The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-11-06

walk. The boards were thus constant
Iy kept polished. with no trouble to
anyone.
They sent in AN urgent call for Us to
hurry out--we knew what that was
apt 10 mcan,--to Bligny, but there
wasn't piano in the town and no one
knew what TO do. The situation was
saved by our borrowing an enormous
army truck, We riding on the front
seat with the chauffeur and two ~"
men on behind each holding onto the
side Of the piano, which slid around
good bit as we went over the hills;
so steep they were, that the engine
boiled over every few kilometres. Al
most each time we stopped we would
pick up soldier, an officer, or lone
ly "Y" man and he would come along
to "see the showw When our guests
emerged from the recesses behind Us,
we could not recognize one from the
other, for they were literally white
with dust.
Our next mode Of transportation
was by very high French Fart
drawn by huge white horse and II
was fortunate that we were not try
ing to juggle piano at the time, for
when we had done about three kilo-
metres the front wheel slowly rolled
off. 1t is needless to say that at about
the moment when it first detached it.
self, we were both down in the road
from the opposite side. The front seat
was so high that it was quite an aero
batic feat, our descent; the men told
US that they were disappointed not to
have us scream, but as we now remem-
Der the occurrence, we did hurry! We
held up government truck, piled
high with wood, climbed on, and thus
we made our entry into the next town.
People were getting used to seeing US
appear from unexpected elevations,
and in various sorts of conveyances, SO
no one was in the least surprised when
we were untangled from the wood and
got ready to give our performance at
IAe.
The boys were sitting in the garden,
on the ground of course, and we sang
in the vestibule of the house which a
charming French Gentleman and his
wife had only too gladly loaned for
the occasion. The vestibule was on a
level with the garden path, SO the boys
crawled close, and Madame's own
guests sat at our left. 1t was inter-
esting to hear their pleasant chatter,
and criticism of our gowns, they did
not know, yet, that we could under
stand what they were saying, but
everything was sweet and much more
complimentary than we deserved.
They loved the color of our frocks,
for, they said, they looked like SLOW
ers."
The piano stands out in our mem
cries, for it is really good one, per-
haps because the young daughter
plays the violin and knows something
of them. After the performance was
over, our hostess invited all the Of
ficers and US into her dining room,
where Monsieur's white wine awaited
us. The officers showed us photo
graphs of their wives and sweethearts,
gave us their addresses so that we
might write for them, and then we
drank to the health of four or five
babies which had been born since
their fathers had been in France: one
can imagine how proud those fathers
we're to tell US about them.
Our last singing in Bar-sur Aube,
which now seemed almost like home,
was at the religious service in the big
"Y" tent. 1t was filled to overfowing
with boys, for they knew we were to
leave the next morning and they sang
loudly; even though it was a church
service they applauded our sacred
solos, and they nearly wept when they
said goodbye to US.
Back at the hotel our usual little
group was waiting, and, though we
had given four performances that day,
we weren't too tired to sit and listen
to the wonderful stories they would
tell US, until late into the night.
If Madame Thierry had not given us
two patties and punches Of grapes,
fresh from the garden wall, we should |
probably have been in half famished
condition when we reached Chaumont:
il we had not sent our luggage down
to the railway station early in the
we should have never gotten
L, because there was wedding in The /
town and later there was no way of 1
transporting either il or us,--and if
had happened to the train
between Paris and Bur-sur Aube il
would not have been an bour and q 1