The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-10-02


to ii, quietly in the train after the
exritemni OF the departure from the
railway station, where we had to tell
our life's history to numberiess French
officials. There were nothing but
signs OF war on all sides: miles oil
wonderful hospital trains, camouf'aged
trucks and cannon, and always the
thousands and thousands of soldiers.
The station just '.this side OF ours
had been telescoped by the train ahead
five men had been killed. and the re-
manning six, sleeping in one OF the
rooms, had been disturbed Our sta
ton was nothing but heap OF ruins
for il had been bombed fiat during an
afraid a day or two previous. There
were dug outs on all sides, and more
being made, while all the buildings
ncar were absolutely windowlcss. The
"Y" men drove us to their headquar-
tiers. Ia lovely house which the owners
had vacated because the Boche was SO
unpleasantly near:) not because they
wanted us there, but because they did
not know what to do with US! Every
thing was just as it had been left;
children's toys lying about right where
the little fingers had left them and
silver dishes and cut-glass cleaned in
the cabinets. There was sun parlour
which opened upon beautiful garden,
while the kitchen, with its white and
blue tiled floor and stove to match, was
perhaps, the most interesting room OF
them all
At last the tired men "came to-
| (t.iey were almost worn out from then
days Of ceaseess work at the Front,)
and we were motored over To the Hot
lell II was filled with mud-caked
French soldiers, just front mthetrenches
and there wasn't pane of glass in the
entire building: if one wanted any
Hight and opened the heavy shutters
the rain and wind blew in in shlvery
gusts: it was discouraging! We said
meckIy, that we would rather go TO
private house.. which after much
searching we found. 1t wasn't eas,
IN find one, for, though there were
many, most were without any but thu
barest amount of furniture, as th'
owners had hurried all their valuable'
out to protect them from the Huns.
At Madame Picard's we were mos
luxuaious, for we had two rooms: we
we're brave, however, for Ma@ame tolt
us that the one which Grace took wa:
really rented to Captain, but tina
she didn't think he would be bacl
while we were there! fHe didn'
Gomez 1t was in the back of tn
house that 1t was, and the window lok
ed over the barnyard, filled with man.
growing and screaming animals, ou
+. the view of the Marne beyond was de
: lightful. Franks was the front am
from her window one could see 10
miles down the River through tn
peaceful valley. (just across from ou
front door, however, there wer
French machine gunners, their gun
so skilIfully camoufaged that we coul
not distinguish them among the cab
bages and the poppies.) At the sid
of the house soldiers were busily re
building bridges which had been blow
up TO protect the town from the ad
vancing Germans.
Madame apologized for the bath
room, entirely devoid of plumbing a
il was, and explained it by telling u
that they had had everything tina
? they really prized carted miles ava!
when the enemy was SO near, the 9th
er articles of furniture or OF decora
ton were considered less valuabl
than the bath tub,) and we quite un
derstood it when she told US Of hoy
they had been obliged to clean tn
lovely little house out with pitch-fork
when il had been occupied BY the Ge'
mans in the early part Of the war, be
fore the Americans had come to hei
them. She said she was all ready a
y that time to take her daughter by tn
hand and to walk into the Marne a
her only means of safety from tn
Fiends.
The building was Of cream colore
bricks. decorated with glazed tiles Q
turquoise blue, and seemed IKE "cit
house" except for It's gardens. Thes
were mass of wis.cria rId roses an
the brick fcnce-posts and iron grill oV
br the entrance were covered WIT
them.
The Picard family consisted Of Ma
I dame, Monsieur, Mademoiselie, VII
works in the bank at the Town, and
young American soldier, who is actin
G as chauffeur for one Of our officer
I'VE imagine that before long per
: haps the young man will be quite
0f 49, fn..... ..A - tnnra. =. eytaac