Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-18
T Frances Unquenchable
\. spirit Will Not DOUn; The
Il. Early War Days IN Paris

q Cn6nce 10 got INTO the nSnt.
Papa Guillemont's eyes suddenly
sum-! Wounded in the shoulder. and
spattered with blood, he was piled in
q heap for. dead. and, crawling out
from amid his -lifeless companions, he
slipped. away in the darkness through
the loosely guarded lines and limped
his way toward Paris.
In the meantime the army of Paris.
a band Of patriots who must be en-
rolled in history as the possessors Of
more than sublime heroism, had been
rushed out Of the city by taxi, auto
mobile, motor truck, auto bus-every
sort of power-driven vehicle which
could be found. and. half armed and
totally Impoverished, had taken up
the march toward the enemy.
The record of that forced march is
a story Of acute agony. Heavily
under the blazing hot sun from dawn
to dark. and from dark to dawn.
Hundreds dropped from exhaustion
and crept to the roadside to die; hun
dreds died. as they marched: but those
who had life in them staggered on and
on. choked. with dust. faint with
hunger. perishing with thirst, but with
the cry of France on their dry lips!
D. Papa P. &C, GSillemont, trudstns toward
= ~ = . las oIAouluCk k1AI VOulI1AR
met this heroic band. They were
headed the other way; they were set
ting out to fight for France! Papa
Guillemont's mental processes were
very simple; he turned and went with
them. He had saved no arms or ac-
continents in his escape, but he took
a munitionless gun from a fallen
comrade. and, joining the suffering but
dauntless little army of Paris, plodded
on with them until he could go no
further. He leaned against a wall,
slipped down in an angle to his
launches. and his eyes closed. He
thought that he was ready for DEATH.
A voice aroused him. 1t was an
officer.
Papa Guillemont raised to his feet
and saluted.
Have o finished?" asked the Of
ficer.
II have finished" returned Papa
Guillemont huskily, and saluting
again. prepared to slide down in his
corner and die.
NO." said the officer. But wait
here. If the Germans come, you may
die, fighting. 1t is for France!"
Eyes, my officer" agreed Papa
Guillemont, and into him came at that
moment something stronger than. the
strength of life itself, the thing which
has made the army Of this land the
marvel OF the world. 1t was the spirit
Of France!
The light OF it is in his face to this
day. and SO long as there is a piece
of him it will remain.
He did stay alive, though his head
dropped and his knees bent, stayed
alive and in that spot until the Ger
mans came. He can't tell much Of
what happened after they arrived, but
when the observation-disclosures picked up
Papa Guillemont from among the
dead Huns which surrounded him, he
was plumb full Of bayonets, though he
! had spirit enough to smile secstatically,
and voice enough to whisper "vive
La France!" w.
The dead Huns were in front of
him, in front, mind you, for he lay
nearer Paris than they!
What had happened where Papa
many places that Paris is still Paris,
and the overs of Notre Dame still
stand sturdily against the sky, and the
Arch Of Triumph still heads the beau
tiful Champs-Elysees s,
With panied surprise the Germans.
who had not brought along enough
, ammunition to kill all the Frenchmen
between the frontier and Paris. found
themselves badly worsted in some Of
SllO OkOOOlCoS LallOelOslldlkO ll6lklItk VI
the war, found themselves held in
permanent check by the despised little
army of France, found the itinerary
] Of the HOhenzollern tour Of the world
disrupted, am knocked to flinders for
centuries to come! :
Papa Guillemont has been reformed
three times, since then. overhauled.
rebuilt and new parts supplied, and
he is now a proud permissionaire: but
8" if Do rio ic oyor a OoSn fhroofornH he
asks one favor: to lead a regiment of
reformed poilus like himself-and
now the twinkle is once more in his
jolly eye. -
He'll do the thing scientifically.
He'll divide his regiment according to
its. incapacities; Observation-Disclosures
men in one: platoon. left-wooden-leg-
armed. men in another, left in an
other, and SO on. He'll guard the last
bitches with that regiment, and guard
them we'll; and when he cries "Allous!
Marchand!" and they go v the top,
you may. he certain that. no body of
soldiers will dash into battle with
more enthusiasm, fight with a fiercer
vim, account for more Of the enemy,
or with more profound patriotism
shout "Vive la France!"
Why, confound it. Papa Guile
mont's in earnest about it! There's
an electric vibration in his voice,
there's a moisture in his eyes, there's
a.. .
No. the twinkle is back again. as he
tells what he will do in case they
don't give him that regiment of re.
formed poilus. He'll go right back
to the spot where he made his glori.
Gus stand in 1914. and once more pre-.
ven the Germans from entering Paris
He has studied the matter for three
and a half years, and has analysed
every thrust and every counter thrust
Of that Observation-Disclosures engage:
ment, and he is certain that he could
dispose of at least twice as many
Huns as in the original fight.
He has not only practiced we'll q
fancy new uppercut with the bayonet
but has added boxing with the fee
and butting with the head! VOLTA!
You may . assured that, the
spirit of France will never die. SO Ions
as Papa Guillemont lives. And France
is full Of Papa Guillemonts!
What do the Americans love.
there" think Of the French? Read
Chester's article tomorrow.
BEETHOVEN DESCENDANT DEAD
Copenhagen. Feb. 1s.-The death
in an Austrian field hospital Of Karl
Julius Maria. von Beethoven, a de-
scendant Of the famous composer OF
that name. ia announced. DeportAd