The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-02-24

Northwest, Americas free
land.
Before you took your burdens up
or sceptre in your hand,
England and France will ne'er
forget your brave and gal
liant fight
When peace has wiped the sadness
out and uShered in the
light.
But if a stranger pilgrim from
far-off land you know
Might ask, a simple privilege,
t'would be to say to you
That when you come again unto
your own estate
With your queen and little chill
dren you enter the gate.
One fervent prayer you offer,
that bitterness and hate,
Revenge md all that it implies,
may not effect your fate.
Against a nation filled with signs,
women's fears and chill
drcn's cries,
Remember he is greatest who
ca~ the most forgive,
AnG yours shall be a life of
dC"ds--so far above the
nj
Thet cv""'' nation. in all lands,
shall proudly call you
brother.
"And it turned out so, for when
King Albert died, his wife and
children again returned to Ant
werp. The people knelt on the
street as his carriage passed.
con the street one day some
little children were kneeling,
saying the Lords Prayer before a
ruined church. They paused
when they came to forgive us
our trespasses'-when a deep
voice behind them said, "as we
forgive those who have trespass-
ed against us. 1t was King AL
bert.
"Just here l might go back a
little to relate another incident
of my story but / want to say
that before leaving Holland, a
young Belgian count gave me a
l.edallion in a little velvet and
weed case with King Albert's
ACE engraved upon it. l treasure
mat so, but it was stolen from
me some years later, here in the
u. S.
While I was in Holland l met
another American woman, from
Chicago, Ill. She begged me to
run down to SaS van Heudt at
the very border of Belgium.
Il went to the best hotel but
paused at the doorway because
the large room I faced seemed to
be a bar room but it proved to
be the office and reception room
as we'll I was. shown upstairs
to my room. viii I ever forget
those stairs? They were almost
like climbing a ladder, each step
only a few inches deep. My room
faced a WIDE canal, where all the
barges passed with the supplies
of food sent from the u. S. to
Herbert Hoover, who, with Mrs.
Hoover, was keeping the Belgian
populace alive by methodically
dealing out food. The people
came in line, each with basket,
and according to the number in
their family, were supplied with
sufficient food, healthful food. 1
wondered, though, why these
barges were kept standing at the
very edge of Belgium until aft
or dark. for German soldiers
guarded the line between Hol-
land and Belgium
Il watched a woman on a
steamship anchored in the canal
in front of the hotel do her
washing. She had to let a pail
down by a rope into the water
and pull it up bucket at time.
Then the clothes were hung on
rope on the resr dock to- dry.
''Thev tell YOU that Holland is
the cleanest country in the world
but | give Sweden that honor.
for in front of one hotel was a
large concrete space-it ran all
along the dock past other hous-
es-and they came and dumped
their trash and garbage there
just after Dutch woman had.
scrubbed it on her hands and
knees. Then the trash collector
came along with a. great dog
pulling a large box-like boys
play cart. He gathered the trash
and put it in the box and passed
on. He was in 'uniform'-that is,
his cart and cap seemed military,
but his trousers were not.
"One day l walked out alone,
along the line dividing the two