Crook County journal., August 22, 1918, Page Page 6, Image 6

r
CROOK COl'STT JOl'KN'AL
A101HT M. 1019
19
OUIWIMING
the mr
Br
LIEUTENANT
PAT O'BRIEN
8
(W, That 1 was 'worse "off In The city
than I bad been la the fields, and I
decided to get out of that hoos Just
toon at I knew definitely that Huy
llger had made op hla mind to do noth
ing further for me.
When I was not at the keyhole of the
door I spent most of my day on the top
floor In room which looked out on the
street By keeping welt away from the
window I could see much of what was
going on without being seen myself.
In my restlessness, I used to walk back
and forth in that room and I kept it up
so constantly that I believe I must have
worn a path in the floor. It was nine
steps from one wall to the other, and
as I bad little else to amuse me I fig
ured out one day after I had been
pacing up and down for several hours
just how much distance I would have
covered on my way to Holland If my
footsteps had been taken in that direc
tion Instead of Just up and down that
old room. I was very much surprised
to find that In three hours I crossed
the room no less than 5,000 times and
the distance covered was between nine
and ten miles. It was not very grati
fying to realise that after walking all
that distance I wasn't a step nearer my
goal than when I started, but I had to
do something while waiting for Huy
Bger to help me, and pacing up and
down was a natural outlet for my
restlessness.
While looking out of the top floor
window one day, I noticed a cat on a
window ledge of the bouse across the
street 'J. had a nice piece of a broken
mirror which I bad picked np in the
bouse and I used It to amuse myself
for an hour at a time shining It In the
cat's eyes across the street At first
the animal was annoyed by the reflec
tion and would move away, only to
come back a few moments later. , By
and by, however, it seemed to get
msed to the glare and wouldn't budge
o matter how strong the sunlight was.
Playing with the cat In this way got
me into the habit of watching ner
I Rummaged the House Many Times.
comings and goings and was Indi
rectly the means of my getting food a
flay or two later at a time when I
was so famished that I was ready to
do almost anything to appease my
hunger.
It was about 7 o'clock In the even
ing. I was expecting Huyllger at 8,
but I hadn't the slightest hope that he
would bring me food, as he had told
me that he wouldn't take the risk of
having food In his possession when
calling on me. I was standing at the
Window in such a way that I could
aee what was going on In the street
without being observed by those who
passed by, when I noticed my friend,
the cat, coming down the steps of the
opposite house with something in his
month. Without considering the risks
I ran, I opened the front door, ran
down the steps and across the street,
and pounced on that cat before it could
get away with its supper, for that as
I had imagined, was what I had seen
In Its mouth. It turned out to be a
piece of stewed rabbit, which I confis
cated eagerly and took back with me
to the house.
Perhaps' I felt a little sorry for the
cat but I certainly had no qualms
about eating the animal's dinner. I
was much too hungry to dwell upon
niceties, and a piece of stewed rabbit
was certainly too good for a cat to eat
when a man was starving. I ate and
enjoyed it and the Incident suggested
to me a way In which I might possibly
obtain food again when all other ave
nues failed. ,
TT,m my place or concealment I fre
qently saw huge carta being pushed
through the streets gathering potato
peeling!), refuse of cabbage and similar
food remnants, which. In America, are
considered garbage and destroyed. In
Belgium they were using this "gar
'bage",to make their bread out of, and
while the Idea may sound revolting to
us, the fart is that the Germans have
brought these things down to such a
science that the bread they make thla
way Is really very good to eat I know
It would have been like cake to me
when I was In need of food ; Indeed I
would have eaten the "garbage" di
rect let alone the bread.
Although, as I have said. I suffered
greatly from hunger while occupying
this house, there were one or two
things I observed through the keyhole
or from the windows which made me
laugh, and some of the Incidents that
occurred during my voluntary Impris
onment were really funny.
From the keyhole I could see, for In
stance, a shop window on the other
side of the street several houses down
the block. All day long German sol
diers would be passing In front of the
house and I noticed that practically
every one of them would stop In front
of this store window and look In. Oc
casionally a soldier on duty bent would
hurry past but I think nine out of ten
of them were sufficiently Interested to
spend at least a minute, and some of
them three or four minutes gating at
whatever was being exhibited In that
window, although I noticed that it
failed to attract the Belgians.
