New-York tribune., 1918-08-04
Somewhere in the
Atlantic
By Wilbur Forrest
a N ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC oD
"A THE -- COAST, Nav 81. !.

4 N ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC. Or
= THE -- COAST, May 6.-It h,
taken nearly four years of the g,,r
est war in history to bring this little ss
fishing community within the grasp Of +.
clutching fingers Of Mars.
Except for the few men of the islam,
population of little over tbouu,.
souls who went to war at the beginoj,,
most of them into the French navy. >.
islander has been bothered much BY VI,
or has thought much about it. The oli.r
inhabitant can toll you with some pts
that no war to his knowledge has er,
bothered the island much But Just nn
it is beginning to be different kind a
war. Something has already happeps
and there is more to come. Two DAYS ,r
Mars sent little landing party ash,
and commandeered all the islands r,n
Now the islanders must re-buy their or,
grain from the French government -.
the government viii say how much csp /.
re-bought. The remainder goes to the Frrs
army
And still another evidence Of war is C.
its way. Within few weeks those islam
ers who make trips to the mainland =.
the little steamboat will find the mainls..
metropolis where the boat lands flls
with newly arrived American soldje
Just outside the town an entire Amercg
division something like 10000 NEW
establish camps, and as each diyisr
leaves for the front another Ameria,
division will take its place
An old fisherman said to-day:
There arc going TO be more Ameri:sn,
over there in -- than French folks, sli
| suppose there'll be lot of intcrnatioa
marriages before the war is over. Ess
good thing, you know-these marrisre
The girls are beginning to prmp alre,:.
because they've heard a lot about es.i
young American soldiers"
The old fisherman is right. There Y.
be international marriages. The sinla
beauty of the peasant girls is both feu
ing and attractive, more attractive becsga
Of the quaint lace headdress and brig
native costume which the girls tsf.
Worn for hundreds OF years.
Before and during the war the graz
fete of the year in all the fisher village
t,,-
the Fete of Ste Anne, when most Of til
men set the sails Of their fishing fesi
for the banks Of Portugal, where they :.
main for months. a few weeks ago .t'
fete Of Ste. Anne was celebrated on tta
island. Every thatch rooted cottage VS.
decorated. prayers were said in the lit'
taIl-steepled stone church and all iaI
islanders went to the beach to speed 4
the departing husbands and fathers MaF
of these departing ones were really BIZ
bands and fathers There were few svss
hearts among them, for the younger ne
OF the island left years ago for the va
But there viii be double fate this ysf
The second is the Fete of the Americas
and Uncle Sam viii doubtless be P'FI
claimed a saint by these deyoutly religi'''
folk before the war 5 over.
There has been one international ni'
rlage already on the mainland, and ever
islander knows it.
AS vanguard Of The approaching An''
'can force small body Of American troop
came to superintend the construction O.
the big camp. An officer was the frs
fall for" the beauty OF a little girl. and d
has set an example which is looked fP'
with grace for miles up and down the ''''
islanders and mainlanders alike n
that the i'll wind of war which ma
drifted so far and requisitioned ths
grain has not brought 50 much evil
Americans are coming. and YOU cannO. IL
a soul who isn't devoutly glad