Part 22

Belle was as used to war as the most weather-beaten French _poilu_. The tremble of the ground did not disturb her and the whining whir of the shells overhead only made her twitch and wrinkle her nose in her sleep. She was trench-broken. You could have put a plate of savory pork chops on the _parapet_ and nothing would have induced her to go after them.

She weathered many a gas attack. Her master contrived a protection for her by cutting down and twisting a French gas mask. At first this sack over her nose irritated her tremendously; but once, when she was trying to claw it off with her forepaws, she got a whiff of the poisoned air. Then a great light dawned on Belle; and after that, at the first alarm, she would race for her mask. You could not have taken it from her until her master's pat on her back told her everything was all right.

In the middle of May, Belle presented a proud but not particularly astonished regiment with nine confused and wriggling puppies, black-and-white, or, like the mother, brown-and-white, and possessed of immense appetites. Seven of these were alive and kicking when the order came for the regiment to pull up stakes and speed across France to help stem the German tide north of the troubled Marne.

In the rush and hubbub of marching orders Belle and her brood were forgotten by every one but the young marine. It never once entered his head to leave her or her pups behind. Somewhere he found a market basket and tumbled the litter into that. He could carry the pups, he explained, and the mother dog would trot at his heels.

Now the amount of hardware a marine is expected to carry on the march is carefully calculated to the maximum strength of the average soldier, yet this leatherneck found extra muscle somewhere for his precious basket. If it came to the worst, he thought, he could _jettison_ his pack. It was not very clear in his mind what he would do with his charges during a battle, but he trusted to luck and Verdun Belle.

For twenty-five miles he carried his burden along the parched French highway. No one wanted to jeer him out of it, nor could have if they would. When there followed a long advance by _camion_, he yielded his place to the basket of wriggling pups, while he himself hung on the tail-board.

But there was more hiking, and the basket proved too much. It seemed that the battle line was somewhere far off. Solemnly the young marine killed four of the puppies, discarded the basket and slipped the other three into his shirt. Thus he trudged on his way, carrying those three, pouched in forest green, as a kangaroo carries its young, while the mother dog trotted trustingly behind.

One night he found that one of the black-and-white pups was dead. The road by this time was black with hurrying troops, lumbering _lorries_ jostling the line of advancing ambulances, and dust-gray columns of soldiers moving on as far ahead and as far behind as the eye could see. Passing silently in the other direction was the desolate procession of refugees from the invaded countryside. Now and then a herd of cows or a little cluster of fugitives from some desolated village, trundling their most cherished possessions in wheelbarrows and baby carts, would cause an eddy in the traffic.

Somewhere in this crowding and confusion Belle was lost. In the morning there was no sign of her, and the young marine did not know what to do. He begged a cup of milk from an old French woman, and with the eye dropper from his kit he tried to feed the two pups. It did not work well. Faintly the wind brought down the valley from far ahead the sound of cannon. Soon he would be in the thick of it, and there was no Belle to care for the pups.

Two ambulances of a field hospital were passing in the unending caravan. A lieutenant who looked human was in the front seat of one of them, a sergeant beside him. The _leatherneck_ ran up to them, blurted out his story, gazed at them imploringly and thrust the puppies into their hands. "Take good care of them," he said; "I don't suppose I'll ever see them again."

And he was gone. A little later in the day that field hospital was pitching its tents and setting up its kitchens and tables in a deserted farm. Amid all the hurry of preparation for the big job ahead they found time to worry about those pups. The problem was food. _Corned willy_ was tried and found wanting. Finally the first sergeant hunted up a farm-bred private, and the two of them spent that evening chasing four nervous and distrustful cows around a pasture trying vainly to capture enough milk to provide supper for the new members of the hospital staff.

Next morning the problem was still unsolved. But it was solved that evening. For that evening a fresh contingent of marines trooped by the farm and in their wake, tired, anxious, but undiscouraged, was Verdun Belle. Six miles back two days before she had lost her master, and until she should find him again she evidently had thought that any marine was better than none.

The troops did not halt at the farm, but Belle did. At the gate she stopped dead in her tracks, drew in her lolling tongue, sniffed inquiringly at the evening air, and, like a flash, a white streak along the drive, she raced to the distant tree, where, on a pile of discarded dressings in the shade, the pups were sleeping.

All the corps men stopped work and stood around and marveled. For the onlooker it was such a family reunion as warms the heart. For the worried mess sergeant it was a great relief. For the pups it was a mess call, clear and unmistakable.

So with renewed faith in her heart and only one worry left in her mind, Verdun Belle and her puppies settled down with this field hospital. When the next day the reach of the artillery made it advisable to move down the valley to the shelter of a fine hillside chateau, you may be sure that room was made in the first ambulance for the _three_ wanderers.