I have a considerable streak of curi
osity in me, aud I couldn't help won
dering what It could be In that window
which almost without exception
seemed to interest German soldiers but
failed to hold the Belgians, and after
conjuring my brains for a while on the
problem I came to the conclusion that
the shop must have been a book-shop
and the window contained German
magazines, which, naturally enough,
would be of the greatest Interest to
the Germans but of none to the Bel
gians. At any rate I resolved that as soon as
night came I would go out and In
vestigate the window. When I got the
answer I laughed so loud that I was
afraid for the moment I must have at
tracted the attention of the neighbors,
but I couldn't help it The window
was filled with huge quantities of
sausage! The store was a butcher
shop and one of the principal things
they sold apparently was sausage. The
display they made, although it con
sisted merely of sausages piled In the
window, certainly had plenty of "pull
ing" power. It "pulled" nine Ger
mans out of ten out of their course and
Indirectly "pulled" me right across the
street 1 The Idea of those Germans be
ing so Interested In that window dis
play as to stand In front of the win
dow for two, three or four minutes at
a time, however, certainly seemed
funny to me, and when I got back to
the house I sat at the keyhole again
and found Just as much Interest as
before In watching the Germans stop
In their tracks when they reached the
window, even though I was now aware
what the attraction was.
One of my chief occupations during
these days was catching flies. I would
catch a fly, put him in a spider's web
(there were plenty of them in the old
bouse), and sit down for the spider to
come down and get him. But always I
pictured myself In the same predica
ment and rescued the fly Just as the
spider was about to grab him. Several
times when things were dull I was
tempted to see the tragedy through,
but perhaps the same Providence that
guided me safely through all perils
was guarding, too, the destiny of those
flies, for I always weakened and the
flies never did suffer from my lust for
amusement
The house was well supplied with
books In fact one of the choicest li
braries I think I ever saw but they
were all written either In Flemish or
French. I could read no Flemish and
very little French. I might have made
a little headway with the latter, but
the books all seemed too deep for me
and I gave It up. There was one thing
though that I did read and reread
from beginning to end; that was a
New York Herald which must have ar
rived Just about the time war was de
clared. Several things In this in
terested me, and particularly the base
ball scores, which I studied with as
much care as a real fan possibly could
an up-to-date score. I couldn't refrain
from laughing when I came to an ac
count of Zimmerman (of the Cubs)
being benched for some spat with the
umpire, and it afforded me Just as
much interest three years after It had
happened perhaps more than some
current item of world-wide interest
had at that time.
I rummaged the house many times
from cellar to garret In my search for
something to eat, but the harvest of
three years of war had made any suc
cess along that line Impossible. I was
like the man out In the ocean In a boat
and thirsty with water everywhere but
not a drop to drink. '
I was tempted while In the city to
go to church one Sunday, but my better
Judgment told me it would be a useless
risk. Of course, someone would surely
say something to me and I didn't
know how many Germans would be
there or what migt. happen, so I gave
up that Idea.
During all the time I was concealed
in this house I saw but one automobile
and that was a German staff officer's.
That same afternoon I had one of the
frights of my young life.
I had been gazing out of the keyhole
as usual when I heard coming down
the street the measured tread of Ger
man soldiers. It didn't sound like very
many, but there was no doubt in my
mind that German soldiers were
marching down the street I went up-
SI airs ami peeje3 through the window
and sure enough a squad of Genua a In
i fan try was coining down the street '
accompanied by a military motor
truck. I hadn't the slightest Idea that
they were coming after me, but still
the possibilities of the situation gave
me more or less alarm, and I consid
ered how I could make my escape If
by chance I was the man they wre
after. The Idea of hldlug In the wine
cellar appealed to me as the most
practical; there must have been
plenty of places among the wine keg
and cases where a man could couceal
himself, but, as a matter of fact I did
not believe that any such contingency
would arise.
The marching soldiers came nearer,
I could hear them at the next bouse.
In a moment I would see them pass
the keyhole through which I waa look
ing. "Halt!"
At the word of command shouted by
a Junior officer the squad came to at
tention right In front of the house!
I waited no longer. Runnlug down the
stairs I flew Into the wine cellar and
although It was almost pitch dark
the only light coming from a grating
which led to the backyard I soon
found a satisfactory hiding place In
the extreme rear of the cellar. I had
bad the presence of mind to leave the
door of the wlue cellar ajar, figuring
that if the soldiers found a closed door
they would be more apt to search for
a fugitive behind It than if the door
were open.
