OUT OF FRANCE INTO SPAIN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 74, 15 May 1946, Page 3

OUT OF FRANCE INTO SPAIN

i CLOSED FRONTIER COMEDY i

At Perthus, o.n the Spanish-French

' "border, one poor French man feels nearer to the medeival drawn-and-quartered era than ever seemed possible. He is a citizen of the little town of Perthus on the Sp.mi:.hJTrench frontier. The main street of Perthus divides France from Spain. The division line

is at the curbing on the Spanish side. Thus the French have buildings mnd the sidewalk on one side plus the road while the Spanish have merely buildings and the sidewalk

on the other side. U When word came that the border was to be closed, there was a great movement of French across the street, for the Spanish stores long | have had more goods than the French stores and this had to be the * final shopping day. The French quickly cleaned out the Spanish . shops and retired before Generalissimo Francisco Franco shut down the border six hours earlier than the French had planned to do. Gendarmes on Guard Soon the gendarmes walked along Jthe Spanish curbing keeping an eager eye on any French who tried

to shop once the barrier was down. Autos drove up and down the French roadway, but if any moved in to the Spanish curb, police rushed up to them and woe betide the driver who alighted. It was at this point, that the Frenchman was walking up the street when, suddenly struck by the idea of buying something and forgetting the barrier, ducked to the Spanish side. The French police, eager to take care of their own, ducked after him, but not before he had reached the curb and managed to get his right arm and leg into Spanish territory.

Stopped to Argue Such of this unfortunate man’s body as had become Spanish was seized by the Spanish police to pull him in and arrest him. But France has its pride and speed, too, and at the same moment French police got his other arm and leg. In typical Latin fashion both French and Spanish police started to argue. Now, the Latins gesture vigorously _when they talk and soon our friend’s arms and legs were being animated like Disney’s cartoons. More important, the gestures were in opposite directions to point up the differences of opinion, and the unhappy Frenchman soon felt himself separating north and south.