In a grove of trees beside the house the tents were pitched and the cots of the expected patients ranged side by side. The wounded came--came hour after hour in steady streams, and the boys of the hospital worked on them night and day. They could not possibly keep track of all the cases, but there was one who did. Always a mistress of the art of keeping out from under foot, very quietly Belle hung around and investigated each ambulance that turned in from the main road and backed up with its load of pain to the door of the receiving room.

Then one evening they lifted out a young marine, listless in the half stupor of shell shock. To the busy workers he was just Case No. Such and Such, but there was no need to tell any one who saw the wild rejoicing of the dog that Belle had found her own at last.

The first consciousness her master had of his new surroundings was the feel of her rough pink tongue licking the dust from his face. And those who passed that way on the following Sunday found two cots shoved together in the kindly shade of a spreading tree. On one the mother dog lay, contented with her puppies. Fast asleep on the other, his arm thrown out so that one grimy hand could touch one silken ear, lay the young marine. Before long they would have to ship him on to the _evacuation hospital_, on from there to the base hospital, on and on and on. It was not very clear to anyone how another separation could be prevented. It was a perplexing question, but they knew in their hearts that they could safely leave the answer to some one else. They could leave it to Verdun Belle.

--"_Stars and Stripes._"

1. _Comprè_ and _poilu_ are "soldiers' French". From the way they are used here, what do you think they mean?

2. The following are war terms. See if you can find out, if you do not already know, what they mean.

sector camion listening post lorries mess kit leatherneck parapet corned willy jettison evacuation hospital

3. Why do you like the young marine?

4. How do you suppose Belle solved the problem left to her?

5. Does the story make you feel amused or sad?

ANOTHER NONSENSE TEST

You will need only a small piece of paper in order to solve this test. Read the directions very carefully and do nothing but what they say.

At the top of your paper write "east" no matter whether the sun rises there or not. Now if Christmas comes in December put a cross in the center of your paper, but if not, put a circle there or else a square.

At the bottom of your paper write a wrong answer to the first of the following questions:

1. When did Columbus discover America?

2. Who invented the electric light?

Do not answer the second question unless you have skipped the first. But if you know the answer sign your own name in the lower right hand corner of your paper, but if you do not know, sign in the lower left hand corner.

CAN YOU UNDERSTAND RELATIONSHIP?

This drill will test your ability to recognize easily the relationships between words and between things, an ability very necessary for both reading and thinking.

1. Write your name on the first line of your paper, and your grade on the second at the right. Beginning with the fourth line write the figures 1 to 10.

2. In each group below, the first two words have a certain connection in meaning. When you see this relationship between the first two words, you can find among the five words that follow two other words that bear the same relationship. Thus, in group one, the SAW is a tool used by the CARPENTER. Now if you look among the word that follow, you will see that the words FARMER and PLOUGH are connected in meaning in the same way. Write these four words after figure 1:

1. CARPENTER SAW farmer plough

3. Look at group two. HEN and CHICKS are words that have a certain relation, and similarly, of the five words that follow, CAT and KITTENS are the only two that are connected in the same way. Write these four words after figure 2:

2. HEN CHICKS cat kittens

4. Complete the exercise by selecting the two words in each remaining group that are related in meaning in the same way that the given words are related in meaning. When finished, wait quietly for the others.

1. CARPENTER, SAW (farmer, sky, plough, trees, field). 2. HEN, CHICKS (corn, feed, cat, milk, kittens). 3. AUTOMOBILE, GARAGE (wheel, horse, owner, stable, door). 4. COW, MILK (sheep, pasture, grass, fence, wool). 5. AEROPLANE, AIR (sail, pilot, ship, sea, wind). 6. RAIL, STEEL (locomotive, window, house, door, glass). 7. SPOOL, THREAD (shelf, librarian, books, picture, print). 8. POET, POEM (verse, rhyme, brush, artist, picture). 9. WOOL, SWEATER (knit, silk, dress, seamstress, scissors). 10. SUMMER, RAIN (winter, sled, December, snow, overcoat).

CHARADES

Did you ever play charades? Here is a brief statement about charades taken from a cyclopedia. See if you can read it through in a half-minute so as to give the substance of it.

A charade is a popular form of riddle, the answer to which is a word of several syllables, each of which alone is in itself a word. Each syllable, taken as a word, is described, and finally a puzzling definition of the whole word is given. The following is an example: "Some one threw my first and second at me, and it hit my third. It did not hurt me, for it was only a branch of my whole." The answer is _Mistletoe_. A girl, sitting under a high table, would suggest the word _misunderstand_.

A pleasing charade requiring more thought is in the form of a rhyme, as--

"My first is a circle, my second a cross; If you meet with my whole, look out for a toss."

