The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-11-13

friends in The States who we knew
would be- only too glad 10 send tn
money with which TO buy one. but q
that would take months: in the mean
time the men were hungry for music
Two days before we were 70 sail w
were In the post-oflice Of the ~
where everything is excitement, wher
In walked the one person Of whom w
could dare to ask such an enormou,
gift II was not that we knew hin
well, personally, but his generosity i
almost limitless: SO up we stepped ant
said bravely, Would you like to d.
something very nice p "For you twt
girls?" he replied. Incidentally
yes" we said; then we told him about
the little hospital, and that we hac
just that morning seen a piano, a sec
ond hand one Of course, which could
be bought for eight hundred and fifty
francs. Without more adoo, he hand.
ed US a thousand franc note, saying
"Go and get il today, but it must be 0
gift from you two girls, don't let my
name appear in any way. 1T is need
less TO say that we were almost
speechlcss from JOY. We had bit Of
work to do in finding just the right de-
partment for the shipping Of such an
unwieldly article, but everyone was as
excited and pleased about it as we
were, it was forwarded the next day
by special camion, and we have heard
from the officer in charge Of the hos
pital that it is giving just as much
pleasure as we knew it would. We
only wish we might give the name Of
the wonderful man who was the
donor!
A most interesting young chaplain
had been taking his meals at our hotel
in Bar-sur Aube and we had wondered
often to what nation he belonged, for
he both looked French and spoke the
language perfectly, while he was al
ways quick to answer our boys with
the latest American slang" One
Saturday he came and asked US If we
would sing something at the church
service at which he was to officiate on
the following day. We told him that
we would be more than glad to do
anything we could, but that we had
brought no sacred solos from America
except those with English words: that
was quite as well, he said, so on Sun
day at nine we went over to the beau
tiful cathedral early. SO that we might
have few moments in which to try
the organ before the congregation
should assemble. The regimental
band was already there when we ar
rived.
Up the winding stairs, so crumbling
with age that one could pick up large
pieces of fallen stone-work at every
step, bowed little old man literally
led US to the organ loft, from the ele-
walton of which the church burst upon
US in all its really surprising beauty.
1t was six hundred years old, the
organ almost equally ancient, and
seemed to be even larger than Grace
Church in New York. This organ was
a real surprise when Frank expert
mented with the various stops, for
the tone was SO wonderfully sweet.
She had just started to try when up
the steep stairs young soldier came
he said that he'd be glad to
play any accompaniments for us, and,
when he saw our only too natural
relieved our minds entirely
by telling us that he had been an
and pupil Of Arthur Foote'S
in Boston He was quite used to the
organ, for when he wasn't working in
The post-ofiice department, he was Or
yanist for the division! He said there
was one especially good place to stand
when one sang (for the acoustics were
lueerD and Grace was only too glad
o profit by his experience and stand
sut where he told her to. Over the
window at the right, we read, in faded
etters outlined on the crumbling
'tone, "Aymeras ton Dieu de tout ton
.oeur, ct ton proclaim CONNIE ton
nemes." The band opened the SER
nee by giving an operate selection,
hen the 'young chaplain appeared in
ull robes Of a Catholic Priest. He
rave part of the Mass in Latin,
Issisted by one of the soldiers in his
egulation uniform, and then Grace
ang "There is Green Hill Far
Away" Every boy fell on his knees
nd bowed his head: no one had ex-
'ected to hear a solo in English, least
( all in a woman's voice, and il was
lmost too affecting for them to bear.
low either of us stood il, we viii
ever know tit was even more heart