The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

% ses lonely. Bsnsvs M. mothsr.
Jfms mother stopped reading aloud here
There are uninportant passages in boys
letters home which do not sesm unimportsnt
10 the recipients. She closed the book and
then turned TO me smiiingiy.
wen 80 To- this cabaret tonishf-Shan
wer
-wer. shah wer- I answered Il wonder.
II isn't just the hind Of plaes where ordi-
narfiy ladies- was noundsrins on.
when her voios. now very clear indeed. In
terrupted ma = -
Il, don't mind Eotns anywhere where my
boy went.
-oh-" murmred IN confusion, . IT'S only
that the songs sometimes--B But, Of course,
ypu wouldn't understand the songs and
Swhat would underytand.- she explained
-she now had 10 exphin things to both her
husband and me- would Be any one who
had been sorry for my Jim when he was
lonely for home and fpr his father and
mother"
see," answered. But saw - wen the
tawdry Caboret kondain and the somewhat
bedrassied beauties who sang hoarseiy and
then dispensed q discouraged Eayety at the
tables where they chose to sit. I saw poor
Miss Sunshine her whitened face and
painted lips. and the glory Of her hair. tar.
nished and neglected gold, ruin Of beauty.
ruin Of womanhood as Jim's mother had
known 1t far away, back there. She would
indeed be a strange priestess at the shrine
which my friends meant to visit in the
coming night. Yet was not everything which
they found along their pilgrims road .
shrine?
cannot pretend that my afternoon was
wholly happy. though as otoero~e I had
never personally conducted" any tourists
more anxious to be pleased. They liked St
Roch's church and his picture, and they took
fancy to the little Trilie Yet some queer
foreooding was on me, not exactly n Of
danger threatening. a. Of sorrow ready to
pounce upon our little band Must Be
honest7-I consumed two glasses of porto
blanc before Joined my friends again for
dinner. Perhaps it was this port wine, per.
haps 1t was the golden moon that rose, even
lovelier than on the night before, behind the
tower and flooded the little town with beauty
and magic. perhaps 1t was some inveterate
and inherited belief in soodness-and possi-
bly, in Ohio; at any rate, something at length
abated my gloom. Had not for a day be-
come, too. a pilgrim on the way that led
through France back from the little cross
under which Jim lay to Brest and the blue
water that stretched westward to America?
And were not pilgrims always sheltered
from harm?
We entered the Caboret Mondain at the
height. il there were one, OF its dismal
gayety. Monsieur Tic.Toc, a dwarflsh little
creature who. am quite sure, cleaned the
establishments pots and kettles in the morn
ing. was singing. with pathetic winks the
story Of young lady named Angelique TO
whom had happened things which would
quite certainly not have happened TO her In
Lanesville. Ohio.
party Of French drummers whom had
earlier observed At the Ecu de France were
going a. far a. a bottle Of cheap champagne,
and Ia crosse Adthtlde. powerful brunette,
was making considerable play with them at
table nearer ours than I might have
thought best. But fortunately the dark and
somewhat overblown beauty was recalled to
the small stage, whore slightly sentimental
ballad. rendered IN deep. hoarss voice.