e Americans
who are actually disputing inch by inch my home and its surroundings
have ever had time to think that a little village known as "Ecoute s'il
pleut," might find its English equivalent in "Hark-how-it-rains!"

Two touching accounts of the second descent upon our country have come
to my hands. A little orphan peasant lad, under army age, who fled
with our caravan four years since, now pointer in the French
artillery--writes as follows from "Somewhere in France"--June 6, 1918:

DEAR MADAME:

Just a line to tell you I am alive and well; unfortunately I cannot say
as much for my grandparents, for you doubtless know what has again
befallen our country. All the inhabitants have been evacuated.

I am absolutely without news of my grandparents. I learned to-day
through a word from my brother Alfred that they had been obliged to
leave home and had fled in an unknown direction. In spite of the
rumour of a new invasion they did not intend to leave Villiers.

My sister left the first, with some of the young girls of the village.
After twenty-four hours in Paris they were evacuated to a village in
the Yonne.

My brother was obliged to go the next day, and at the present time is
at Rozoy-en-Brie. I believe we made a halt there in 1914 when we fled
as refugees. After three days at Rozoy, Alfred could stand it no
longer, and with three companions they started home on bicycles, in
order to see what had happened. They reached Villiers to find every
house empty, and were almost instantly expulsed by shells. So now we
are all scattered to the four winds of heaven. I am so sad when I
think of my poor grand-parents, obliged to leave home and to roll along
the high-roads at their age. What misery!

I am afraid our village is going to suffer much more than it did in
1914. That horde of scoundrels will spare nothing! And when will it
all be over?

I hope that my letter will find you well and happy, and I beg you to
believe me gratefully and respectfully yours,

LEON CHATELAIN
Marechal des Logis
206e Artillerie--28e Batterie
Secteur 122.

"With the Mayor, and thanks to a neighbour's car, I was able to get
away," writes Monsieur Aman Jean, the well-known painter, who had a
home in Chateau-Thierry. "The situation was becoming unbearable and we
three were the last to leave our unfortunate city. Behind us an army
engineer blew up the post and telegraph office, the military buildings,
the station, the