The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-26

l 1918 had bored hole in the French lines. In 1914 taxicabs had carried armies out On these roads to dig trenches, he said. but most of the trenches that were outer ! Qualifications of Paris had been filled in and plowed over.
 "I'm crazy ahnnt this battlefield tour ing" Miss Philadelphia finally on- served. with a momentary flash of thought. Tt sort of puts you in the war spirit, don't you know
 "Yes, that's so, agreed the Ohio bank CT. "I had a nephew over there-over here, I mean. What he told me all comes back as we go along. Look, there's good example of German marksmanship!'
 | "The little house on the right" recited | the guide burned down accidentally about year ago. We are not yet in the battle zone.' Soon we were, though.
 What placer" inquired Miss Phila- delphia.
 "Meaux," echoed the banker then spelled it, as she seemed perplexed.
 "Oh, that's it. I should have pro- nounced it-you know-the way the cat talks. Moe? I just never will learn French''N
 Nothing but red roofs, even on the old cathedral" observed the Kansas teacher. War is dreadful
 "Yoe can never tell-maybe they were an ugly yellow before they were shelled." The Ohioan grinned unnatural ly, then caught himself. That wasn't a nice thing to say. Pardon"
 He was silent, and they were silent as the bus wound around the streets of the crippled town and headed swiftly into the open country again. It was quite like wartime, this silence before striking the front, Meaux had been the place where the Second division, after brief bivouac, was ordered toward Chateau Thierry We were retracing their la nous rush to the rescue. The fields were green and yellow under the midsummer sunshine. Peasants toiled as if they had never had an Interruption. The road was as smooth as a new boulevard. Yet the three battlefield tourists from America weer obviously breathing more quickly. They were in the war zone the village of Montreul-aux-Lions. This was the spot where the Tanks plugged the German leak
 THEN BELLEAU WOOD
 Beleau wood and Chateau-Thierry Lunch in Chateau-Thierry. The eternal veal again. Red or white wine? Miss Philadelphia asked for red without look ing up. Miss Kansas wanted bottled water. MT Ohio had both. Half and half as the French do," he explalned airily Bu-s he wasn't heard. War IS hateful' the school teacher kept re- reating. ITO think that people with sup r rosed intellirence order this to take nlace II makes me doubt the value of education" The glass of red wine disappeared lunder the broad low brim of the bedi- zened hat of the gay young woman l from Philadelphia, but she had only llittle sip Then her hands disappeared under the broad low brim and she bent | forward.
 "Oh, did the wine make you ill?' in- ouired the banker, anxiously. and the school teacher was about to rise.
 No" and suspicious sniff. It was |, that pretty little cemetery. had iboy friend who was marine. He must ] be there, but I didn't look for him. m ashamed to U had forgotten al l about him. We were never very close friends When I heard he had been killed in Belleau Wood 1t made me sad, of course but I promptly forgot inm again Suddenly, with a shock, re- lmembered when we were in the cem- | tery It brought him awfully close 10 me-something like a brother-and somehow I didn't want to see any more, hut wanted to get away oy my | self"
 "Oh. that's too bad" Under the hat a nowder puff. rouge stick and mirror 1 disappeared this time.
 1 And nthing more was said. during a, 1 walk around the fairly well repaired i town and climb back into the bus where there was wait Of another ten ! minutes until the driver had had his l second cigarette and the other passen- | gers had been rounded up. | Again on the move. The desolation ln- l creasing as the famous Marne pocket 1 is penetrated. Fere-en Tardenois and shanty school that interested Miss Kan sas for a fleeting moment as the bus rambled past. Rugged vineyard country and tangles of barbed wire. Then Rheims, the mecca of all battlefield tourists.
 WHY RHEIMS IS POPULAR | It is easy to explain why Rheims is l so popular as d ruins. It is quickly and easily reached by train and bus out | of Paris. It is the cheapest single day ! tour to the front that one may make. It's glorious cathedral is the most fa- nous modern ruin. The whole world gasped at each explosion or fire in the church during her four long years | "Champagne" had attached a glittering setting to the city of vreckage. And to learn that it is pronounced vance" and not 'reems' r-''rimes" is r,mething to make one long to see the y'ace. 1 Whats your first imnression?" in- ouired the banker thoughtfully when the
 
 ir the place in front of the cathedral and the guide had finished with his his torcal and architectural recitation. 1 "They must have had fierce time tere." commented the Philadelphia gill. : deeply awed Inv the inonotony of ruins 1 ir avery direction.
 Isn't it wonderful how beautifully bal anced the old cathedral is even with pin- nacies gone. towers shattered walls sashed and with that dglv scaffoldine of workmen everywhere The cathedral svmbolizes uncomfortable life and beauty. The city itself is like mangled corpse be ing puttied up hv leisurely undertakers,r' slowly remarked the school teacher 1 That's what I thought" said the bank CT, And have you noticed that on the sidewalk of all the cafes everybody is drinking beer? I thought we would see champagne being drunk like water' l And you know those dummies that dressmakers use? We'll nearly every one 1 of those wrecked houses has French Lizzie in the ruins.' gravely reported Miss Philadelphia.
 i Those gargoyles seem to have either 1 the agony of fear or the defiance of fiend- l ishness in their awful faces. don't they?'' from Miss Kansas.
 The party walked around the cathedral, even entered a temporarily walled and fad cIa al Hafv