Evening star., 1918-07-09
Only Inhabitants When Sol
diers Are Billeted There
| During Bombardment.
SHELlED FROM ALL SIDES
BY HERBERT COREY.


the sunlight something happened
which displeased him. He sailed into
q military policeman who was stand
Ing at the intersection Of two streets.
green band on arm and an air Of
ennui on his face:
"Who." demanded the "Old Man."
-in the qualified spectroscope are
you"
"An NJ. P, sir" said the copper.
modestly, coming briskly to salute.
"Why in the name Of the Open
Polar Sea are you out here" asked
the "Old Man.
ITO keep the men on the safe side
of the wall, SIR" said the copper.
Then why in the blinking, 1ins-
ling. deckle-edged universe aren't
you doing it,"
Because" said the NJ P. conciu-
sively. ~ haven't been able yet to
are coming in from six directions
sir"
They were, too. I've seen the artil-
lery map. The boche is dropping old
from six different spots on the hori-
son. He's fairly lively at 1t, too, 30
that there are few minutes OF eacn
day when something may not pc
like snake in sunny weather. by
squirming back of the walls. After
little one develops an ama1ing
knowledge of local geography ana
acoustics. If a shell seems unlikely
to come near one pays no attention
to it too-direct scream sends one
popping into a dugout. After single
walk abroad one finds the location OF
each dugout imprinted upon the mem
ory. One could ind each shelter on
the darkest night
A Deserted Village.
Three weeks ago this town was un-
touched, to all intents, The inhabit-
ants had fed from it when the Ger
man drive was at its height, taking
with them their most easily portable
belongings. The houses were left
empty, doors swinging, windows open.
in some cases food standing upon the
table or in pots over what had been
the fre. Today there are perhaps
score of calm, unperturbed. dainty
footed cats crawling about the ruins
of what had been their homes. a
fine bird dog sleeps on doorstone IN
the sunshine each afternoon The
doorstone remains. but the house mas
Just why the Germans began to
strafe the little town no one knows.
No one wastes time In conjecture OF
steams In anger over 1t. Perhaps they
it. At all events, they began syste-
inatically to destroy II. Their guns
hammered from the six directions, first
on one quarter of the town and then
on another.
orders are strict against going upon
the streets in the daytime or showing
q light at night. But men must 90
upon the streets in pursuit OF their
lively easy to fake up some sort OF
an excuse when the occupations are not
lawful. Yanks are inveterate tourists,
hour before they had visited every
house which was even In part left
standing. They came away with all
sorts OF innocent lootIinnocsnt. , Pc
on. and whatever is left In the houses
will be destroyed. The men are eating
tonight OF china dishes and drinking
dugouts are equipped with French
furniture which may date half way
back to the middle ages.
Music Amid the Ruins.
Every one sleeps in dugouts here.
Most dugouts began as wine cellars:
chalk between their bottle racks and
the earth. But that Is no protection
against q German she'll. and so the
vine cellars are being deepsnsd and
II every one sleeps in dugouts, how
Never. no one spends q moments time
in them If that can be avoided.
ktreet one hears a jingling old plano.
finny enough In all conscience, with |
dust on its wires and keys missing
where bricks fell upon 1t when ta |
Sheltering roof caved In. An Amsfi-
can boy or two is singing about It.
On one shelter violinist and guitar 4
were hard at 1t while a big sergeant
sounded the chords on a 4Diano that !
had sustained incredible hardships |
and was still playable. In the sunny |
angles of walls. where q moderate |
protection against the shells IL OBJ |
tainable, boys are playing cards or |
dominoes or writing letter. home. or
reading. or studying French. or sew-
ing, or washing clothes, or engaged |
sin any one of the score of other off, |
side duties of a man in the neid.
Between times they visit the cha
teau:: This is strictly interdicted
line with the church from one of the
German batteries. and tho battery |
chief seems to be trying to score q
double with each shot. Oddly enough |
dozen times, although the tiny park
in which 1t Is set has been plowed
by shells. Its pretty chattelaine-one
Seels she must have been pretty. from
beudoir-seems to have walked out
bnly yesterday. There is a sewing
basket there, with a bit Of flmy lin
gerie in 1t, in which q needle still
elings, and a magazine Is turned face
down nearby. at an open page, and
there is q coquettish garden hat upon
the stlk-covered table.
Z In the Old Chateau.
J The Americans walk through a.
Tourists might. noticing everything,
Sommenting on everything. but touch.
and forefnger. The absence of open
,plumbing-of plumbing Of any sort
In these handsome little chateaux of
France Ia always q matter of criti-
cism. Nor do they like the heating
arrangements. by which the owner Of
such property must thaw himself out
q hands breadth at . time over q
winter in France. what an abomin-
able climate this II. But their COM
$nendation Of tho strength and solidity
and hre-proofness Of the structure IL
always warm.
wen learn to build our farm
houses Just as well-wheu we grow
mp" an Iowa farmers boy said the
other day.
men who are slwsys to b found
might be stationed there to keep
them away, but II 10 held to be un-
necessarily dangerous for the guard.
Strict orders have been issued, but
the men sneak by just the same. The
table Is q fne ono, the cues well tip
ped, the balls Of ivory and round
After months wasted on the French