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Show 5 ARMISTICE DAY 2 ipsa mf&wMw- v&&b Wm&m rinsing the bells of peace In France and Belgium. The Peals of the Bells. And then came the answer first in the belfry. And just when the old cure caught the glad tidings, later powerful and with full tones the bells everywhere pealing, far farther than we could hear, for in that hour all the bells of Belgium and France, as far as the Spanish border, had taken up the ringing. The Canadians went down with the cure. Others had taken over the task in the belfrey. And just when the old men and women and little children the only civilians had gathered in a great happy throng, there sounded a wild cry, a wonderful shnut of victory, never before heard in this town. Dashing Dash-ing along came a squadron of Canadian Cana-dian cavalry, whooping it up in true cowhoy style. Through their tears the people smiled and laughed. The old cure stood looking on. "La Belgique enfin libre, et voila nos liherateurs (Belgium free at last and here are our liberators)." he said. Pierre Van Paessen, in the Atlanta Constitution. Armistice Day, 1918, Time cf Rejoicing Veteran Recalls Incidents Witnessed in Small Belgian City. MONS had been taken. Ramlg-nles, Ramlg-nles, a few kilometers east, had fallen to the advancing Canadians the day before.. It was ten o'clock in the morning. Troops were moving through on their way to take the lead in the big push that was under way. Parallel roals covered with marching columns. Then suddenly, sud-denly, unexpectedly there came the order to ''stand to." Something mysterious mys-terious about this order. Oliicers stood talking excitedly in little groups along the road. Several staff automobiles automo-biles flashed by on their way to corps headquarters. The halt was long. It became longer. The boys had figured to be in the thick of hard fighting before this. Something Some-thing had s'tnpped the movement of that splendid fighting machine, the Canadian corps. Dispatch Rider's News. Just outside the little town of Ram-Ignies Ram-Ignies a group of Canadian soldiers watched a high-powered motorcycle come tearing down the road from the direction where till a short time ago had come the rattle of sharp and continuous con-tinuous firing. -The big guns had been silent since ten o'clock. The dispatch rider, noticing "the troops," Just slowed up enough to shout : "It's all over, fellows," and sped on. His words dispelled all doubt as to the rumors that had been rife for an hour or so. Two soldiers detached, themselves from the party and went to the old church of Ramignles. The walls of the edifice still stood, but the roof had been damaged and was partly gone. Walking up to the altar, the figure of the old cure, bent In prayer, was noticed. Only his lips moved as he gazed upward to the broken windows through which a pale sunlight made Its way. He was one of the clerics who had taken the advice of Cardinal Mercier and had stayed with his flock to support sup-port them in the time of enemy occupation. oc-cupation. Bearing Good Tidlng3. As t lie soldiers approached, one tapped him on the shoulder and' told him : "La guerre est fini." The old man turned. He had an empty sleeve and on his breast a medal. He had fought for France In 1S70, as he told the soldiers later, and had put on the old medal immediately after the withdrawal with-drawal of the enemy the previous day. "La guerre est fin I." He repeated the words ns In n dream. Then came a torrent of tears, and. supported by the two soldiers from far-away, the cure climbed the winding stairway to the church tower. "A Canadian will announce to the villages and towns of Belgium that they are liberated and that the Roche has gone," he said. A few creaks as the old mun'grlpped the ropes. Then the first peal of the bells of peace when the two soldiers heaved with all their might. The whole market square below filled with people. The olO cure looked down and motioned with his hands to his purishoners to come close up, for it Is considered an extremely happy omen to take part in a ceremony of f 1 1 " " . . - f 'y. -1 |