The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-11-13

over the roads In absolute blacknesi
that We could hardly believe our eye'
when, on our way back to Bar-sul
Aube, at nine thirty one night, ",
saw across the valley on the top Of
the mountain, brilliant light which
not only shone, but flashed! We stop
ped the car and got out to make SURE
that we were not being deceived by
swaying branches, perhaps: but there
! IL was, signalling fagrantly. We
asked our chauffeur to get down into
the town just as quickly as he could,
and the Ford fairly few in the dark
ress. Fortunately, when we reached
the hotel, Captain Simpkins was in the
lobby, we took him out into the street,
where we would not be overheard, and
tcld him what we had seen. He
hunted up Major Scott from head
quarters, and. after getting their side
arms, we all drove up to the spot from
which we had seen the lights. The
officers located il by their compass,
and when we returned to town they
both told US that it had been known
that signalling was being done by the
Germans, but that no one had, up to
this time been SO fortunate as to
spot" it, they had been hunting it
for ten days. Two nights later we
saw three more, flashed from the
mountain opposite to the first one, and
much further down the valley. The
Colonel came over on the following
morning, and we told him all that we
had seen.
Our town was SO situated that the
farmhouse, from the roof Of which
the signalling had been done, could
not be seen from anywhere in it, but
from the building they had an uninter-
rupted view for miles, and an espec-
tally wonderful one Of tho road over
which the troops were to pass in
thousands to the front. All Saturday
night one of us laid awake, and won
dered If the American Army would let
her try bit of perfectly legitimate
spy work, or if her head would be
chopped off if she were to suggest 1t
After the service in the old cathedral,
she bravely walked into headquarters,
and told the colonel of her plan, which
was that he send her up the face Of
the mountain in motorcycle side
car with soldier whom he could
trust, and let her see what information
she could get from the inmates Of the
house on the summit.
The car was sent around in about
ten minutes, she put on her uniform,
took box Of chocolates, which we
knew would be sufficient temptation to
cause the downfall of almost anyone
this summer, when sweets were about
unknown, and went flying down the
street on her mission. There was al
most a path, seeming to lead in the
direction of where she hoped to go, so
she and the soldier started upon it:
after few feet it entirely disappear
ed, but nothing daunted, they got out
and pushed the car up the incline, at
last helped by two others who they
met in the field. The heat was intense,
and, behold, when they reached the
there was their goal across a
valley on top Of another hill. There
vas no time to be lost, for that was
-four performance" day, so they
stumbled down one mountain and
,anted up the other, until they reach
ID their destination.
With the chocolates as bait, she got
good bit Of information, and the
woman living in the farmhouse prob.
lbly thought her sort Of harmless
unatic, for she told most Of her fam
ly history and when the peasant was {
addressed in German, she did not do as
would have done If she were a loyal
french woman, that is, fly into rage, {
ut was Teutonically calm. {
The colonel was most grateful for ,
he information we could give him,
nd our most valuable possessions are ,
he letters which he wrote, thanking
IS for what he says was "our help /.
owards the unravelling Of piece of ,
evilish work. 4
Ii it is true that we were Of any {
ssistance in the protecting of our {
rave boys in this way, we shall al ,
rays feel that il was the greatest {
iece Of good fortune which could pos !
IDLY have befallen us. Il
In another letter, written from the /
ront, this same colonel seems TO have I
ahmed up the whole attitude Of our q
oys at war when he says "We have 4
ad our baptism Of fire -. 1t I
'ould do your heart good to see these h
rawny and honest Americans 90 n