LITTLE DUCHESS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17586, 17 September 1917, Page 7

LITTLE DUCHESS.

MYSTERIOUS CHILD IS MASCOT OF LEGION. (By STERLING HEILIG, InYihe *' San Francisco Chronicle'. ) COMPIEGNE (Zone of the French Armies), June 22 The First French Foreign Legion has and «ggj«™ "£J cot, and if you Www.half I tfll J™ about the "little Duoh«*s," *m *fl find yourself in deep water. Y<* « true facts get embroider^I in telling. 1 do nob think that rude and heroic men, in their admiration and protection oi f I L strange child, wilfully exaggerate. Tharo arc queer things in the IdIt is a girl child, seven, or ten years old (nobody kmr.vs), small, why, not beautiful, ed, with deep-sunken eyes, high Wb crinkled forehead, expression, and much given to silence -she is only learning to speak again.. She is uncannily intelligent, and ot such peculiar character, intensity and "gifts" (to judge by tales Mfiwj ™ her, but which I do not guarantee) that you will easily understand how superstitious legionaries might claim tor her the possession of "second sight, where science might see obscure and primitive instincts developed abnormally among dreadful deeds and din ot | war,' in which she lived—who knows j how long?—olone.

GIRL FOUND WANDERING IN DESOLATED REGION.

Thev found her in an advance over long-disputed territory beaten up by artillery and previously held by Germans. "There wa 5 scarcely any population. Thev found her in a clearing, accompanied by an aged dog, amtocratio deerhound, who disappeared the samo day. "He saw she fas safe with friends," says Turor, the Bohemian le-ionarv, 'and he went off to hunb he" family." (For the legionaries „« convinced that she is of birth and title, lost from some chateau in the early days ef the invasion.) Later they noticed-that the child slipped oft by herself at times. They followed her, through thick underbrush, to a uttla ravine, with a creek in it, where grated an old horse, whom she petted solemnly- • "We know that horse," said a peasant. "Ho came down with a priest from tho north; and the Germans worked him in the fields. He was always getting away, and they always found him again. Four times his ploughmatos were killed by French shells, and twice tho men who worked them; but this old nag was never touched. Each time he ran away, som o bad luck happened, which he escaped by not being, there. Until at last the* soldiers murmured, and the Captain ordered him to bo slaughtcren for That night he kicked , Bavarian, broke three ribs for him, and got away. They never found him and were soon biny enough blowing up houses and preparing thenretreat. But we never saw the child." FORLORN CHILD, UNABLE TO EXPRESS THOUGHTS.

Where had she lived? The child could tell them nothing, because they took hor to bo deaf and dumb. , Hafl. she lived with tho Germans? Some ot the sparse French population ought to ha\\> recognised her. Had she been brought down from the north recently? No, say the legionaries, she knows the neighbourhood. One day 6he led them to a spring of good water, cunningly covered wiwth plaited twigs and moss, and another time she found a "cache" of 117 bottles of wine. "She's a peasant child from close around here_j" said. Holman, the Luxemburgor. """No, she's not," said Bompa.rd, tho Swiss- " Look how sho eats. She eats like a lady. See here, we'll try an experiment. Trv to fret some napkins. We'll put one at her plate, and see what she docs with it."

Somehow.-they got six napkin's from American clearing-house agents., napkins " doufcbless intended for officers' messes/' according to Kirinsky, the gloomy-minded Russian. The little Duchess looked down on hers beside her plate indifferently and then', without haste, nonchalantly, as the meal began, she unfolded it and placed it in her lap, covering the right knee (the table was spread picnic, on Hht> grounds Bompard glanced at' Holman in triumph, as saying, "Didn't I tell you? Afc that moment. Bellacoßcia. tho Corsican. with equally automatic movement, tucked his napkin under his chin, and Qnennien. tho Breton,', tied his round his neck. Well, in two minutes, it was noticed that the little Duchess had done likewise. After the meal Holman started in to triumph. "Yon saw?" he said. "Of course, I saw." replied the Swiss, "and I am more convinced than ever. It was the t.oct of a lady, to do like the -others,! so as not to risk making them look silly. That child has been brought up in. some real high family. She's got-.in-stinct." HAS ALL THE GRACES OE A LITTLE LADY.

