The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-01-10
LILLE KISSING ORGY
PICTURED BY YANK

evacuation beyond the terrific explo-
sions at six o'clock that morning when
the bridges were blown up. Many sol
diers had been moved from their bill
lets in Lille homes. However. il had
been the experience of four years 70
have the city alternately filed with
Germans then suddenly emptied.
When the explosions had brought the
people into the streets they were i'm
pressed by the complete disappear
ance of the enemy. About nine o'clock
Z brave soul went into the ~headquar-
tiers of the ko"mmandantur In the large
building of the prefecture ~ police
and found II vacated.
British Flyers over City.
British airplaneS began to fly low
over the city, but not a British Tom
my was In sight.
After tense minutes of anxious wait
ing three things happened. Charles
Delasolle, Jr., a French aviator and
son of the mayor of Lille, flew over
from Dunkirk and lighted on the
Champs de Mars. Two correspondents
of the Petit Parislen and La Matin OF
Paris trudged, after a long walk,
through the ArmentiereS gate into
Lille. Mellett and | entered the Port
de Postes, Who was first probably
will never be settled, nor is it at all
important that 1t should be settled, ex-
cept to the entrants.
If we were beaten by a few minutes,
which we dispute, we know we had
the only parade, a procession that
went through the heart of the city,
covered a mile, lasted an hour and In
cluded many thousands Of dancing and
singing celebrants. If we had not
been rescued in the Place de In Re-
publiQue and hurried inside the gates
of the prefecture the parade might
have ended only when Mellett and l
had reached the swoonlng point.
Hundreds Eneircle Car.
When we reached the Port des
Postes, with It's several traffic aisles,
hundreds Of people came running out
OF the gate, a never-ending stream
that tightly encircled our car.
Lies Anglaises sont lei! Vive les
Anglalse ~ was what they shouted as
they tumbled toward us, and we even
heard 1t being taken up In alarming
| crescendo on the other side Of the city
wall.
AS soon as the kissing started Mel
lett surrendered his face and hands,
but, with his mind still on business,
managed to slide out of the car. l I'M
wisely established a precedent for
lifting up babies. kissing them in the
French fashion on either cheek, giving
them a little spank and tossing them
back to the first woman In sight. This
was unwise In a way because II at
tracted hundreds Of mothers who
wanted their offspring kissed and
spanked by the bogus great English
man, and undoubtedly resulted In
many delirious mothers %extricating
themselves from the mob only to find
/ themselves In possession of a strange
infant, for In the excitement OF the
moment l could take no responsibility
for making correct returns.
Missed py swarm or Maids.
Yet IL showed that I had a family
heart, and, while l was paralyzed by
the sea Of babies surging up to me-
many Of them back for a second go
no doubt-still there was the satisfac-
ton Of seeing that among the babies
were the flowers of Lille, the prettiest
mademoiselles. Mellett, In the mean
time, was struggling with a swarm of
buxom hOusemaids, who were bussing
HIN four and five at a time. In fact
he had all the La Bassee mud kissed
off one ear.
remember his tussles with the stout
girls quite distinctly, and the ~recollec.
ton always flashes upon me when he
happens to mention my ~graciousness to
the bearded gentlemen.
For Gods sake, climb out. or we
are lost !" shouted Mellett, so / per-
mitted several Of my lissome beauties
to assist me dismount, collected q few
warm oscillations, and, with three of
the loveliest on either arm, surged
forward.
! The crowd gave way with a shout,