Evening journal., 1919-01-25

II PLOlSI, The Aisne France, Jan. 10
f9f9-America did not choose France
as a battlefield. Neither did Franco
America, when the fighting ended, was
just beginning to realize something oi
what It means 10 live In a country al
war. Americans can never know (be-
cause France experienced the knowl-
edge for herr what it means to live in
the country in which the greatest OF
all wars has been fought.
Madame Defante and her family suf-
fered that some American family might
be spared.
In 1904 Monsieur and Madame Louis
Defante lived in a gray stone house in a
village in the Aisne Around their
home were eighty acres of rich land be
longing TO them which they Cultivated.
The land had belonged to the father OF
NJ. Defante, and before him 10 his IA
ther. When Louis was twenty-three he
married Marie Segur, daughter of 3
neighbor. With her dot" they fur
nihsed the home, they bought COWS.
sheep and chickens Two children were
born, Georges and Jeanne. The par
ents worked hard. They saved for the
dot Of Jeanne, for the inheritance Of
Georges that he might be able to in
crease the property and that they might
live their declining years in peaceful
dignity.
Madame Defante had never been To
Paris; Monsieur but once. They had
no desire to so far. They loved their
own land of which they knew every
plant and every stone. All they needed
| they bought at the little village a mile
u fFn h. .Fnl
school and attended church. They liv-
ed in their own principally benelting
by the institutions Of a country Of
which they were a proud part.
| In 1914 came war. Monsieur Defante
twas called to the colors. His wife did
not finch. She was a true daughter OF
France. She thought of her father who
had been killed in the previous war.
SThink not Of me-" she counsellesb
him Think not Of the children. Il
will care for them. Remember 1870
think Of FranceW
So he went to the war. So she and
the children stayed home. They were
ten and eight years old now Madame
Defante could find only one man. too
Ill TO go 10 war, and boy who was
lame. The children looked after the |
COWS, sheep and chickens and she help /
ed the man.
Then the Germans came. They settled /
In the village Four of them settled N |
her house. They took her cattle, her
grain. her food. They forced her TO
work. for them. They sent her chill |
dren, not 10 school, but TO the fields to 1
work under and for the German SOL
diers. They grew white and thin and
stopped. They grew afraid. And the
mother could do nothing No word
came from her husband. She could
send no word TO him. They were un-
der German domination.
This lasted two years and a half,
while she and the children grew weak
er. Then came the bombardment when
she and her children fled 30 the cellar
She grew too in TO work. For this
reason the Germans didn't take her
with them, but ordered her to leave
the children. She was ''verbotten" to
take blankets, food, anything.
They suffered hardships and cruelty
on the pilgrimage, but finally arrived {
in a village far from their home. They ,
were put in a house with ten other :
refugees. II was cold; no fire; but ;
little food. She could not buy the lit s
tie that was for sale because she had
sent her money 70 her sister for safe Z
keeping. I
But, at last she had news OF her 1
husband He was well, but two Of her I
brothers had been killed. With money '
he sent her, she joined her sister in a j
town nearer her old home. They had l
10 sleep four in a bed. She thought it J.
would be better for the children if she b