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War StoriesLet Us Save The KiddiesAt 12:20 noon, on Saturday, May 1, 1915, there steamed out ... Bacilli And Bullets Sir William Osler, one of the greatest medical men in the w... The Mexican Plot It is true that Germany does not know the meaning of honest... Alan Seeger As England and the world lost Rupert Brooke, so America and... The Beast In Man A German leader once said, "The oldest right in the world i... Marshal Foch A Great German philosopher said many years ago that history... Birdmen Although I am an American, I am still in the French aviatio... The Shot Heard Round The World On April 19, 1775, was fired "the shot heard round the worl... The Torch Of Valor The torch of valor has been passed from one brave hand to a... Rupert Brooke Among the losses that the World War has caused--many of the... General Pershing In April, 1917, a small group of men in civilian dress clim... The Charge Of The Black Watch And The Scots Greys Sometimes a retreat is in reality a great victory. It has b... They Shall Not Pass The caves described in the Arabian Nights are not more wond... The Case Of Serbia But Belgium is not the only little nation that has been att... What One American Did If a person had been standing one night beside the railroad... The Battles Of The Marne At Marathon (490 B.C.) and at Salamis (480 B.C.) the Greeks... Daring The Undarable We are thirty in the hands of Fate And thirty-one wi... Verdun She is a wall of brass; You shall not pass! You sh... The Murder Of Captain Fryatt Captain Charles Fryatt was in command of a British steamshi... A Place In The Sun The history of Rome about 1500 years ago tells us of "the w... |
And The Cock Crew"I hate them all!" said old Gaspard, And in his weather-beaten face The lines of bitterness grew hard, For he had seen his dwelling-place Laid waste in very wantonness, And all his little treasures flung Into that never-sated press From which no wine, but gall, had sprung-- And not his heart alone was sore, For in his frail old limbs he bore Wounds of the heavy, ruthless hand That weighed so cruelly of late Upon the people and the land. It was not hard to understand Why old Gaspard should hate Even the German lad who lay His neighbor in the hospital, The boy who pleaded night and day: "Don't let me die! don't let me die! When I see the dawn, I know I shall live out that day, and then I'm not afraid--till dark--but oh, How soon the night comes round again! Don't let me die! don't let me die!" The old man muttered at each low, Pitiful, half delirious cry, "They should die, had I the say, In hell's own torment, one and all!" And then would drag himself away, Despite each motion's agony, To where the wounded poilus lay, And cheer them with his mimicry Of barnyard noises, and his gay Old songs of what life used to be. One night the lad suddenly cried, "Mother!" And though the sister knew-- He was so young, so terrified, "You're safe--the east is light," she lied. But "No!" he sobbed, "the cock must crow Before the dawn!" They did not hear A cripple crawl across the floor, But all at once, outside the door, In the courtyard, shrill and clear, Once, twice and thrice, chanticleer crew. The blue eyes closed and the boy sighed, "I'm not afraid, now day's begun. I'll live--till--" With a smile, he died. And in that hour when he denied The god of hate, I think that One Passed through the hospital's dim yard And turning, looked on old Gaspard. AMELIA JOSEPHINE BURR. FOOTNOTES: [1] COPYRIGHT BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY Next: A Belgian Lawyer's Appeal Previous: Cardinal Mercier
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