To try out the dispute, they took her to' a parlour. Two miles away was the.- Chateau of X , inhabited during two years by a German etat-major, then gutted "and burned in their retreat., The fire had not taken in one section ; and a littte drawing-room was fitted up with scraps of furniture by the legionaries. They even found an old piano, disdained by the Germans. To all this they led their "Little Duchess." Tho child paused in the monumental entrance to " the chateau, and looked round with tranquil approval. "It is wdll'?" asked Athos the Greek. "It is well," she answered. Swiftly, through the battered, empty halls (that she might observe as little of the ravages as possible), they took her to the little; "furnished oarlour." Malatesta, the Italian, 'led her to "the" sofa. "Is it well?" he asked her. "It is well," she answered. As, the legionaries hulked in and took plaoes round tho wall, she seated herself tranor ottoman (kind of upholstered steol without a back). . " Now that settles it!" whispered Bompard. " Children in great old French families are taught to sit straight, on such stools, before their elders!" —"That is nothing," answered Tnrov. " In Bohemia, well-

brought-up peasant children seek a stool to sit before their elders."'

"Wait," said Bbmpard, ." here's a strtng test." With * friendly 6mile and natural gesture, he motioned the little girl to the piano. "Won't you play us something?" he asked. Then he led her up to the piano. The child sat on the s'tool, perplexed, troubled, her forehead wrinkling. The hulking legionaries held their breath. What strain ef effort might not torment the little one, to remember an elusive something, sweet and peaceful, far-off, through a purgatory of fright, blood, hunger, loneliness and awful shell explosions which had hurt her poor head. Or had they just set a peasant child on the piano stool before a task which was impossible—and cruel, if she.should grasp<the-meaning ef it?

Malatesta, bluff Italian, started ten-der-heartedly to rescue her. At that moment her hands reached the keyboard. The child struck a single cherd. . . And that was all. But it was a chord, and a true one. ''.That's enough to-day!" said Bortpard. in high triumph. .And they filed-out Of the ruined chateau into the springtime sunlight, laughing and talking boisterously and petting the little duchess prodigiously'.

LEARNS ALPHABET IN FOUR DAYS. "

Since then in, repeated returns to the Eiano with Bompard and Malatesta, she as remembered hits of: tuneful La Couppy exercises and even part of what the SwißS boy elaims to be a Sonatmo (easy imitation for beginners) by dementi. . ' "•' „ Of course, she is not at all deaf > and dumb, as , they first imagined; but in awful artillery explosions to which.ahe must, at some time or other, have been exposed, air concussions communicated to tho brain, nerves or frail body, seem to have caused the child to forget the names of things, and to have produced a hebetude, stunning or confusion very hue temporary deafness. To-day she certainly can "talk" and she learns ton new words in a when she wants to, but Malatesta. Lurmsky and Tarov won't let her be hurried. Ihey are rude men, but full of astonishing gentleness. , ~ ~. "She's not like others,' says tho superstitious Bohemian; and he has good reason te think • so. h } i^ x \- Turov would never wear a steel neimet, becauso he claimed that it gavo him a headache. One morning,. the child brought him the hoary headpiece, and indicated imperiously that he should put it on. To please her he did so. He wore the thing for half an hour, in the shade; but starting torward with a party on some scouting expedition (it is No Man's Land, up there) he slyly left it-behind, according to habit. On the eutskirts of the forest, there was something tugging at) his coat-tails. "What, what? ' inquired Turor, who is dreamy, absentminded, though a devil in combat. lb was the child—with his helmet. J What could I doF" Turov tells it, " Fool tho child? In play, yes, for a fancy. Fool a child which cares for mo 'and runs in the hot sun to make me wear my helmet? No, 1 cannot. Til have a headache. Let it be so!" An.l'pur later, tha Bohemian legionary, who nad never been touched through ithe ■"hole -Bar, and claimed to " have a star, received a man's size shell-scrap on the bean. It dented the steel helmet and knocked him unconscious fcr ten minutes; but it w<?uld have gono through his skull if ho had been wearing his cloth cap! WAIF A REAL MASCOT, SAYS LEGIONARY.

