Show I 1 mm SKETCHES the th e fire of if madame there by katharine eggleston roberts copyright 1920 western newspaper New paper they marched arched in into a town of 0 empty streets closed doors find and drawn blinds those men with sharp spiked helmets hela their heavy tramp upon the cobblestones cobble stones re sounded in the narrow rain lune until they halted in the little square frightened eyes peeped from behind the shuttered windows watched yet dreaded to sou see the germans had taken berschot As A hie file heavy louds clouds bIaLke blackened ried into night tile alie only lights were those made by the troops lit in the squire square the houi of fit MaIl licu there wis was tark like the others 11 mother other let lets light the lamp its it so awful here in the dark no andro andre we birst nl ce be brave like your brothers see sec pierre find and paul dont mind the dark do you my sons madam there put a reas arring arm about tier her young youngest ge st and felt his shoulders stiffen the two boys stood wit with their I father ie nt it the other window no I 1 dont mind the dark but I 1 am hungry pierre was vao two years older than andre too old to fear the lark dark and too young to fear the germans rut but paul did not answer ne he stood with ills his arm locked within his athera f fal hero and stared out grimly at tile the moving silhouettes ills his army had refused him just because he be was a year or so too ton young ahot liff rl 1 I fapp go he was as strong as a tiny any man and lie he might have been out instent of hiding here in the dark the soldiers were stirring about and air forming into small detachments their helmets gleamed in the flickering dickering light of the lie street lamps A sharp order was given they are coming said mathieu there the butt of a gun thudded on oil the street door come out come out where we can see you come out or you shall feel fire apt us go together it Is all that we ou do the father let led his family into the street quickly quick ly the narrow lanes filled as the houses emptied filled with people who dared not speak aloud what are they going to do where tire lire we going what are they doing now the alie terrified whispers quis que tinned in n the ill lit street pi faces leered trying to recognize neighbors del then come came the order to march with upraised arms Famil camillo Fa millo leq were separated lost babies cried women shrieked ehri eked tile the names or of their husbands anti anil children everywhere was confusion but in spite of it all mathieu Matli leu and an madama there and their son ons trian managed aged to keep together till the people were herded into the market pricel before the lie church A light was coming j from somewhere behind them a alight light that grew grev redder and redder I 1 mother mother w bat I 1 q it hush u F h A agirs u d r e 1 I do 0 not t kaow its tire houses libus eg theve y fired r ara the 10 2 pauls voice was thick 1 tilt the crofit was ordered about you ton have light sWell youlia you tile klicin now how a german voice ace taunted i see them As the flames whipped over the roofs tile the soldiers went through file throng we are going to paris they said our men and boys mut must uini ch ahead of us its maddine Slad irme there stood asher as her husband and sons were til lurched an away ay stood stol with the other women gazing eced and til lute the blumes flumes of 0 the town died down and the gray dawn came to the women huddled together to in the market marke 1 t place the soldiers laughed into their grief filled alices go bome they said go to your homes home madame there scarcely knowing what bat she did went to a heap of brick and mortar mot tar facing the square part of a clint charred red will wall was standing and she be started through its sagging doorway suddenly Sud deuly there burst a fu aliade she listened and again the shots rung rang out she hurried to the square here other women ran about our soldier are arc coming I 1 to help us they ure righting heart hearl but no n it could n no nt lic ho chrit tor for DO more shots shot iw pre ll 11 ard sli AI I 1 iiii is he saying 2 tour ilir nien laro bif not going with us c to Is isris rl alir 11 ile ie toy gueli trouble all find illein if ID the field east of 0 lou and they 11 nw aillem two hundred blell still anil lin fw if aln riddled with bul bill kis k is chire 1 I in re found tier her tiu hu brind binl and ill alth till andre between them find nes ir the tyirin lay pierre alerre Il erre in a ari rt aie lie iirilli iiri lii their to tile the church 1 yard will aln ir lir ade a prayer and burled thern i ln iii alf r elf for tire priest a s union chii v alio tin luy illy in llie lie field sin sill ia 4 onta ont in n drelic tiit t n nil full blond hol holwill lill eln ell alrie lr ie lalur V fi q m elilee nul 1101 to see hee le l e awl lal lil ere silent Sl ottly tho days eil for living ith othera IR in il a lin ilot gioi mildly gutted nut she binl 11 lat in ill pt lit in tire till reta aerl of lur her air III 1 I 1 tilt lie lint fill top of a table slip nal 11 ANN ZI y w with ith ili her er binl till Mci clelly fily slie he biked all and scraped ni I 1 li it II timoth and anil clean JN at d 1 W 1 01 X dsa Z k i here lies IAal thieu there ono hy by one irregular letters grew arid ami straggled over tile the board the people w alio to loew knew L tier her doddered wonder NOD dered eil and tile the whispered N among them melves elves whal Is wrong with lermine lerm Herni lne there suro ly tier her mind is gone and the soldier aho ho saw tier her each day stepped aside to let tier pass for they feared the alic woman who never spoke with tier her lips but whose eyes burned into their souls TI the ie s sentry entry tramped up and down in the moonlight and his thoughts were far away the same moon was shining in germany on a little village like this one and here lie he had to tay stay guard ing a cemetery where no one wanted to come and from which no one could go at home he see the crouching roure algur dart behind the hedge ns As he be turned the corner in the mom moin 1 4 no 4 A ll 11 oft R ep ei 4 A I 1 the way the germans destroyed homes ing in he wondered at the wooden n tablet which seemed to have grown overnight here lie he mathieu there and ills his sons paul pierre anil and andre andr e guiltless murdered by the bactie barbarians narb arians madame there hurried to answer the sit sharp it rp rap at the door Is tills this yo your ursi deni demanded the soldier in his bis hand band was the wooden Noo derl tablet it is mille dont leave it about lie he growled and flung it at tier lier feet it will stay one day in spite of you she ered cried day after da binl he met her going to church duir cli she br became cime ho worn arn and emaciated that it seemed only tier her spirit wa was alive but it gleamed brightly arid and more brightly in the flame of tier her eyes arld and so tile long iong time tyrue passed always the german soldier thought fire of madame there would su surely reilie burn out but d daily her challenge scorched ched into his conscience then in the chill autumn came word that was an armistice had bad been signed the firing had stopped and the germans were ordered to leave berschot Is Is Is for the last time the sentry guardell guarded the cemetery for the first time the dawn hushed flushed on a quiet world As the light grew the soldier looked about what was vas that ne he entered the churchyard at the head of the four graves tile hie wooden u mark stood firmly here lie Il mathieu athlen there and his sous song paul pierre and andre guRt guiltless gurgles les murdered by tho the bocha lans across the groves graver lay madame there tand d the fire bre was gone from her cycil |