With Those Who Wait

ill disclose their secret. I have rejoiced too often in the splendid serenity of St. Jean des Vignes, felt too deeply the charm of those ancient streets, hoped and suffered too inten

rved for your cathedral, your stately mansions, your magnificent gardens? What has become of those f

s stretching upward formed an archway overhead. Then came the last outpost of Army Police, a sentinel stopped you, minutely examine

dent life was wonderfully evident here and there. A curtain lifted as one passed, a cat on the wall, a low distant whistle, clothes drying at a window, a flowering plant on a balcony, sometimes a door ajar, through which one guessed a store in whose dimly l

e only one still extant. To be sure there were no panes in the windows, and ungainly holes were visible in almost all the

the central bouquet, stood an unexploded German shell. One of them had fallen on to the proprietor's bed, the second landing in the pantry, while twenty or thi

on. If you were to attempt to cross the threshold, however, your eye would be instantly greeted by a most

re. Besides if we put all to rights now, when our patrons return they will never credit half we tell them. S

ct of the active ant that immediately commences to rebuild its hill, obli

gs; the local manager of a Dufayel store had become almost a fanatic on the subject. His stock in trade consisted of furniture, china and crockery of all kinds, housed beneath a glass roof, which seem

in their employ, he would patiently recommence scrubbing, sweeping and cleaning, carefully r

no one of which had the requisite number of legs; behold mere skeletons of chairs, whose seats or backs were missing; sofas where gaping wounds displayed the springs; huge

traightening things out so

ventory when peace comes, if we were not to put a li

rry I ha

French concern, whose long oak counters were well polished from constant use. The shelves were piled high with piece after piece of wonderfu

d Madame L., "but you just can't live in disorder all the time, and customers w

xistence had long ceased to be a no

y come to be furnished almost as comfortably as the upper rooms in normal days. Little by little the kitchen cha

ont, the pork butcher. Her charcuterie renowned far and wide for its hot meat patès, ready just at noon, had been under

afraid I was a bit hasty, but three shells had hit the house in less than two hours, and my old mother was gettin

patés? What d

not make up my mind to bear it anothe

going out to meet death have g

husband out there in Lorraine. So I said to them

as though to excuse

you lose your head, but there doesn't se

t had once been the entrance to the Hotel de la Clef. She had attracted my attention almost immediately, the brilliant colours of her displa

elon. A shell had shattered her impromptu showcase, dislocated a wall on one side of t

spot," was the only lament. "Just see, there's a whole ba

ng an immense breach opening on to the street from

ntil I get set up inside there. You c

eturned and explained

terday. I had three this morning, but I sold them all to the gentleman of the artillery, and I've promised to-morrow's to the Brigade Officers. I

Fran?ois who keeps

, Ma

exchanged seeds and slips with him.

lieve

, and in response to our knockin

him, and he'll kill himself, or be killed at it as sure as I'm alive. You'll see, the shells won't miss him. He's escaped so far but he may not always be so lucky. He's already had a steel splinter in his thu

eway leading to the Avenue de la Gare, we hastened away, leaving her to babble

attoo on the high iron gate. But our efforts were crowned with success, for pr

ghted up wh

d to have the American sweet peas and the Dorothy Perkins. I

hange the conversation. Pe

see mine

ould have made the

ow off better! They're so splendid this year that

magnificent odorous glory onto the balmy air of this Isle de France country, whose s

thus spent; he at his fruit trees, I at my flower beds, cutting, trimming, scraping, clipping; inwardly conscious of other duties neglected, but held as though fascinated by t

e required degree of perfection beneath Père Fran?ois' attentive care. As I stood open mouthed in wonder before the largest b

said Père Fran?ois without

uples that have visited this spot in times gone by, for their vows of fidelity were graven in endearing terms on the stony sides of the

over a shell or two than bomb us from above!" ej

re! It makes me sick every time I throw a log of it on to the fire in the Winter. I can't tell you how queer it makes me feel. Of course, it's bad

