The Red Cloud chief., 1918-10-17
REzZleXmSE NILS M>eAZR0An Jzqn0nH| ann

-, !" ,"e "ich across the street, q few feet away,
, . "1hcH they would soon pass, with the
.o'i'"n una French flags ntertwned and the
motto In big scrawly letters "Soyes les Dienvenus"
one explained that | was on American. They
ooe'neu |" UNDERSTAND and their faces lighted up.
Tor this was in early June, and even these pitiful
ones VINO had been where little news had reached
thetn Tor nearly four years knew that the Auieri-
cans were In France in good numbers now, and
were their allies
80 the group ceased to shrink from my camera.
A woman even thrust her child forward and
smoothed its hair so that it would look we'll in the
picture But just as | about to snap the
shutter, another woman in the group, standing Il
little back, looked at me with an expression that
was fuIl OF condemnation, full of appeal as she
said: YES, my friends, let us stand up straight
so that ne can get good photograph of misery"
Then she laughed bitterly, and well / did not
take the picture
At this moment the rest of the convoy began to
come out of the station, led by the ChasSeurs lit
tie band With them came Red Cross men ana
nurses, carrying or helping those who could not
walk into the waiting camions ana anbulances
l put ny my camera and hurried ahead tn reach
the casin0 whittier the procession was bound be.
fore their arrival there. Someone struck up ia
Marseii!aise," some woman with high, shrill
voice, As ! climbed upon the front seat of an
ambulance and we started To pass the crowd |
thought for "a moment that was now going TO
See going To hear, what had come up from Paris
fOr-the glad burst OF enthusiasm, of happiness
from these people now that they fully realized
that they were ia France, among their own free
from the German yoke. which had lain on their
necks since 1914. But as our ambulance went by
the procession there were other voices raised
to join that Of the singing woman, and after a few
bars she. too, stopped singing and the procession
went on, silent, Shuilllng except for some small
boys town boys, who trudged ahead of the Clms.
seurs still playing their tune on drum aud bugle
l reached the casino ahead of the procession
and waited mt the door for them TO come down the
Rue du Casino. The narrow, steep street WINS
crowded along its sidewalks with townspeOple
and from windows was flung the trcOlor, while the
American flag waved here and there, too As the
procession came around the head of the street the
people hailed 1t with cheers and the waving OF
flags. The Chasseurs played more loudy-now
It was "Vive rArmee" they were footing A few
Of the children raised their heads and looked with
glad eyes the enthusiastic natives who were
trying so hard TO cheer them home. An old man
in the procession Strengthened up and shouted
"Vive lie General Joffre." But otherwise there
were no cheers. no thrills of happiness, nor any.
thing but just that down-bent attitude, that shut
fling walls, that dazed, whipped, cowed express
sion. 1t was. as the woman at the station had
said, misery. For Evian is the clearing house of
misery these day:.
1t was not at first, the American Red Cross
doctor told me, and so the subprefect OF the do
partment Of the Haute-Savole also assured me.
(which IL why we make such great effort 70
cheer them as they come In nowadays" he sald
''They are crushed, these people; they are like
dead men and women, and the children, even the
little ones are scarcely alive to the situation
Free from Germany once more? They cannot be.
lieve it-there Is scarcely enough strength left In
their poor minds and bodies for them to be able
to understand"
yes" added the Red Cross DOCTOR pointing out
a girl of eighteen or nineteen who passed look
at the expression on the face Of that girk'
looked, caught here eye as she turned In my d.