The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1918-05-07
tuesday, Nay = lsls.-rHE rAooMA THIS p.e.
French Soldier Loves
American Red Cross
Continued From Page One)

metro" as they call the under
ground railway.
knew | could not depend upon
my French to get me very far, con-
sequently i was rather nervous as
| look my seat across from a splen-
did poilu with everything on his
back but the kitchen stove and nu-
merous bundles of unwieldy size
grouped about him.
He looked at the Red Cross on
the front of my hat, and rose to
his feet and solemnly saluted.
| managed to get enough French
at my tongues end to ask him to
tell me when we arrived at the
Care de l'Est, and was answered
by a flow Of language that left me
absolutely powerless to say an
other word.
Starts Language Geyser
| gathered, however, more from
his gestures than his words, that
he was going there also and would
see that l was all right.
In a few moment he added my
travelling roll and bag to his own
bundles, and started off with an
other outburst of unintelligible
language.
l followed meekly, and at last
found myself planted in front OF
ticket window, thru which ]
thrust my passport and my permit
to go to Evian. 1t seemed, how
ever, that / did not have my card
/; of Identification, consequently the
man behind the crate said he could
not sell me a ticket.
At last my poilu took a hand,
pointing to my hat, he shouted
L long sentences in which I could
occasionally catch the words, lie
Croix Rouge, Americana Mill
taire."
Gets Ticket
At one time | thought there was
going to be a battle right there at
the window, but the poilu finally
wearied the ticket seller out, and
with a shrug, he gave me my
ticket.
My poilu evidently thought
was not to be trusted out of his
sight, so he grabbed my bags again
and made for the gate, leading to
the train.
There he was stopped, for my
ticket was first-class, and all the
French private soldiers must &c
third.
Goes to Car
There was another long discus.
sion, but in the end my poilu was
again victorious, and he took me
to my car, and with another sol
emn salute left me to my fate
while he hurried to the gate Mill.
taire.
| was to have another adven.
ture that night, which would H.
lustrate what the French think OF
| went into the diner and was
seated at the tables with two ell.
derby French officers, both will
the five bars on the upper arm
that betokened their being in the
war from the first. Both men al
so had decorations.
AS | sat down. they bowed. and
Ii heard the words Madame lie
Croix Rouge Americana"
They we're unobstrusively polite
to me all thru the dinner, and
at the end, when they seemed to
be hunting for the inevitable
cigaret, I pulled out a cigaret
case, which l carried for just such
occasions as this-and from which
| gave away a thousand cigarets
during my stay over there-and
passed it across the table with the
words, La Cigaret Americana"
Each took one, and after a sat
isfied pull or two smiled and said
tires bien," meaning very
good"
Not Woman But Ally
Just then the girl came around
with the liqueur, and they each
took a Benedictine, and offered
me one, which l accepted.
Then, with glasses in hand, they
rose to their feet and said LA
Croix Rouge" and l as solemnly
stood, while l said "Vive la
France"
In less than a second that toast
was drunk and l found myself
standing across the table from two
strange French officers with q
hand clasped in each of theirs,
while tears were running down
their cheeks.
1t was one of the great moments
of my life. l was not a woman to
those men, but an ally in a great
cause, an ally that had come to
them with the words, "Vive la
France" and the intention OF
making France Twelve victori-
,ous over her ancient enemy, the
dast ard enemy of right and de-
|mocracy. ...-..