Suddenly the door opened and an aged servant appeared, leading a beautiful baby girl with a wealth of golden curls.  The officer took one step toward the child and halted.  He was a stranger to his own flesh and blood.  The child hid behind the nurse, peering out in fright.

The half blind eyes of the old nurse had recognized her master and she held out her hands, repeating, “Monsieur!  Monsieur!” in ecstasy.  He crossed the road and grasped her hands, but the baby drew back.

A door opened end a comely young matron came to see what was going on.  She caught sight of her husband, then stopped.  Her hands flew to her breast.  She swayed for a second.  With a sob of joy she hurled herself into his arms.

The correspondent moved away.  And thus they were left, the nurse beaming on the happy couple and the curly headed youngster looking with troubled eyes at this strong man who had appropriated her mother so completely without a word.

WHAT PERSHING THOUGHT OF HIS YANKS

An American newspaper man who returned from Europe about the time hostilities ceased was informed that General Pershing suggested to Marshal Foch in June 1918, that he thought it bad policy to stick around waiting for the boche and that he felt the time had come to jump in and attack—­“But” he was told, “we have not got the troops.”

“Whats the matter with the Americans?” Pershing asked.

“They are not yet trained” was Foch’s reply.

“Try them and see” said General Pershing.  “They will go, anywhere you send them, and I will bet my life on it.”

Pershing took the initiative in urging the offensive, supplied the troops that gave Foch his mobile reserve enabling him to strike his blow, and those American troops “delivered the goods.”

HEALTH OF ARMY SURPRISING

Official reports to the war department show that the general health of the American army during the war had been surprisingly good.  The death rate for all forces at home and abroad up to August 30th, 1918, was 5. per 1,000 men per year, or little more than the civilian death rate for men of the same age groups.

There were 316,000 cases of influenza among the troops in the United States during the late summer and fall of 1918 and of 20,500 deaths, between September 14th and November 8th, 19,800 were ascribed to the epidemic.

ARMY REACHED TOTAL OF 3,664

An official report shows that on the day the Armistice was signed more than twenty-five per cent of the male population of the United States between the ages of 19 and 31 years, were in military service, the army having reached a total of 3,664,000, with more than 2,000,000 of this number in Europe.  As compared with an army strength of 189,674 in March 1917, one week before war was declared by the United States.