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Spread over the battlefield of the Marne are numerous graves marked with white crosses and tiny tri-color flags. Late one fall afternoon in 1915 a peasant woman leading a little child by the hand was seen wandering from grave to grave and reading the names inscribed on the little white crosses. They were looking for the grave of their soldier husband and father who had died for his country and for us and our civilization. This picture has ever remained vivid in my mind.
What is to become of the fatherless children of France? Should not we Americans show our appreciation of the sacrifices made by the noble French fathers by helping to care for their children and so help rebuild the nation?
This little book was written with the idea that the entire profits of its sale will go to help the fatherless children of France. The material is based on stories told by wounded in our care and on experiences as recorded in home letters during the period from July 1915 to October 1916 when the writer and his wife had the great privilege of living with the poilus and playing a small part in the great struggle for freedom.