My division to get away from that
front door had been made and carried
out none too soon, for I had only Just
located myself between two big wine
cases when I heard the tramp of sol
diers' feet marching up the front stoop,
a crash at the front door, a few hasty
words of command which I did not un
derstand, aud then the noise of scur
rying feet from room to room and such
a banging and hammering and smash
ing and crashing that I could not make
out what was going on.
If Huyllger had revealed my hiding
place to the Huns, as I was now con
fident he IihiI I folr rhnf thnma wng II f.
ai VJ&J
"I Figured I Could Put Up a Good
Fight"
tie prospect of their overlooking me.
They would search the house from top
to bottom and, If necessary, raze It to
the ground before they would give up
the search. To escape from the house
through the backyard through the iron
grating, which I had no doubt I could
force, seemed to be the logical thing
to do, but the chances were that the
Huns bad thrown a cordon around the
entire block before the squad was sent
to the house. The Germans do these
things In an efficient manner always.
They take nothing for granted.
Mj one chance seemed to be to stand
pat In the hope that the officer In
charge might possibly come to the con
clusion that he bad . arrived at the
house too late that the bird hud
flown.
My position In that wine cellar was
anything but a comfortable one. Ilats
and mice were scurrying across the
floor and the smashing and crashing
going on overhead was anything but
promising. Evidently those soldiers
Imagined that I ought to be hiding in
the walls, for It sounded as though
they were tearing off the wainscottlng,
the picture molding and, In fact,
everything that they could tear or pull
apart
1 Before very long they would finish
their search upstairs and would come
down to the basement What they
would do when they discovered the
wine I had no Idea. Perhaps they
would let themselves loose on It and
give me my chance. With a bottle of
wine In each hund I figured I could put
up a good fight In the dark, especially
as I was becoming more and more ac
customed to It and could begin to dis
tinguish things here and there, where
as when they entered the pitchy dark
ness of the cellar, they would be as
blind as bats In the sun.
Perhaps It was twenty minutes be
fore I beard what sounded, like my
death-knell to me; the soldiers were
coming down the cellar steps! I
clutched a wine bottle In each hand
and waited with bated breath.
Tramp! Trump! Tramp! In a mo
ment they would be la the cellar j
proper. I could almost hear my heart
lieallng. The mice scurried Herons the
floor by the scores, frightened no
doubt by the vibration and noise made
by the descending soldiers. Rome of
the creatures rail across me where I
stood between two wine cases, but I
was loo much Interested lu bigger
game to pay any attention to mice.
Tramp! Trump I "Haiti" Again
an order was given In Gorman, aud al
though I dtil not understand It I atn
willing to bless every word of it, be
cause It resulted In the soldiers turn
ing right about face, marching up the
stairs again, through the ball and out
of the front door and away I
I could hardly believe my ears. It
seemed almost too good to be true that
they could have given up the search
Just as they were atxait to come upon
their quarry, but unless my ears de
ceived me that was what they had
done1.
The possibility1 that the whole thing
might be a German ruse did not escape
me, and I remained Id the cellar for
nearly an hour after tbey bad appar
ently departed before I ventured to
move, listening Intently in the mean
while for the slightest sound which
would reveal the presence of a sentry
upstairs.
Not hearing a sound I began to feel
that they had Indeed given up the hunt
for I did not believe that a German
officer would be so considerate of bis
men as to try to trap me rather than
carry the cellar by force If they had
the slightest Idea that I was there.
I took off my shoes and crept softly
and slowly to the cellar steps and then
step by step, placing my weight down
gradually so as to prevent the steps
from creaking. I climbed to the top.
The sight that met my eyes as I
glanced Into the kitchen told me the
whole story The water fuueets had
been rlped from the sinks, the water
pipes hawing been torn off, and
gas fixtures, cooking utensils ami
everything else which Contained even
the smallest proMirtlon of the metals
the Germans so badly needed hud beet)
taken from the kitchen. I walked up
stairs now with more confidence, feel
ing tolerably assured that the soldiers
hadu't been after me at all, but had
been merely collecting luetul and
other materials which they expected
an elaborate dwelling house like the
one In which I was concealed to yield.
Later I heard that the Germans have
taken practically every ounce of brass,
copper and wool they could lay their
bands on In Belgium. Even the brass
out of plunos has been ruthlessly re
moved, the serious damage done to
valuable property by the removal of
only an Insignificant proportion of
metal never being taken into consid
eration. I learned, too, that all dogs
over fourteen Inches high had been
seized by the Germans. This furnished
lots of speculation among the Belgians
as to what use the Germans were put
ting the animals to, the general Im
pression apparently being that they
were being used for food!