The answer is _Ox_. Then, too, charades are often presented in the form of little plays, each syllable representing a scene. They are then called _acting_ charades. This form of amusement is much in vogue on social occasions. It is thought the name was derived from a French word meaning _idle talk_, which in its turn was derived from Spanish words meaning _speech and actions of a clown_.

--_From "The World Book". Courtesy of W. F. Quarrie & Co._

GENERAL PERSHING'S WELCOME HOME

More people, perhaps, read a newspaper every day than read any other form of print. At the breakfast table, in the trolley car, or in the railroad train, morning and evening you see readers buried in their newspapers. Many people read at least two papers a day, and many people read very little else. But unfortunately a great many of these people read the newspapers very hastily, and sometimes they fail to grasp the real sense of the column beneath the catchy headlines. They need practice in the rapid and intelligent reading of a news article.

You may begin to have that sort of practice now, if you will read rapidly the following newspaper account of the homecoming, in September, 1919, of one of America's greatest soldiers, and be able to answer the following questions. Your teacher may ask each row of pupils to be responsible for two or three of the questions.

1. When and where and from what ship did General Pershing land?

2. Who else came home on that ship?

3. How often and where did General Pershing reply to addresses of welcome?

4. What important person made the chief address of welcome?

5. What proof of the nation's gratitude was given to General Pershing?

6. Where would you like best to have been among the crowd of onlookers?

7. Do you think you would like General Pershing if you were one of his officers or soldiers? Why?

8. What was the most important thing that General Pershing said?

9. On whom was the joke, General March or the sentry?

PERSHING TAKES HONORS IN NAME OF HERO DEAD

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Tribute Belongs to Men Who Fell, General Tells Cheering Throng in New York

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WELCOME ECLIPSES ANY EVER STAGED IN CITY

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Thousands Await Through the Night to Greet America's "Jack" on Return Home

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WILSON SENDS MESSAGE

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New York, Sept. 8.--General John J. Pershing, commander-in-chief of the A. E. F., came home from France today and was welcomed in a manner which fully conveyed to him the gratitude and pride with which the American people estimate his services in leading the nation's greatest army to victory in the world's greatest war.

From early morning, when the sea monster Leviathan arrived in the Hudson--a shadowy giant in a misty sunrise--until the middle of the afternoon, when the general insisted upon an intermission for a much-needed nap, he was the central figure of a demonstration which for brilliancy and gayety has rarely been equaled in the history of New York City.

The presentation of his permanent commission as a full general in the regular army, accomplished by the secretary of war ten minutes after the general had stepped upon American soil, while perhaps the most important tribute, was merely an auspicious beginning of what was to follow. A river pageant on the Hudson from Hoboken to the Battery, a triumphal march through surging crowds on Broadway and Fifth Avenue, exercises at the City Hall, during which he was given the freedom of the city for four days; a reception, a luncheon, and in the evening a dinner and a theatre party in his honor--all this was part of the crowded and colorful program. None was surprised, therefore, when the distinguished guest good-naturedly remarked that if this continued long he would "almost wish that the war had gone on."

PLEASED TO BE BACK HOME

The general accepted it all quietly and simply. He was pleased to be home. He could not conceal that, but neither could he conceal the fact that he would have preferred to come home without so much fuss being stirred up about it. He bowed, nodded, waved, or smiled acknowledgment of the cheering. The Pershing smile, incidentally, will without doubt take its place among the famous smiles of America. All great Americans seem to have a characteristic smile. There was the Roosevelt smile, and there are the Taft and Wilson smiles, and now there is the Pershing smile, quite as striking as any of the others. The people liked it immensely; but more than that they liked the brief responses made by the general to the eulogies delivered by the secretary of war, the governor of New York, and the mayor of the city. He accepted all of them--with a reservation, that reservation being that he accepted them not for himself but for the boys who went over and fought and died for the flag. It was this that convinced the people that Pershing was truly a great man.

The Leviathan, bringing, besides General Pershing, his picked "composite regiment" and what is left of the first division, "the first to go over and the last to come back," tied up at Hoboken at 9:55 o'clock, with the commander-in-chief of the overseas forces on top of its pilot house. Assembled on the pier were nearly 1000 welfare workers, soldiers and guests.

GENERAL MARCH HELD UP

The first to board the vessel as soon as the gangplank had been lowered, with the exception of two naval officers, was a party of newspaper correspondents and photographers. At this point there was an amusing incident that somewhat relieved the anxiety and general excitement. A sentry, seeing the correspondents and photographers making ready for an immediate rush on the vessel, raised his voice in protest. General Peyton C. March, chief of staff, stepped forward with assurances that everything would be all right. But the sentry, sticking to his point with surprising determination, in view of the high rank he was addressing, would not be assured, and those who were listening understood his audacity when he stood up straight in front of General March and declared:

"But, sir, I have just been talking with the secretary of war, sir, and he says, sir, that no one can go aboard."

