Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1919-05-23

I
that night that 1 never thought
should have TO see among free men
and / should like to forget it if
could.
Our reception in France was diff
ferent. We landed at lie Havre only
stones throw from the gayest city
of them ALL Normandy was never
so wonderful as then, 1t was Won
derful autumn, they said, and to them
we fitted most acceptably into the
color scheme. There was reason
for that, yes many of them. l can
not put the feel" of that country
into this letter, so perhaps the less
say, the less injustice j shall do.
Along the Seine and back from it,
stretching away over the fields of
France are the little stone houses
perched respectfully on the little low
farms, which are dotted with the
herds Ga few goats, a few sheep, a
COW or two, flock of ducks, a goose
and an important gander-they are
always there, and usually there are
only two-and the inevitable poulet) 4,
the herds l say, but mustn't forget
the little peasant girl of Normandy
who milks the COW, tends the rest,
and forever in her big awkward tu-
mic, and equally big and awkward
wooden shoes. She is really the most
simple, and lovable thing in all
France, but you will find that the
girl who the soldier from America
married is not from Normandy, and
rarely from Brittany.
But back to life. The baggage
went astray, as baggage always does.
We went to that city that l used to
dream about, and l am forced to adj
nit, do still. We landed in Paris at
the Quai d Orsay. My first impress
sion has no place in this letter, be-
cause it might spoil things just bit.
At any rate, 1 soon found myself de-
posted at the Place de la Concorde,
and ! looked about me a bit be-
wildered, and like million before
me, l guess, / breathed, And this
is Paris" At any rate, that is what
l should have said. They say every
one does. My desire for all that
Paris held was great, but it went I'M
satisfied. l. went to many, many
places where Hugo had taken me be-
fore, however. The Triumphal Arch,
the Avenue Champs -Elysees, with its
statues, and trees and parks, The
Opera, where men who have been
wanderers, stop and catch their
breath at the stupendous beauty of
it all. We went to the Cathedral of
Notre Dame, and even l realized my
fondest dreams of what it should be,
and | always expect so much that the
reality is often spoiled. l realized
another great dream when l saw the
Convent of the Little Picpus, where
Hugos pure white nun lied to save
a great and innocent man. We went
to Eiffel Tower and by this time we
were used to wonders. The truth is
that we were becoming too used to
good things and were waxing wanton-
ly and amateurishly critical. We
have learned better since. We left
Paris for ........ on truck that
took us where we found our purpose
in coming over here. | think it was
good for us all. Our baggage was re-
puted to be at a station somewhat
this side of activities, and we were
somewhat unprep&red. 1t wasn't
there. After we had gone a few
miles there came a sort of ceaseless
steady growl to our ears. 1t is
strange what distance and air cur
rents will do to sound. Soon the
lights were cut off because, we'll, it
was better that way for a lot of rea-
sons. We must have passed a hun
dred little villages that were dark
and jealous of staying that way. It
was there that l saw my first AIR
trick" There were no stars and no
moon that night, and up on the air
two things were splitting long, thin
lines of flame at each other. That
Is the most thrilling thing that men
see over here. That horrible roar
was intermittent by this time, and
growing louder. One of those things
up in the air finally lighted up, and
then we saw it for the first time. 1t
was tying its huge self in a shape
less knot and flaming like burning
hell. 1t shot down, the one greas
roaring, swishing thing through a
night as black as Limbo, and nothing
fell out of it, so we knew what was
happening to a soul that was goine