"She's a- mascot!" says Turov. "And a real one, such as we used to have in Bohemia hundreds of years ago, when people believed. They were always children or young girls."

Listen- .' ~ .-;.'-■ The Breton. Queniuen, had made friends triihh a family of the reconquered district in their rear, and proposed to spend six days " permission with them. When he started off, tho Little Duchess, although she had previously seen several of her best friends go oiii permission, clung to him and raised Cain, with such tennxsts ot weeping, that he was "simply forced to exchange wiith Athos the Greek, who went to Paris and blew his money," doubtless in despite and. jealousy because the strange child made no objection to his departure, though they also were grand friend*. Qr.ennien swelled around important: but in a few weeks ib was to be his turn. •Malatesta was going to Paris on permission; and tho Little Duchess clung to his coat-tail and wept—and pointed out. quite plainly, to Quennien that, this time, she could spare him better! Some say that she pushed him- All right. The Breton -went to his- friends in the rear. The second night, their houso was demolished by a long-dis-tance shell, one killed, two wounded,

but the Breton quite safe. He went to stay with new friends in the next ruined village. The first night he slept there, anoth3r long-distance German, shell blew up that other house, killed none, but wounded four—and Quenni-en was withoulb a scratch again; " Ycu'ra too lucky!" said the people. Nobody would receive him. bo he returned t" the Legion. And now for-the queerest of all. WARNED MEMBER OF COMPANY OF DANGER, Everybody, of course, is not willing to put Up with a child's whim in matters of personal convenience; and there are everywhere strong characters who refuse to be superstitious about coiu'cidences. v There" was a Took of Eho Legion named Laurent, a Frenchman, but belonging to the Foreign Legicn (like Quennien, the Breton, and several others) by volunteer engagement before the war, when tho Legion was in North Africa and Frenchmen of'ten joined iB for adventure, or to hide after soma scrape. Laurent was not adventurous, and, as cook, never itook part in expeditions; but ho was curious, and 3m started off, one day, by favour, with a scouting party. The Little Duchess, who is quite a housewife, was at horns in the kitchens and friendly with Lau* rent. All the same, Laurent was noti a real Legionary or* one of hov protectors; and somp were scandalised when she clung to Ins coat-tails, wept, and tnried to held' him in camp. Yetshe did it. She tried to prevent Laurent, although sho had lot better men go and come without difficulty. But? Laurent disengaged himself gently, and went off with the others.

All right. Scouting info No Man's Land', they came to a ruined village, absolutely empty and peaceful. Not a dog, cat, treo or bird! Not a housa with a roof I Scarcely .a wall! Only the village cemetery stood intact. In, it, lingering for a moment, they camo on a poor little soldier's grave of the retreat of 1914, with these words on a rude wooden cross:

"To the Soldier Laurent, of the 36th 1 ' Infantry." •' j The cook, Laurent, bent over ijv reading. '> Tiens," he said, "if my wife should, pass this" way ; she might believe it was mel" • i Scarcely had he said the words, when a long-range Austrian " zim-boom" fell in the little cemetery from a clear , sky, exploding terrifically, 'j It laid. Laurent, the cook, a mangled mess, j upon tho riclretty wooden cross which' bore his name. i

Bclievo this all, in parts, or not atj* all, But, surely (as the story is told), it> was '.this incident which cinched the reputation of tho little mascot of tho Legion.