The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-07
A Soldier OF France
American Soldiers Homage To Dead French Hero Which
Ended With Three Cheers For The Aged Mother

"a Soldier of France" might well
be called American Soldiers in
France" and every Americans heart
will swell with pride as he reads of
the chivalrous act and sincere sym
pathy shown by our soldiers toward
the Soldier of France" and his poor
little mother.
Gone reads this remarkable descrip-
ton of how a group Of our soldiers
followed a poor and lonely French
mother to the grave of her dead hero
son with a strange fascination and
when ended one feels a something in
one throat)
A dozen or more so1dIer boys Just
landed from America sat in front of
one of the safes in Paris not far from
their own quarters.
These bright faced, square 1awed,
STRAIGHTFORWARD young men from the
farms and villages of the Middle West
had, almost in advance of any signal,
answered President Wilson's caA for
men, and were the first wearing the
uniform of the United States, to land
in France. Their welcome, as they
stepped on to French soil, their well
come from the towns and cities
through which they passed, and the
wonderful hurrahs and cheers and
hand-clapping, which the generous
| mothers and daughters and little chill
dren and old men in Paris had given
them that morning had had a soDer1ng
effect on these gay young men They
had been taught much in a few hours
and war and those who must be left
behind when men are needed to fight,
became more real than their fresh,
light-hearted minds had thus far
| grasped.
After the march through the Paris
streets they had been allowed little
time to themselves, and with that nat
ural and genuine adaptability, which
is always so delightful, these newcom-
ers made themselves at once "at
home" in various parts of that beauti-
full city. OF this number our dozen
young men had sought the hospitality
and cool protection of this cafe-when
the attention of one of the group was
directed to what was to him an IN
usual sight. There, being slowly pull
ed up the street by one forlorn, poor
horse, came a shabby weather-worn
hearse, followed by but one mourner
"a poor, tired little old woman who
showed in every line of her face and
in her manner an awful sorrow-a
loss of hope-utter despair. The
Americans eyes and his entire express
sion proved his fine, manly feeling OF
sympathy, and the smile of a moment
before disappeared, when suddenly
he stood up, and pointing to the
hearse, he cried to his mates, Eel
lows do you see that? Do you see that
hearse? Do you see the uniform they
have wrapped around the coffin It's
a French soldier, fellows Let us dc
him honor Fall in!''
And without word of question
every man took his place in line be-
hind the poverty-stricken little wo-
man, and the example, so impulsiyely
but naturally set, was followed by
other loiterers near the cafe, and be-
fore they had passed the next street
the line had grown to a hundred, and
when the cemetery gates were reach
ed, a thousand sober, respectful people
had Joined these young American sol
diers.
The poor little woman saw all this
with wonder and with pride. That her
soldier son, to whom she had said a
long andl asst goodbye, should receive
this honor, was almost more than she
could bear, and after the brief service
at the grave she turned to the fresh