General March was as surprised as any one else. Having no reply to make to a declaration of that kind, despite his rank, he sought out the secretary of war and soon returned saying he had "straightened things out." Then came the laugh.

"Very well, sir," said the sentry, saluting nervously, and by this time in perspiration from excitement. "B-b-b-but I have only eight more days to go and I-I-I naturally d-don't want to get into any j-j-am with the secretary of w-war, sir."

MET BY SECRETARY BAKER

As he stepped from the gangplank General Pershing was greeted by Secretary Baker and escorted to an open space, where a small dais had been erected in front of a group of chairs. The chairs were occupied by the guests and other staff officers, while Secretary Baker and the guest of honor took seats on the platform.

"Here there is to be a momentary halt in the day's program to extend to General Pershing a word of greeting and a message from the President," said Mr. Baker, opening the first ceremony of the general's official welcome. "This incident in today's events is to be brief, and immediately after its conclusion General Pershing will become the guest of the city of New York."

COMMISSION IS PRESENTED

Then it was that the secretary presented the hero with his permanent commission as general in the regular army, after which he delivered a brief address, closing with a message of greeting from President Wilson.

PERSHING REMEMBERS DEAD

Secretary Baker then presented General Pershing, who was received with applause that lasted two minutes.

"If these compliments and tributes are to continue for long," declared the General, "I am sure that I shall wish that the war had continued. To say that I am happy would be a waste of words. I cannot describe the emotions that fill my heart. You have been very complimentary to me, Mr. Secretary, more complimentary than I deserve. I can only reply by saying that the war was won by the united effort of the nation. The army abroad felt the inspiration that came from the effort of the people at home. The morale of an army is dependent upon the morale of the people behind it; and I am proud to say that the morale of the American people never gave us cause for anything but inspiration.

"On an occasion of this kind we must not forget the fellows who faced a well-trained enemy with only partial training themselves. It is to them we owe the tribute. I hope their graves may be fittingly decorated as an eternal shrine to be visited by Americans in the future as a place where the lesson of patriotism may always be learned anew.

"I wish to take this occasion to thank the people, the President, and you, Mr. Secretary, for the confidence that was placed in me. This confidence made the complex task in France inestimably more easy."

Then came the street procession to City Hall Park, through the "Broadway Canyon."

People were crowded five and six deep on both sides of the street; from hundreds of office windows high in the air there was a veritable snowfall of confetti and torn bits of paper; miles and miles of ticker tape thrown promiscuously from the same windows became interlaced and tangled in midair, giving the highway the aspect of a street in another, more fantastic world; airplanes glided as low as possible over the thoroughfare; while whistles and automobile horns blew and church bells rang for an hour without intermission.

The crowds unleashed reserves of enthusiasm that had been held in restraint by recent strikes and other sober concerns. "Here comes Pershing!" "Hurrah for Black Jack!" "We're glad to see you back!"

OFFICIALLY WELCOMED BY CITY

At City Hall General Pershing and the members of his staff, who accompanied him on the Leviathan, were officially welcomed by the city. After the addresses of the mayor and the governor they were turned over to a committee of citizens, headed by Rodman Wanamaker. Here the general made his second address since returning from France, and, as before, emphasized what seemed to be his central thought--that he accepts the praise and the adulation for and in the name of those who fought and died.

After the City Hall exercises the procession was resumed, this time on Fifth Avenue.

Arriving at the Waldorf, the general retired for a nap, apologizing, but declaring that he needed rest badly.

A dinner tonight, followed by a theatre party at the Hippodrome, both given by the Rodman Wanamaker committee, ended the day's celebration.

--_Courtesy The Philadelphia "Public Ledger."_

THE FAIRIES ON THE GUMP

Long, long ago the original inhabitants of England were driven by their enemies to take refuge in the western mountains, many being forced to cross the water to Ireland. The descendants of these people now live in Cornwall and in Wales and they are quite different from the people of the rest of England. This is a very pleasant retelling of one of their folk tales.

Down by St. Just, not far from Cape Cornwall and the sea, is a small hill, called "The Gump", where the Small People used to hold their revels, and where our grandfathers and grandmothers used to be allowed to stand and look on and listen.

People believed in the Fairies in those days, so the Fairies in return often helped the people, and did them all sorts of kindnesses. Indeed, they would do so now if folks had not grown so learned and disbelieving. It seems strange that because they have got more knowledge of some matters, they should have grown more ignorant of others, and declare that there never were such things as Fairies, just because they have neither eyes nor minds to see them!