The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-02-24
FRANCE OF TODAY AS THE GREATEST
OF REPORTERS FOUND IT ON A VISIT
By George E. Randolph Chester and Lillian Chester
Copyright the Ne~spp.r rprs Asodh

, OF his grace, had it not been for the
arm which was in a sling.
A pleasant smile for monsieur, an
pleasant smile with n brighteni lg
of the eye for the petite madame.
Andre. All, the feet of madame;
they are cold! All!
Andre also sympathized with tho
feet of madame, deeply.
He hurried away, and hurried back
with a fat box, about a foot and
half square and four inches high,
which was filed with sawdust, and
the sawdust covered with dry news
papers.
Into this madame was invited to
step, while the precious grapes were
estimated by the plumb woman and
Renee and Andre.
Not such a tremendous price, not
greater than would have been paid in
New York for the same bunch Of
graIes, and while monsieur paid for
the little bundle, which was now tied
with a red string and furnished with
wooden handle, the three smiled pleas
antly at madame, who is petite, de-
lighted that she looked more happy
standing in the middle Of the floor in
her foot-box.
1t seemed rather cozy through the
glass panel Of the door to the little
back room.
Four small, cloth-covered tables In
there indicated a probable cafe at
tachment to the tiny shop.
Was it possible to secure a cup Of
hot coffee at this hour?
oh certainly, but not milk with it
at this hour, and nothing to eat with
81
pleasure!
So behold us in the little back room.
with the silent young woman out there
N the infinitesimal Kitchen preparing
the coffee, and the rest of the family
handy, to smile whenever looked at.
It was then that we sounded Andre
on the matter Of the German peace
proposals.
They were mentioned in a sort of
off hand manner, because we had come
to have a habit of asking this, and
it had come to give such satisfaction
to us to always receive the same re-
ply-that the only peace France could
consider was a victory.
But we had met some reserve. for it
is a bitter subject, and the French
people, like any other people, do not
care to expose their deepest emotions
to strangers.
In this family, however we ina1
vertently touched the spark.
There was an instantaneous change
in all of them, as Andre placed the
knuckles of his well hand oft-tiae te>teia,
t~sszz-,~s~--.-rs down a face which was
suddenly dark and hard, gave us, in
n voice which thrilled with suppressed
passion, his views Of peace as ex-
pressed above
He means it, because in two weeks
his arm will be well and he is going
back to the war, where HE DOES
NOT INTEND TO TAKE ANY PRIS-
ONERS.
He would feel Inundated and dis
graced If any peace which it would be
possible TO arrange now should pre-
vent him from going back into the
fight in which he has been twice
wounded
The face of his plump and moth
erly wife had become set like wax.
and her arched eyebrows had jumped
into a straight line.
The hollow chested woman, Renee,
stood rigfdIy. and we have never be
fore seen a tint of actual green spread
beneath a clear skin as It did beneath
the skin Of her face; and her wide eye
widened, and the lines deepened in her
IOTSnSdus anu the IiSHlIN compressor
lips became colorless.
The dull young woman came in
with the coffee cups in time to hear.
She held the cups motion lessly for
n moment. then set them down and
went cut, DULY, heavily, without hav-
ing looked up.
The young woman had been one OF
the daughters in that IS months of
German occupation, and the hollow
chested Renee is her mother, the sister
Of Andre.
She had not been a heavy woman
in the first place. not even what might
he called a plump one, but she had
lost so pounds OF weight in that year
and a half of agonizing slavery.
The other daughter died since their
release, died of her abuse and her
degradation.
1t is rather shocking TO see a one
eyed man cry. Andre has a brother.
Michel. who was a prisoner of the
Germans and who escaped after untolI