When the hour for opening the ceremonies arrived, Father Duprey and two other priests moved to the table for prayers of thanksgiving.
Then the mayor of Ste. Mère, and the mayors of other villages made speeches. These over, the music master blew his pitch pipe and M. Blanc raised his arm to give the beat for the singing. High and clear, the children’s voices sang out the beloved old songs of triumphant France.
When the last song died away the children settled down on the grass, and M. Blanc rose.
“We are now about to have a special pleasure,” he announced. “André Gagnon will express the feeling of comradeship we all have for our friends, the Americans.”
André had been carefully carrying his trumpet under his arm. His knees shaking, he stepped forward and put the trumpet to his lips.
He played first a gay little Normandy tune. This was loudly applauded and he waited for the noise to die down.
When he again trilled out a trumpet call, every Frenchman present grew silent and listened with puzzled eyes. The tune was one they didn’t know.
Suddenly, from the back of the crowd, men’s voices began to sing the words.
André’s heart gave a great leap. But he kept on playing. The voices were growing louder. The men were moving toward the green.
André swept into the chorus, and powerfully the American words, punctuated by clapping hands at the proper time, swelled out over the crowd.