This, however, seemed much less
likely to me than that they were being
employed as dispatch dogs In the
trenches, the same as we use them on
our side of the line. They might pos
sibly kill the dogs and use their skins
for leather and their carcasses for tal
low, but I feel quite sure that the
Huns are by no means so short of food
that they have to eat dogs yet awhile.
Indeed, I want to repeat here what
I have mentioned before ; If anyone has
the Idea that this war can be won by
starving the Huns, he hasn't the slight
est Idea how well provided the Ger
mans are In that respect. They have
considered their food needs In connec
tion with their resources for several
years to come and they have gone at
it In such a methodical, systematic
way, taking Into consideration every
possible contingency, that provided
there Is not an absolute crop failure,
there Isn't the slightest doubt In my
mind that they can lust for years, and
the worst of It Is they are very cock
sure about It themselves.
It Is true that the German soldiers
want peace! As I watched them
through the keyhole In the door I
thought how unfavorably they com
pared with our men. They marched
along the street without laughter, with
out Joking, without singing. It was
Quite apparent that the war Is telling
on them. I don't believe I sow a single
German soldier who didn't look as If
be hod lost his best friend and he
probably had.
At the surae time there Is a big dif
ference certainly a'dlfference of sev
eral years between wishing the war
was over and giving up, and I don't
believe the German rank and file any
more than their leaders have the slight
est Idea at this time of giving up at
aU.
But to return to my experience
while concealed In the house. After
the visit of the soldiers, which left
the house lb a wretched condition, I
decided that I would continue my Jour
ney towards the frontier, particularly
as I bud gotten all I could out of Huy
llger, or rather be had gotten all he
was going to get out of me.
During my concealment In the house
I had 'made various sorties Into the
city at night, and I wus beginning to
feel more f oinfortuble even when Ger
man soldiers were about. Through
the keyhole I had studied very
closely the gait of the Belgians, the
slovenly droop that characterized most
of them, and their general appearance,
and I felt that In my own dirty and un
shaven condition I must have looked
as much like the average poor Belgian
as a man could. The only thing that
was against me was my height I wus
several Inches taller than even the
tallest Belgians. I had often thought
that red hulr would have gone good
with my name, but now, of course, I
was mighty glud that I was not so
endowed, for red-hulred Belgians are
about as rare" as German charity.
There are many, no doubt, who will
wonder why I did not get. more help
than I did at this time. It Is easily
answered. When a man la In hourly
fear of his life and the country I full
of spies, as Belgium certainly was, he
Is not going to help Just anyone that
comes along seeking aid. One of the
German's most succensful ways of trap
plug the Belgians has been to pose as
an English or French primmer who has
em-aped, appeal to them for aid, Impli
cate as many as possible, and then
turn the whole German police force
loose on thorn. As I look back on
those days I think It remarkable that
I received aa much help as I did, but
when people are starving under the
conditions now forced, upon thoM un
fortunate peosjlti, It Is a great tempta
tion to surrender these escaped pris
oners to Gorman authorities and re
ceive the handsome, rewards offerer
for them or for alien spies, as 1 waa
classed at that time.
The passport w hich I had described
uie as a Kpaulsh sailor, but I waa
very dubious about Its value. If I
could have spoken Kpaulsh fluently It
might have been worth something to
me, but the few words I knew of the
language would not have carried me
very far If I had been confronted with
a Spanish ' Interpreter, I decided to
use the passport only ss a last resort,
preferring to act the part of a deaf
and dumb Belgian peasant as far as
It would carry me.
Before I Anally left the house I had
a remarkable experience which I shall
remember as long as I live.
CHAPTER XIV.
A Night of Dissipation.
During the first two days I spent
with Huyllger after I had first arrived
In the big city, he hud told me, among
other things, of a moving picture show
lu town which ho said I might have a
chance to see while there.
"It Is free every night In the week
except Kuttirdays and Sundays," be
suld, "and once you are Inside yftu
would not be apt to be bothered by
anyone except w hen they come to take
your order for something to drink..
While there Is uo admission, patrons
are expected to put or drink while en
Joying the pictures." . ,
A day or two Inter, white walking
the streets at nluht In search for food,
I had passed this place and was very
much tempted to go In and send a
few hours, particularly aa it would
perhaps give me an opportunity to
buy something to ent although I waa
at loss to know how 1 was going to
a'k for what I wanted.
