A FRENCH TOWN IN THE WAR ZONE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 62, 7 December 1918, Page 7

A FRENCH TOWN IN THE WAR ZONE

SOME IMPRESSIONS. ■ (By Lieutenant J. B. Morton.), You come down a stoop, slope to the beginning of tlio town, the first small nouses, with their quaint reminiscence ot Spam. The shutters nre closed, ,so that the windows aro blind eyes. There are white shutters, brown shutters, green shutters, with a mantle 'of ilust over them from the continually passing traf-nc-lorries, motor-cars, motorcycles. You'realise qi|pte soon that there is littlo life m the town. You meet few people .is you come to wider streets and bigger houses. In the square some lorries are parked, and a man is swilling the wheels with water. .Another man is nllings buckets at, a pump in a cobbled' .vard You read "D.A.D.0.5." in neat mack letters on. a loir doorway, and further on "Medical Inspection Ttoom" is chalked up; half obliterated-by nqw. Jn tlieynain street one or two shops are open. A peasant girl is buying some cabbages, and a well-dressed vomnn in muck is filling a basket with provisions. A gray staff car ilnshos by, and a military policeman springs to attention and salutes. v Further on the cathedral stands up, gravely quiet. There is a bird singing over the porch. There is the curiouslyprolonged wailing whistle of -a French tram in the distance. Some men in khaki loiter in a doorway, and a French interpreter hurries along the pavement. Here, in the main street, ono or two nouses are alive. There is a glimpse through open windows of big rooms. J'he shutters arc Hung wide, ah ambulance passes. The town is ioo near the line to be pleasant, and most of the inhabitants have gone elsewhere, practically all of lite that is left belongs to the war. I'hcrn is an activity of lorries, and now and then one meets columns of infantry inarching through towards the line Llicir-siiigiiiK starts to life echoes that sleep in the r empty houses and inserted slreels. The chime of their heavy hoots fan be heard a long way off. "'here is an insistent, muttering of guns ahead of them, dramatically appropriate. Jlritisli planes, flying low, go overhead, strangei.v graceful birds,' their wings glinting in the sun. flown a side street you have a glimpse of men loading a lorry. There are mountains of loaves'; and (he men come out of a yard, one niter Iho olhei', willi nrmfiils of tins, while Ihe driver, sucking at n clay pipe, makes caustic remarks. In another street a column of men makes its way to (he. baths; towels dangle over their arms, and they grips chunks of snap. They arc very dirty, in strong contrast li) Iho clean men who pass them, coming the oilier way after tlio spell under the sprays. A. priest, with n book under one arm, smiles at them, andi one or two raise their hands hi salute. Somebody ventures "Bonjoir." which pleases the I'jiMieh priest mightily. On n green p;ilch of ground milsiile the ■town Scnttisii troops am lucking a football about, and there are French soldiers nnd an old civilian nr livo looking on. Tin* hum of ii'tmilnr-i'.vc.li , dislurlis tln> Kiiiiii , , ami a ii-an wliiln with ilu-l from heml In fool- Ilinlin* liy on l.is w»v>lo the line. They walch his curved kick, iii'M! he ijoes mil nf sight round n l>?nd. TowiiHN nightfall .•> deeoer s|illn"'s hold- the (own. ami Iho yc\tt< of the •runs urn more dWiiirl. One ra.il almost '"'.'ir Ihe terrible thing* Ihny are saving. Tlu' pavements aro still imw\ bill nc■.'Hsiiiiially a fa('(> will poor through halfnpencfl shnlters, as a lorry or a ear gc" by, (hundering over the dusty eobbjes.