The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-02-22

tenant Barley. He pinned an Ameri-
can flag on my breast, French flag
beneath it and beneath that the war
cross. he kissed me on both cheeks,
of course, which was taking advantage
of a cripple. But it is the usual thing
with the French, as you know-I mean
the kissing, not the meanness to
cripples.
When he had pinned the medal on
he said he thanked me from the bot
tom of his heart for the French people,
and also thanked all the Americans
who had come over from their own
land to help a country with which
most of them were not connected. He
said it was a war in which many ma
lions were taking part, but in which
there were just two ideas, freedom
and despotism, and lot more things
that cannot remember. He finished
By saying that he wished he could dec
crate all of us.
OF course it was great stuff for me
and I thought / was the real thing
sure enough, but I could not help
thinking Of the remark l have heard
here in the States-"T thank you and
the whole family thanks you" And it
was hard not to laugh. Also it seemed
funny to me, because did not rightly
know just what they were giving me
the medal for--though it was for one
of two things-and do not know to
this day. But thought it would not
be polite to ask, so let it go at that.
There were twelve other naval Off
GERS who were present and they end
all the other people did lot Of Cheer
ing and vived me to a fare-you-well.
1t was great stuff, altogether, and /
should have liked to get medal every
day.
One day I received a letter from a
man who had been in my company in
the Foreign Legion and with whom I
had been pretty chummy. His letter
was partly in French and partly in
English. 1t was all about who had
been killed and who had been wound
ed. He also mentioned Murray's
death. which he had heard about, and
about my receiving the Croix de
Guerre. I was wishing he had said
something about Brown, whom / had
not heard from and who I knew would
visit me if he had the chance.
But two or three days later I got
another letter from the same man and
when / opened it out tumbled q photo
graph. At first all saw was that 1t
was the photograph of a man cruciiled
with bayonets, but when looked at
1t closely | saw it was Brown. l
tainted then, just like girl.
When l came to could hardly make
myself think about it. Two of my
pals gone! 1t hurt me so much to
think of it that l crushed the letter
up in my hand, but later OF / could
read parts Of it. 1t said they lad
found Brown this way near Dixmude
about two days after he had been re-
ported missing. So three of us went
over and two stayed there. 1t seems
very strange to me that both of my
pals should be crucifled and if / were
superstitious / do not know what !
would think about it. It made me
sick and kept me from recovering as
| fast as l would have done otherwise.
Both Brown and Murras were good
pals and very good men in fight.
l often think of them beth and about
the things we did together, but lately
have tried not to think about them
much because 1t is very sad to think
what torture they must nave had to
stand. They were both OF great credit
to this country.
The American consul visited me
quite often and / got to calling him
Sherlock because he asked so many
questions. We played lots of games
together, mostly with dice, and had q
great time generally. After / became
convalescent he argued with me that
| had seen enough, and though / really
did think so-however much disliked
what had seen--he got my discharge
from the service on account of phys
ical inability to discharge the usual
duties. After i had been at the hos
pital for a. little over month I was
discharged from It, after little party
In my ward with everyone taking part
and all the horns blowing and all the
records except my favorite dirge
played one after another.
| Sherlock arranged everything foi
me-my passage to New York, cloth
ing, etc. ran up to st. Nazaire and
saw my grandmother, loafed around
a while and also visited Lyons.
After short time l returned t.
Brest and got my passage on the
George for New York. / had three
trunks with me full Of things | hat
picked up around Europe and had
been keeping with my grandmother
Among my belongings were severa
things should like 10 show by pho
tographs in this book, but no one but
mermaids can see them now, for dow
to the locker Of Davy Jones they went
CTO BE CoNTINuED.)
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Shrines to Foxes.
There are numberless shrines II
Tonon do1InafoH 20 fox.nn frt.a tzo1..o.