The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-04-27
sY RHETA cHlLDE DORR.


guns. Suventy-five miles distant, i can
only reply that ii feels queer. so queer
that all other feelings are Temporarily
placed in abeyance. The mind mas AL
it can do to aSsiInilate the fact.
The whole queer business hNgan last
Friday evening after dinner. IN M!
hotel a small party Of women ana sew
cral American officers were drinking
coffee in tho reading room when some
body said: Hello! the AeTte. inc
Paris alerte is such discreet lttI"
horn that there is sometimes ditlicnlLE
in hearing it.
But the srurryinG OF pedestrians and
The rush Of motor cars in the EhampS
k.lyScrS. 4 fcw y;lDiS distant from our
side street. soon made it plain tn"
alrrtr had indeed sounded. and our
party separated and went its seVerai
WAYS according TO temperament Some
TO the cellar. some to Il safer aor IN
tho Immediate nrirhhorhood and olh'
cr-s 10 the porch oF the hotel. AZ lor
mo | had long aCo made up my nina
never 10 die in Il cellar. went 10
my room for 4 warm coat and the
little bag that holds my papers.
No Defense Barrage-
Meanwhile TIVE expected harraSc,
which usually begins ahont ten min
u,es after III" sounding Of the alerte'
remained unaccountably silent Not
a gun was fired. not even after an
explosion or TWO signtlcd the pres
oncc nj he. Hun planes
II was 4 perfect spring night
warm and fragrant. ami tho sky WAS
powdered with stars, their hrilllan2o
:, little dimmed by an affulCent moon
almost a, its round. With 4 member
Of the American embassy staff
started on Il tour Of he abris, or cave
refugees in the neighborhood.
They are all over Paris. these abris,
designated by the municipal author
tiles and open 10 III" public. \ per
rectly typical abri is 1 wine cellar,
approximately two ordinary STAIR
flights below the surface Of the earth.
The halls and Stairs are dimly lighted
with candles stuck in bottles or IN
improvised tin or wooden candlcSiickS.
Most of the arriving guests Scuul"
downward. assisted by the beams o!
their own electric torches. a house
bold necessity these days.
Down in one Of these caves sal
for ten minutes watching the people
The place, which was marked aS 4
refuge for fifty persons. was SION"
walled room about Is feet square. In
one corner was several wine barrels
and in another a rack holding a hun
cred or more empty bottles.
4 few boxes answered for seats, and
on these and on camp stools brought
along by the refugees. some thirty
five men and women sat and shrered
not with fear but from the cold and
damp OF the place.
Men in Shelter, Too.
4 French officer, with a row OK dec
oratons across his cont, looked a lit
tie ashamed Of being there, but as he
was in charge Of two young girls and
an elderly woman. who might have
been his mother, he had his excuse
There were almost as many men a
women in the cave. as q matter Of
fact. Ono. woman, in the prim dress
Of an English nurse, held in her arms
swafned bundle. around which shc
strove 70 keep 4 small fur rug oh
viously picked hastily from a bedroom
floor.
Fancy the Germans choosing &c
come here al the very hour when
had a prematurely-born baby on IN!
hands" she confded 10 ME. The
mother was rather bad. but the doc
tor said 10 me, Save the baby il yol
can didn't know the neighborhooo
so | chose the first abri saw. Bat
luck that it was such damp one
We left her brooding the infant
which | thought displayed singuiarl!
poor judgment in appearing prema
turely In such an unhealthy climate
Across the wide spaces OF TIT
Champs Elysees we lodged to Tha
the man from the embassy assured
me was one Of the smarteSt abTlS II
Paris. In this cave, witch Is sub
cellar Of a fashionable hotel. cush
toned chairs and tables have been in
stalled and electric lights hung. Th'
stone floors are covered with rugs
and the guests were comfort abb,
reading. chatting, or playing cards
They were all smarly dressed ant
looked entirely al their ease,
All this time silence reigned. pune
tured only at rare intervals wit!
mumed explosions, which some sait
were bombs falling. and others in
sisted they were defense guns. In al
hour the all-cicar signal sent people
back to their homes in bewldcrrt
state Of mind
The real puzzle began Tho nrx
morning when the alerte woke Parl:
out of its Saturday morning slumber!
to face a daylight raid. From IN,
first it was queer raid. Quitr unlik'
any other Paris had experienced. In
stead OF an occasional explosion %
bombs alternated by familiar barrag'
fire, wa had a steady boom cunning Il
exact intervals Of fifteen minutes
Just like that. Boom. Interval OF 81
lence- Boom,
Paris mystified.
The abriS filled up for time. hu
acfer a while the peopI" cm"rged an
lowered around the mouth Of thcil
caves IN excited conversaI ;nf. Wha
was it, anyhow Why weren't Iii,
guns answering. Why could one SCI
nothing in the perfectly clear sky
The first communicates said Iha
enemy avi;itors were flying a. "r'a
height and were b"in: pursued. Al'
parentN they were drnppln" bomb:
at regular intervals.
It happened that | had several ~
gagements that day---wid"ly Scati"r"t
over the town. The Metro &toppr: