heard--joyous shouts--from French throats! Never had they heard
such a sound! People came tumbling out of their houses, some not
fully dressed--but who cared? The French were returning
victorious from the battle of the Marne. They were coming again
into Rheims, driving the Germans before them! Ah, but when the
red trousers actually appeared in the streets the populace went
mad with joy! They embraced the soldiers; they marched beside
them with tears streaming down their cheeks, singing "March on!
March on!" as though they would split their throats. Pierre and
Pierrette marched and sang with the others, their Mother close
beside them.

On and on came the singing, joy-maddened people, right past
Madame Coudert's shop, and there, standing on the curb, with a
tray in her arms piled high with goodies, was Madame Coudert
herself. The green poster was already torn in shreds and lying in
the gutter. It even looked as if some one had stamped on it, and
above her door waved the tricolor of France! "Come here," she
cried to Pierre and Pierrette, "Quick! Hand these out to the
soldiers as long as there's one left!"

Pierre seized a pink frosted cake, and ran with it to a Captain.
Pierrette gave a sugar roll to the first soldier she could reach;
other hands helped. Mother Meraut ran into the shop and brought
out more cakes. Shop-keepers all along the way followed Madame
Coudert's example, and soon people everywhere were bringing
offerings of candy, chocolate, and cigars to the soldiers, and
the streets suddenly blossomed with blue, white, and red flags.
At the corner, near Madame Coudert's shop, Pierre had the joy of
seeing the German officer who had tried to catch him surrender to