Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1920-08-21
Americans in France

ing OH the French.
Jean Rogicr, leading Frcnchwriter
10 learn just what feet The sight of
tie French batti,fieIds and devastated
regions might make OH americans
seeing them fox The first sine, made
our day trip with American tour
ists TO Chalors, ar.int Mihiel, Ferdln
the Argoane, Champagne, RI Gins and
Scissors.
During those io,r days, Rog;er
declared to the ilited Press, Il
lied Wit, them, ] atched their ges-
tires, studied tre.r elances and
loolts, | observed III .ii wortls, and.
THINKS, read the. hearts
These AMERICANS, especially the
,'.lcr ores were very gay aud thei,
gaYiety, rather hoyish, if not childish
at times, first grated on me aud then
shocked nc. ! Noud have preferred
e meet them rrGvc and already pre-
pared Tor the aorrnwlul proc. TO which
:hcy were subjected.
.'But suddenly among the very
.irst ruins, this gayic,y died a,ia seem
y to bury isei in the stones OF the
3rcrthrowa villages They no long
II laughed and no longer jnEed.
The irig',tfui image OF The war he
Kan 10 appcar. 1t was there before
thcir eyes and no longer were they
.1'c to turn Their eyes away.
They looked with frightened cx-
oressions at the disemboH eied houses
Il the demolished church towers, at
nil,ed churches, az the torn and twist
II ;ronwork OF Tic former factories,
It the riddicd walls and all the hid
.oue skeletons o; the war which pass
d along at thc side OF the automo-
lies Ike skeletons,
With extended arms the American
our;sts pointed OFT n the distance
ni2fl red spots lhat ejthe, stood out
gainst the green yerdrre Of the hills
r REDEEMED the grass of tie prairies
"Burned-burned---a viliyge burned.
! oh! Oh! Oh"
Their lips never ceaset, 10 repeat
Dis trembling lanentation in tones
E! hat ;lterin:Xcd thcir pity their sor-
aw, their indignation and iheir anger.
There ere people Whose sensibili-
les are suddenly aroused al moments
! 'se the opening and sh,ltti, = of door:
| nd there arc others where the sensi-
ilitics remain like a silent and viglant
ervant
With these Americans there was
q cXh1lberarce Of gesture, no fracas
i words, no extravaganza OF any
xpresion. II was only on their faces
nd i'll their eyes that | could read
.lleir expressions and see their souls
effected. Their silence translated
:1cir. emotions and spoke more loud.
! : than as though they had uttered
nc most vehement curses
| As yet the thought of death had
:ot beenborne to them. 1t only struck
hem as they stood before Beleau
! Wood and ROMANCE where 27,O0C
t raves lie dug in the shade OF tie
/ ."eeS.
With slow steps, uncovered heads
! nd pious gestures they entered as
ne enters a temple. On each cross
here was name, the number OF the
/ cSiment, bit sometimes only one
:ord: Unknown"
"Onc OF my companions pointed ouf
/. the middle q, the cemetery crown
! 81 pearls resting against a flagstaff
rom the crown of which floated the
Ears and Stripes. Worked into the
crown Wit, different colorc,l bead:
| as the inscription which she trans
ated from Trench irto English.
The city q Montrousc, mar
rsigne of the village q Trolley to the
American soldiers who died or Lib
| rty. Justice and Right
THAT IS swcct--vcry sweet mnr-
pured the -Amrcan tourist.
One OF then. Z woman, continued:
! 1T is very sweet Iior US 10 feel that
France has not l.orGot our boys who
fought along side her own
Then one al the American women
ran to 4 little wooden house all white
II the center Of young Expresses and
flowers where she exchanged Jew
words with a young American girl
sitting on the vcranda. shook hands
ard fllen returned to join tie party.
81 don't know any OF the girls
she said, but they arc the guardians
Of the cemctery--all volunteers-they
live there all alone and I felt that |
~ai'tad TO thank them on behalf of
ali t,c women OF The United States.
these delicaoies of the ieart, these