urchased our melon and were presented with any number of little packets contain

. Why it's been ages since I had such a talk as this. I'm so glad you ca

continued, "Isn't it a pity that nobody s

shook most heartily, renewing his protestations of de

ad. And within a day or two we again had an excellent proof of this axiom when we discovered that Abb

compiling a history of the churches in the arrondissement of Soissons and Chateau-Thierry. He had been our guest at Villiers, and I remember having made for him an im

g documents and photographs, books, plans and maps, all of which though carefully catalogued, threat

heretofore known as his dining room. I was a bit struck by its disorder, and the good man w

e a shell hit my study yesterday noon, and has forced me to take

es are very slight these days, and the extreme quiet in which we

we cried. "What a parado

head. My ink bottle was upset and great streams trickled to the floor. But Divine intervention saved my precious manuscript which I was in the very act of copying, and although my notes and files were a

o brutal destruction, wanton waste, hideous massacre, and a goodly number of the churches of which

nd the love of good. My reflections, while perhaps not particularly deep nor brilliant, were none the les

of most horrible spectacles, had not weighed an instant in the balance against the repugnance

e soldier; and to whatever had been their habitual merchandise, was soon added a stock of mandolins, accordions, cheap jewelry, kit bags, fatig

iests and magistrates, all simple honest souls who had stayed because they were unable to resign themselves to an indefinite residence aw

visit to a lady who was much interested in an ouvroir, and who lived in

he deathlike silence, and presently a young maid-servant made

dame a

ashore last evening? Shall I give Madame their address at Houlgate? They've been goin

. "I might have known though. We shall dis

hter in a pretty dwelling on the boulevard Je

leaving town

are forbidden, and the sea air excites me so that I become quite ill, I fear we shall have to remain at home

uisite embroidered initials which bo

y enlarged it, and really feel that we have something quite unusual. But my table cloths are well worth it,

ill have a wonde

eau that will stand the test of time and washing," replied

great grand-mother, and I hope that my own great

ces it was hemmed and embroidered," gently proffered the

are happy and can live in peace? That's the principal

te of all. What more imperturbable confidence in its immortality could be manifested than by this mother and daughter calmly d

a bit flappy about the leg; a black cutaway jacket and a white piqué waistcoat. This classic costume usually comports a panama hat and an umbrella. Now Monsieur S. had the umbrella, but in place of the panama he had seen fit to substitute a blue steel soldier's helmet, whic

R S. OF

HIS G

ost Office to get my mail (three carriers having been killed, there were no longer any deliveries) I discovered that it was little sh

a swung across his back, his cassock tucked up so as to permit

ré, you've quite the

s, they're too old and too rheumatic. Well then, when a bombardmen

ciety while in Soissons. The local president, whose deeds of herois

ment had still left intact. Yet, save for the fact that paper had replaced the window panes, nothing betrayed the proximity of the German. Throug

old Curé de St. Vast, the General in command of the Brigad

s we, the civilians, that were telling our friends of the different activities that

n sending over a few shells and presently a serio

he tin roof opposite was uncomfortably close, I was convinced there was no theatrical display of bravery,

p cellarward, instead of which she whispered that on account of the bombardment we were likely

hrough the aperture made by the backward swing of the great door, I caught sight of a ruddy cheeked, fa

ow where she halted, smiled bashfully, set down her

aid she, "so sorry if

o it

gist who on greet

uble?" And yet he remained simply because it was a dru

op blown out; who went right on publishing when the roof caved in, and who actually never ceased doin

nt patter of machine gun bullets raining thick from the opposite bank of the river. Monsieur Muzart, the Mayor

ibility of the street-cleaning department and who went about, helmet clad, attending to his chores, now and then shouting a hearty "Whoa Bijou" to a

refreshing coolness had begun to rise from the adjacent river, and in the declining sunlight I could see great swarms of honey bees hovering about a climbing rose bush whose fragrant blossoms hung in huge clusters over the top

! Back! you'

er just in time to hear the bullets fro

women, not otherwise disturbed. "But if you really want some r

e of such calm can

s there may be just as brave