The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-10-30

I
80 around il, so that no stray bullet
would injure any Of the inmates. TIL
! whole American company was kille
by machine guns (which were fire
i from within the hospital) with tn
exception of fifteen men: those wen
into the building and when they left
there was not living being In il.
Many evenings the colonel, a younl
Irish captain who speaks perfec
French, six lieutenants, one of whom
told US in whisper that he had beei
a movie actor" at home (and yer,
well known one he is, too) a major. /
French captain, an American captain
and Vermont cousin whom we ha,
not seen for years, lieutenant, woult
all be sitting in the bureau" when W,
got back from the performance. Mad
anne and the three daughters woul,
join US and the men said il was like
having bit Of home, even though W,
had to repeat each anecdote and story
in French. When Madame la grand
mere thought II time for us all to 90
to bed, she would begin to lock things
up, and try to look severe, but she
couldn't quite manage to do it, SO she
would trot off, and leave us to finish
our talks.
| One night eight or ten British Of
ficers came in to dinner: we didn't do
as we invariably had done before, bow
to them, for we thought that they
wouldn't understand that we were
Americans, as our men always did;
(they were the first "loose" English
men we had seen, the others had al
ways been in our audiences). After
dinner as we were sitting in the Of
fee waiting to go to our next per-
formance, they all gathered around
us, introduced themselves as being
some Of the officers who had composed
our audience in Curbon, and asking if
we would mind @ going back to give
them another evening. 1t was inter-
esting to watch the faces of our
American friends, who had just been
trying to convince us that the Eng
lish nation was cold!
There has been serious misunder-
standing between the French and
English, all over the question of the
priced manure. When the British
cleaned up" town, they scattered
the fertilizer in all directions, any,
where to get rid of the unpleasant
odors which emanated from it: but the
Americans "gentiles CONNIE toujours,"
threw it upon the waiting fields, and
brought joy to the hearts of the
thrifty peasants.
When there are such limited means
OF transportation for civilians, as
there were this summer, of course,
matters are apt once in while to get
snarled. One night we were taken to
Spoy, but as it had net been sufficient
ly advertised for the boys to know
that there was to be an entertain
ment, and as those who did hear were
SO anxious to give us real "recep-
tior," we arranged to go to them the
{ fJ,lowing night As we sat in the car,
listening TO the hand which gathered
round as soon as they heard who we
were, and talking to the boys who
covered the running board and every
part of the machine to which one
could cling, an officer came out of a
building, and smilingly told us that he
had been giving lecture in a room
just above when one of the young
officers near the window came up to
nom, saluted and said, Captain
would you mind cutting it a little
short, Sir? Because the honest to-
God women are out in front, and we
want to go and talk to them" That
vas our name throughout the whole
iivision; 1t could not have been given
o any who would have appreciated it
more, or perhaps, realized the respon-
Utilities which went with il more
thoroughly.
When we did go to Spoy again they
ave us most hearty welcome. They
made stage for US, and with the
'iano on some boxes covered with
tanks, everything wobbly but quite
afe, we sang just outside the wonder
ul church and stood near the three
eautiful bells, marvelously carved
nd taller than we. After dinner,
Thich we had with the officers at their |.
they helped US into the auto
lobile, the interpreter, a charming :
renchman, picked handfuls Of flowers
rom the almost forgotten gardens,
nd we started off, always with a
romise to return il we possibly !.