The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-16
By HARRY ESTY DoUNcE.

60 TORIES? ON, gee-Im so fuH
Of stories, big things l saw.
~ that ! wouldn't know which
10 pick. Things I did myself? That
wouldn't be much to write about.
But look here. II you want to write
about what people did, 1 can tell you
about a dozen different men-regular,
genuine. first rate men, the best they
make There's old Delesalle. the Cap
tain Of our squadron. Tho finest fell
lew in the world, And the best air
man. And the best officer! Every
one of us would have died for him in
minute. Ought to be able to write
peach Of an article about him"
Ensign Campbell speaking. Hugh
Gordon Campbell; it sounds like
Scots wha Haze" being recited by
Harry Lauder. and indeed the ensign
says both his parents were Caledonian
born. He is %, technically a United
States Navy man. but practically a
veteran OF the Escadrille de st. Pol,
which got some Of the surplus candi-
dates for the Lafayette Escadrille.
The uniform he Is wearing Is Eng
,ish khaki. II the ensign should sport
his decorations, instead of mere ships
OF the ribbons that represent them,
he'd look like a perambulating olive
co,ored Christmas tree. He has the
LAFAYETTE service emblem, personally
bestowed by Clemenceau: the Croix de
Guerre with two citations, the Me-
daille de NardM, a fouragere on his
left shoulder denoting two army cita-
tons and the emblem OF his French
pilots brevet. which you get after two
months Of active air service. The last
is a pin. a wreath with an eagle and
star.
Father IL the Mayor of Lille.
But never mind those. Let me tell
Won about Delesalle. His fathers M.
IL Marie the Mayor Of Lille, that 3s--
and was shut up there with his people
all the time the Germans held the
cltv. You must have heard OF the old
man. He's a wonder. Delesallc him
self was the Mayor OF Madeleine
that's n little suburb Of Liiie-when
tho war began. And he'll succeed his
father In Lille. You watch. They IL
kcep that Office in the family sixty
years. Who Is there to run against
rim? Delesalle can have what he
wants in Lille. you bet. p.
last October, when the city was
rrcaptured, we were operating wlttui
easy distance. Twice We got the re-
mort that Lille was taken before II
really came off. Delesalle was heart
broken with disappointment. crazy 10
.oo his father. he led us over Lille
both times, and we saw It wasn't true
He was pretty anxious and preoccu-
nied those days. though that didn
hinder him from looking after each
one of us right down to the least -oe-
tail. the way he always had
And then finally the. Boches We're
Kicked out. The day the city was clear
~ EN- Dele and old Van Fleet and |
Few over and landed in field Just
outside the houses. Hadn't been down
Two minutes before we had about
couple Of thousand kids around US
those poor little half starved French
kids. that hadn't had a chance to get
rut aud run around in so many months
Tho Eoches maze the people stay IN
their houses. And food-why. a week
after the place was reoccupied regular
supplies hadn't begun coming In; the
roads were all torn to nothing, and
the Boches had blown up the railroads
n every direction-you'd see the peo-
pie. rich and poor that used to be-
now faring all the same-lined UP In
a great long breadline TO get the Red
Cross supplies, a little double handful
for each one. -
started on on the Run.
i tell you. the souls and bodies oil
.-ioSe poor kids were just barely hang
irs together. But the enemy was gone
and they were free! Every one In Lille
mad known Dele. When they crowded
around our planes he wasn't recog'
n!zed at first, and then some kid yelled
his name and the rest took 1t up, and
Old Dele started TO run through the
streets, fit TO break his neck. Van and
ran, too, but we were distanced
After US came a comets tail OF kids,
doing as we'll as their thin little legs
could do, and shouting that Dele had
come
He collected a regular throng. They
TOOK him to the Marie, or the Pre-
fec'oire, or whatever its name Is. We
caught up in time to sec the old
gentleman come out. Both Of 'enu
were crying. When they caught sigh
OF each other all the people yelled
lA'y looked all init was awful
'l' they found the pep for the oc-
'asion. II was fine to be there at that
minute, and yet guess Van and
oo'h looked away. The father hadn't
even known IL Dele was alive or not
no hadn't heard a word in about -four
years. 80 =
And believe me, that old Mayor
oe'esalle Is a wonder. Lille is in prett,
good shape. 1t never was strafed q
very much. The Germans blew up al
ohe gates and took all the wires anS
ripped up the trolley rails to get tn,
meal. III cay those French peopi,
IN Lille are fine. Splendid. They hel,
ner heads up through It all. Tn,
Germans couldn't break EN-.
There's an opera house. Tie Ger
mans opened II when they tool
'narse and kept good performance
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