The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1918-03-09
They SmileBut, Oh,
How They Suffer!
BY GEORGE RANDOLPH CHESTER
AND LILLIAN CHESTER.
Copyright, 1918.


PARIS, March 9-It was the sort of night into
which you wouldn't push hyena! We emerged from
the restaurant warm but shivered instantly the door
revolved us into sleety snow.
high wind, sharp and raw; ankle deep slush!
There were vehicles in the street. axs and cabs they
only did one thing went by at top speed casting wide
curving watery wnrows on each side of them not one
would stop in response to the most frantic of signals
the most commanding or the most beseeching Of
voices; and the wet raw wind whistled round and
round.
The very thought of getting from there to anywhere
on foot was enough to CONCEAL the marrow in ones
bones
4 Out of the dimness came shuffling something
which seemed to have no particular form or shape,
but we knew it to be person because it was cough
ing violently 1t stopped for a moment as it came
opposite and surveyed inquiringly then shuffled
toward us.
Gun taxi?" inquired the voice which had coughed
A woman! A sawed-off woman, not over five feet
high bundled in mans rough coat little basket OF
withered violets on her arm.
There was eagerness in her voice, plaintive eager
ness and the eyes which burned up at us were big and
feverish, and full of suffering.
If we had been merely basking in the snow and pas
sonatey fond of shiverng this, our favorte bask-
ing place. even then would have been impelled to
order taxi in response to that powerful appeal; So
our string of louis" was most enthusiastic.
Goes for Taxi Like Dragon Fly,
rHumming Bird or Jump Skeeter"
The woman only stopped to set down her basket
and to give twist to the knot of hair the back
of her head-it presented the illusion of whirling,
there were so many centrifugal ends radiating from
it--and away she went!
It was difficult to keep track of her; she was like
a dragon-fly over a stream humming bird in gar
den, "jump-skeeter" on pond
Five streets cOrnered there, and she all five
of them at once she moved rapidly that she seemed
to be suspended about two feet above the ground her
short legs sticking out, fore and aft on almost per-
fectly straight line.
Finally she disappeared around the corner, splash
ing down the middle of the street. in mad pursuit Of
her thirtieth or fortieth possibility.
In about two minutes more she came back, riding
on the step of that taxi and her face fairly lu
nous with its smile of exultant triumph! A poilu's
wife, this woman with five little children to raise
and one of them, the middle one, Desiree, always
needing medicines and everything so high, and the
government allowance for poilu families so small; and
many poilus wives to divide what work they have
The skill and the time to do and volets unprofita-
BILE in the bad weather, of which there is much in
Che winter; but listen!
II it please the good God to let Jacques return to
his home-Oh, Of course not to the sumptuous three
rooms, with gas! which he had well supported by
his earnings as earpenter-but HOME, he will find
In the bare ROOM everything Of real value which
he left behind; happy children and cheerful wifel
Marie and Therese more fortunate than
Jacques wife, for the burden of providing for their
families is not so difficult They secured their hus-
bands jobs
The first time met them we thought they were
men, from their caps and their coats and their thick