The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-10-14
AN AMERICAN GIRL in FRANCE.

France today holds new expert
ences for everyone, and Clara Saw.
age, an american girl, has gone
there to live so thst she may send
TO the women of the United States
the news of their French sisters as
they daily cope with the details of
war. And, too, she wants to send
home news of our boys who are
fighting so calamity to make the
world safer and a better place to
hive I'm. 1dn. Good Housekeeping she
records her first impression after
arriving in France. To quote:
woman came into the cafe
There was no mistaking her She
wore a clinging silk dress that set
off the curves of her figure Her
face under broad-brimmed. black
velvet hat was pretty in hard, pink
and-white way. Her red lips curved,
but here was no .merriment in them,
and her eyes, very much darkened
about the lashes, were ferret-like.
She came slowly down. the middle
of the cafe-hunting.- She glanced
at every man, and stopped to curve
her lips at the three American boys.
They made no sign, and she walked
on with the undulating movement
that is part of the French street.
woman's technique. II looked at the
three Americans to see what they
thought. 1t was easy to tell. Dis
gust was written all over their faces.
She was repulsive to them. They
were just three typical American
boys, young and clean and decent.
and instinctively they loathed the
horrible, commercial vulgarity of
this street-woman of France
i wandered about in the old part
of Paris, first crossing the Seine and
strolling through the flower market.
All Paris is passionately fond OF
of flowers, and of dogs.
Many OF the children have been
taken away from the city now. but
the flowers and the dogs are every
where. The market was mass of
bloom tended by garruious old
women who pressed upon you bou-
Duets OF deep purple violets and red
ram bier roses, and would have liked
TO have you purchase great plants
OF blue hydrangea. Soon / was in
co5bled streets where low
houses had their windows filled with !
flowers and a linnet in cage swung |
outside the door. In court opening |
out of a narrow alley l came upon a !
church. 1t had been built before |
was discovered Outside 1t |
was great iron cage once used as !
a place of punishment for the wrong !
ioers of the community, but now over |
grown with vines and flowers.
| turned back to Notre Dame. The I
great doors that Victor Hugo de- /
scrfbed as leach one a page of his |
-ory" are covered now by false ones
built to withstand air attacks. Sand /
Bags are being replaced by these /
more durable forms of protection.
But inside the great cathedral there
vas the same dim, religious light
hat has dwelt there through the
ages, the same loftiness and vast
less, and another generation of hui
nan beings kneeling in the shadows.
passed many affairs, and then /
'ame to one where single candle
vas burning. A woman knelt before
t. Over il were the words:
PRO DEC EFT PATRIA
md the flags of all the allies hung
lung there. Z
The woman with her head bowed
gainst the railing, her slight. black i
lad figure almost hidden by her
weeping veil, might have been
france herself mourning her sons
lead for God and country" even '
While she lit candle and prayed for
hose whom she had sent to take
heir places. As she prayed, a breath |
# air stirred the flags above her
cad. But ! saw only the Stars and
'trt?"s sr-'r''"l of thr manhood lilo.