Evening star., 1938-05-29
Moy %. 1888

AIN iell upon the Arc de IrlOmphe.
Il Cold, drizzling rain. 1t fell unheeded
II by the twenty old women who marched
~ in procession. their eyes fixed sonberly
on the everlasting fame which leaped above
the Unknown Soldiers grave. Twenty Gold
Star mothers. All from south of the Mason
and Dixon line, with skins varying in hue
from lightest yellow to sootiest black.
Mandy, the oldest, shuffled at the head of
the procession. Hers was the privilege to lay
the great wreath upon the shrine. Shuttle,
shuttle, shuttle, sounded the shining black
rubbers into which Mandy's calloused feet
were thrust DE Gov'ment" had bought her
the rubbers. 1t had bought her shoes, too.
But she had never had on shoes before, so the
rubbers were better. Shuttle, shuttle, shuttle
NAH boy amt unknown - nah boy amt
unknown" Mandy muttered ceaselessly to
herself in sort of chant, the Gold Star on her
breast rising and falling stormily.
''Po' ole Mandy!" one of the mothers whis-
pered to another, and the sound carried to
MANDY as her toilworn black hands helped to
lift the gorgeous wreath. ''Po' thing! Dis heah
French Unknown Soldiers grave will mind
I1uh dat dey don know which grave is huh
John Henery's.'
s. Kinda funny amt it, Mis- Washin'ton?
pNhy you reckon dat is?"
n Mandy Strengthened up, her face working
0ueerly. STEADY there" 1t was the nurse at =.
taer elbow. alert, kind, firm, untiring.
NAH boy amt unknown
Don't worry about that, Mrs. Johnson.
.fou know he fell on the battlefield - that he
u lied hero. Isn't that enough?"
:; Mandy subsided, but her old eyes flashed
IS she heard the complacent tones of Mis-
fVashin ton" behind her: "Mah son lies in his
,,wn grave, undah his own proud name, praise
ie Lawd!'
d Those other nineteen mothers had been
hmtying Mandy all the way over on the ship
i;he knew in some vague way that they felt
n little superior. She writhed under it. All the
dear pride in her Gold Star was tarnished by
tt. She hadn't understood very well - why
cper boy was called Unknown" But while
anic grew in her heart, she refused stub
o,ornly to believe the kindly officers who
fought to prepare her. Why, if it were as they
aaid. she would never know whether she had
alone honor to John Henery johnson, her own
ipved son. or some trif1in' niggah widout
Uny raisin'. They'd never have brought her
70 far over land and sea for that!
|. But her defiant certainty faded as the time
,:Irew near. She dreaded the trip out to Ro.
magne. to the battlefield and the cemetery,
the ultimate shrine.
She shrank back behind the others when
she was helped down from the bus at the Rest
House in Romagne. She stood long time
looking down the slope and up the other side.
Little white crosses. Acres of them. Fields of
chem, little white crosses.
She clutched her big reticule closer, that
clumsy reticule which she kept beside her
night and day. The other mothers had been
curious as to what it contained But she had
never opened it before them.
The young army officer was directing the
other mothers to the graves of their sons.
Attendants escorted them with their wreaths
md their flags and their little tokens brought
from home, and left them alone with their
lead.
Mandy was waiting somberly, choking back
,obs, clutching the reticule. She had seen
nineteen mothers find nineteen graves on
which fluttered, for this day, little flag to
mark them from the rest. The kind young
'ficer returned to her. Come, Mrs. John
on," he said gently. You are to pick out
,any one of the Unknown Soldiers graves and