Evening star., 1919-11-30
Translated from the French by Will
liam L. Mcpherson.

AANS Vu6ouSS t"clVo IeGL uUuer-
ground. three officers were seat
ed about table on which a poor
candle tlickered. Except for their
faces and a. book which lay open be-
fore them everything in the room was
lost In shadow. Capt. Chevignard
knocked his pipe against the corner
Of the table, spilling out the ashes.
Then he said:
Read the Albatross once more. And
read 1t slowly" >...
Sub-Lieut Abeilles started to read
hut the flap which covered the open-
ing into the dugout was raised and a
sergeant appeared. He saluted
graVely. Without a word he handed
folded slip Of paper to the CAPTAIN.
"Ah! ah!" said the latter, laying
down his pipe.
The others watched him as he
opened the note and read it. There
was an expression Of anxiety in their
eyes. A certain tenseness seemed to
.pervade the air and the silence. Chew
ignard, without speaking. glanced at
his wrist watch. They all understood.
The lieutenant asked:
rs it the order for the attack? Ia
IL Tor tonight? At what timer"
He passed them the note. which
perhaps, condemned them to death.
they looked at their watches to find
out how many minutes they still had
10 live. But it wasn't desirable to
ABANDON themselves to thoughts which
might unnerve them. If but a few
moments Of life remained those mo-
ments ought not to be spent in wav
to enfeeble the soul.
"Sergt. Payett"
Yes. captain?"
Read us your sonnet"
what sonnet, captain?"
You don't want to make me think
mat yesterday. or today. or the dav
before yesterday. perhaps, you didn't
compose fourteen lines, which Won
think exquisite and which humanity
is waiting for7 am humanity.
Will listen to them."
The young sergeant smiled with
happiness.
1T is true. captain. that I have
written little piece on which 1
should be glad A master like
you! And since you are so good"
Not so many phrases We are COL
leagues here. You are young, I'll
must die at midnight shall, at least,
have left you, as my testament. a
sincere Judgment Spout it out"
The little sergeant no longer
thought Of death. -{ze read aloud. at
first timidly and almost in a whisper,
then with more warmth and finally
with real emphasis. He stopped short
ut the close and Awaited the verdict.
"Not bad" said the captain. "Its
even good"
"very felicitous." said Lieut.. Bra
chon.
Happy both in rhymes and in
metaphors" said Abeilles.
And Chevignard added:
These boys astonish me-"
The sergeant folded up his manu-
script. He was enraptured. He no
longer remembered that he must at
tack in a few minutes.
But Chevignard resumed: -.
eyes. they astonish mo. Here are
these dandies playing their roles in
the most formidable drama ever
staged. They aren't dry yet behind
the ears. and they behave like leg
endary heroes. There are epics in
their smallest exploits. The most
ordinary letters which they scribble
for their papas and mammas furnish,
almost any day. material for a thou
sand years Of poems and tragedies.
And these same young men, when
they take their pens in hand to in
dite couple Of quatrains. serve us
up something already long ago
chewed over. For your sonnet is that.
my boy. It is the coin of before the
war. 1t isn't current now. 1t Is very
good. But 1t has no value today"
The sergeant. disappointed, looked
at the candle and then at the cap
tain. IIe had positively forgotten
about the impending assault. Chevi-
gnard continued:
what Is your object? What are
YOU aiming at? To charm, to fasci-
nate, to capture a public--that is to
say, 4 clientele? Are you poetf
Or are you merely a dealer in suyary
mcrrhandise? My hoy, try TO un-
!