them on the bodies of
dead Germans, or received them from the hands of the dying. They are
sent to us in the hope that we may eventually find means to transmit
them to Germany to the relatives of the dead for whom they were
intended. Today came such a note written by a German airman who had
been shot down out of the sky. He had evidently realized that his
time was short and had hurriedly scribbled on the back of a sheet of
instructions printed in German script the few words he could summon
strength to write. The scrap of paper was torn and smudgy and a
thumb-print in blood was impressed on one corner. Each word was more
shaky and labored than the preceding one, as if each had been traced
only by a supreme effort. On it was written in German, "Good-bye,
Mother and Father. My leg is crushed. The French are very kind
and...." A foot-note had been added by some French soldier explaining
that the man had died while he was writing, and giving the means of
identification which had been found on the body.

* * * * *

_Monday, August 24th._ Yesterday and this morning I have observed a
very singular psychological phenomenon. Neither yesterday nor today
have the authorities given out any military news of importance and the
papers have been as non-committal as usual, yet all Paris believes
that the Allies have suffered a great and terrible defeat at a place
in Belgium called Charleroi. The whole city is as if it were under a
pall. Every face wears a fatalistic expression terrible to behold. I
have read of such mysterious spreading of evil tidings, but have never
before witnessed anything of the kind. It is a very curious
manifestation, whether or not it proves to have any foundation in
fact.[1]

[Footnote 1: The French and British armies suffered a crushing defeat
at Charleroi on August 22d-23d. As a result they were driven back a
distance of 150 miles and only succeeded in making a stand after they
had reached a point southeast of Paris.]

* * * * *

The French find a superstitious encouragement in an acrostic which
some ingenious journalist has constructed out of the names of the
Commanders-in-Chief of the French and British armies. Here it is:

JOF | FRE
____|_____
|
FRE | NCH

* * * * *

With Paris unlighted at night, it is an uncanny experience to walk
through a great city which is absolutely dark.