for
merly of Buffalo N. Y, frst division
secretary. and several members of the
Red Triangle war work council, who
were inspecting field posts at the
time.
The wife of the white haired secre-
tary, former Senator Francis w. Par
ker, of Illinois, presided at the din
ner, having overseen the preparation
from the box OF bonbons from the
canteen to the procuring of the chest
nuts for the turkey stufring from a
wood-1ot Eve miles away. The tables
were decked in festive style. The
hand-painted place-cards before each
plate were made by the quiet little
mademoiselle who helped with the
cantesn and darned the secretaries
socks while che taught them French
around the evening lamp.
The guests arrived between rows of
curious soldiers and villagers who
lined the road up which the Red Trian
gle arrow pointed The guests as
sembled around the stove In side
room and the military Lntroductions
were punctiiIously made
A Scotch sergeant IN smeared over
alls and with dirty nussed hair was
putting the last hssty daubs OF white
paint on the window frames Of the
banquet room. The dinner was a sue
cess from the very start when the wish
tors surprisediy nihbied salted al
monds and pecan nuts. 70 the en-
trance of the piece de desistance-tur-
keys--nioely Drowned ard stuffed with
native chestnut dressing From that
time on IL was more than success.
The 3ovial senator sat at one end
of the table and reminisced about state
elections out West, and told delight
ftsI stories of suffering boys and
witty Irishmen- An American officer
leaned over after looking at his
wrist-watch and whispered In the
senator's ear, III I'm going to make
that speech I've got to get It in soon.
III uuS AH HEahQuaA Acis At = v NtpChs
During the dinner hour the cinema
hall adjoining had been rapidly filing
with soldiers. townspeople and school
children. All the village had been
invited and IL responded unanimously.
when the guests had made their way
through the good-nstured. close
packed crowd to the seats reserved for
them at the front. not another person
could struggle into the room. The
~ lee
soldiers and since the gas lights in
the hall could be used only from S
o'clock until $40. II was rather dark
The light from a single lantern on
the stage cast its beams on the fresh
iy-caictmined ceiling and walls upon
which were tackled numerous strings
Of small flags. The heat from a small
stove had trouble securing respect
fui circle around II, the attention Of
all was so fixed on the stage.
Then the speeches began. IT was
more like g graduation exercise back
In some American village where every
body knew everybody else and noted
Johns new shoes and Mary's hair
ribbon, than in 8 town in war-stricken
France There was an atmosphere OF
kindly desire to be mutually agree
able. French schoolhoys perched on
brswny American shoulders, and bash
fui little gtria watched smiling cor
porais with blushing Interruptions
When the American commander asked
the men to treat this village as they