Evening star., 1940-05-26

But back In that little duchy, with
the Germans rapidly retreating, riots
broke out. The rabid patriots as
sailed the Grand Duchess with
narrowing invectives. She listened,
tight-lipped and grim, to their cries
of German spy!" and "Abdicate!"
All the love her subjects had once
lavished upon her had turned to
hate, blind, unreasoning hate.
She had nowhere to turn, and the
frightened, 23-year-old monarch
wept in the seclusion of her cham
bers.
In the meantime the artillery unit
of our division was quartered in an
old hospital in Stenay. We chafed
with impatience. The war was over
and we wanted to 60 home. The
rank and file may have been ig-
norant of conditions in Luxem-
bourg, but headquarters was quite
aware of their serious significance.
There was blood on the moon!
The artillery had been pretty
badly shot-up, especially during the
last phases of the war. Our horses
reeembled superannuated scarecrows
of inferior quality, and the human
personnel wasn't in much better
condition. Most Of us had been
fighting that war since August, with
neither rest nor relief.
But the greater tragedy of the
little duchy had to be considered
So the infantry and the rest of the
division buckled on their gear and
started for Luxembourg without us
They clawed their way up through
France, across Belgium, and on De-
cember 18 elements of our 33d Di-
vision and detachments of the 5th
entered Luxembourg.
Rumors drifted back to us, rumors
that were later substantiated. We
were more interested in our little
Christmas boxes from home. But
we learned in passing that the
Yanks had occupied the grand
duchy not a moment too soon. A
small but bloody revolution had been
averted.
Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide
could, with the aid of the American
bayonets. have retained her throne
She had tried hard to rule judi
ciously and we'll, but the fates had
stacked the cards against her. The
pendulum had swung to the opposite
extreme. She was no longer needed
not even wanted. She refused to
consider ruling by force for hers
was a democratic people. There was
but one recourse: She would abdi-
cate for the good of her country
Abdicate in favor of her sister.
Princess Charlotte.
Marie Adelaide closed her eyes to
contemplate the future. She saw
herself at Modena. Italy, entering
a novice chapter of the Order of
the Carmelites. There, speaking only
when religious duties compelled it,
she would exclude all thoughts of
the tragic past. Her crown would
be cowl, her scepter the cross, her
royal chambers tiny, barren cell.
Death would be her only visitor, and
perhaps she foresaw his coming a
decade later.
Back in Stenay we alternately
shined harness and cursed the stu
pidity Of those who needlessly kept
US in France after the war had
ended. We also discussed this
strange, mythical country where the
rest Of our division was alternating
Some Of our more scholastic pedants
insisted that Luxembourg was an in
dependent duchy and not part Of
Germany. But the consolidated ig-
norance Of the rest of us laughed
the sages to silence.
Early In January the powers-that-
be pronounced our horses and ma
teriel In condition to travel. We har-
messed and hitched and were soon
rumbling over the roads Of France
on the way toward Belgium. This
was strange country In contrast to
what we had seen before. No shat
tered villages poked their ghoulish
bones up toward the sky. The ear
Ner devastation had been wiped
away by the four-year occupation Of
German soldiery.
For two days We rumbled across
Belgium, and entered Luxembourg
shortly after Grand Duchess Marie
Adelaide had quietly abdicated. The
present Grand Duchess Charlotte
was now on the throne.
The populace, We soon learned,
appeared to be anything but pro-
German. But our suspicion attrib-
uted this to their desire to placate
the conquering troops.
Our suspicious seemed confirmed
when some one discovered q nag
hidden away somewhere in the
hotel. It was . black nag with q
huge gothic wv" on It. The soldier
waved 1t In triumph.
'Look!" he exploded, = German
nag. See the W. for Kaiser Bill?
These people keep al kinds Of flags
un1ler their beds. They wave the