Soldier silhouettes on our front . mericans who tookto the abris. They all want to see whatsgoing on, and so they hunt the widest 202 SOLDIER SILHOUETTES street, and the corner at that, to watchthe air-raids. One night during a heavy raid in Paris,when the French were safely hidden in theabris, because they had sense enough toprotect themselves, I saw about twenty so-ber but hilarious American soldiers march-ing down the middle of the boulevard, armin arm, singing Sweet Adelaide at the topof their voices, while the bombs were drop-ping all over Paris, and a continuous bar-rage from the anti-ai
Soldier silhouettes on our front . mericans who tookto the abris. They all want to see whatsgoing on, and so they hunt the widest 202 SOLDIER SILHOUETTES street, and the corner at that, to watchthe air-raids. One night during a heavy raid in Paris,when the French were safely hidden in theabris, because they had sense enough toprotect themselves, I saw about twenty so-ber but hilarious American soldiers march-ing down the middle of the boulevard, armin arm, singing Sweet Adelaide at the topof their voices, while the bombs were drop-ping all over Paris, and a continuous bar-rage from the anti-aircraft guns was can-nonading until it sounded like a great front-line battle. That night I happened to be watchingthe raid myself from a convenient street-corner. Unconsciously I stood up againsta street-lamp with a shade over me, madeof tin about the size of a soldiers steelhelmet. Along came a French street-walker,looked at me standing there under thattiny canopy, and with a laugh said as sheswiftly passed me, Cest un abri, mon-. The air-raid had not dampened her sense of humor. SILHOUETTES OF SUNSHINE 203 sieur? looking up. The air-raid had notdampened her sense of humor even if ithad destroyed her trade for that night. Another story illustrative of the never-die spirit of the Frenchwomen, in spite oftheir sorrows and losses: One night, whenthe rain was pouring in torrents, a desolate,chilly night, I saw a girl of the streetsplying her trade, standing where the rainhad soaked her through and her spirits dampened? Was she dis-couraged? Was she blue? No; she stoodthere in the rain humming the air of anopera, oblivious to the fact that she wassoaked through and through, and cold tothe bone. This is the undying spirit of France. Ido not know whether this girl was drivento her trade because she had lost her hus-band in the war, but I do know that manyhave been. I do not know anything abouther life. I do know that there she stood,soaked through and through, a frail ch
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectworldwar19141918