While trying to make up my mind
whether It was snfo for mo to go In 1
walked half a block past the place, and
when I turned back again and reached
the entrance with my mind made up
that I would take the chance I run full
tilt Into a Gormun officer who was Just
cuuilug out
That settled all my hankerings for
moving pictures that night "Where
you came from, my friend," I figured,
"there must be more Ilk yon I I pucw
It Is a good night for walking."
The next day, however, In rci-ulllng
the Incident of the evening In r , It
seemed to me that I had been ra'her
foolish. What I needed more liu.u
anything else at that time was confi
dence. Before I could get to the fron
tier I would have to confront German
soldiers many times, because there
were more of them between tills city
and Holland than In any section of the
country through which I had so far
traveled. Safety In these conting
encies would depend largely npon the
calmness I displayed. It wouldn't do
to get all excited at the. mere sight of
a spiked belmet The Belgians, I bad'
noticed, while careful to obey the
orders of the Huns, showed no partic
ular fear of them, and It seemed to
me the sooner I cultivated the same
feeling of Indifference the better I
would be able to carry off the part I
was playing.
For this reason I made up my mind
then and there that, officers or no of
ficers, I would go to that show that
night and sit It through no matter
what happened. While people may
think that I had decided unwisely be
cause of the unnecessary risk involved
In the adventure, it occurred to me
that perhaps after all that theater was
about one of the safest places I could
attend because that wus about the last
place Germans would expect to find a
fugitive English officer In even If they
were searching for me.
As soon as evening came, therefore,
I started out for the theutre. I fixed
myself up as well as possible. I had
on a fairly decent pulr of pants which
Huyllger hud given me and I used a
clcun hundkcrchlef as a collar.
With my hair brushed up and my
beard trimmed as neatly as possible
with a pair of rusty scissors which I
had found In the house, while my ap
pearance was not exactly that of a
Boon Brummel, I don't think I looked
much worse than the average Belgian.
In these days the average Belgian la
very poorly dressed at best
I can't say I had no misgivings as I
made my way to the theatre; cer
tainly I was going there more for dis
cipline thun pleasure, but I hud made
up my mind thut I was going there to
see It through.
The entrance to the theatre or beer
garden, for It waa as much one as the
other, was on the side of the building
and was reached by way of an alley
which ran alongside. Near the door
was a ticket-seller's booth, but as this
was one of the free nights there was
no one In the booth.
I marched slowly down the alley
Imitating as best I could the Indiffer
ent gait of the Belgians, and when I
entered the theater endeavored to act
as though I had been there many times
before. A hasty survey of the layout
of the place wus sufficient to enuble
me to select mj seat. Jt was eurljranj
there were not more than half a dosea
people In the place at that time, so
that I bad my choice,
, There was a raised platform, per
haps two feet high, all Broun 1 'the
walls of the place except at ttu end
where the stage wss located. On thla
platform tables wore arranged and
there were tubles on the floor proper
as well.
I decided promptly that the safest
place for me was as fur buck aa pos
sible, where I would not be In the Una
of vision of others In back of me. Ac
cordingly I slouched over to a table
on the platform directly opposite the
stage and I took Uie seat against the
wall. The whole place was now In
front of ma, I ceuld see everything
that was goiug an and everyone who
came In, but no one, except those who
sat at my own table, would notice me
unless they deliberately turned around
to look.
The place began to fill up rapidly.
Every second person who came In the
place seemed to me to be a German
soldier, but when they were seated at
the tables and I got a chance later on
to make a rough count, I found that
In all there were not more than a hun
dred soldiers In the place and there
must have been several hundred civil
ians. The first people to Bit at my tnhle
were a Belgian and hla wife. The Bel
gian sat next to me and bis wife next
to him. I was hoping thut other civil
ians would occupy the remaining two
seats at my table, because I did not
relish the Idea of having to alt through
the show with German soldiers within
a few feet of me. That would ccrtulnly
have spoiled my pleusure fur the even
ing. Every uniform that came .In the door
gave me cause to worry until I wss
sure It was not coming In my direction.
I don't mippoHu there wus a single sol
dier who came In the door whom I
didn't follow to bis seat with my
eyes.
Just before they lowered the lights,
two Germun officers entered. They
stood at the door for a moment look
lug the place over. Then they made a
beellne In my direction and I must
confess my heart started to beat a
it' ill;:1'1' 'ill
'k 0 ' ' 'i I'l l
''f! Vh I"!1 w ll
It Seemed Better to Parrot the Belgian.
little faster. I hoped that thpy would
find another seat before they came to
my vicinity, but they were getting
nearer and nearer and I reullsed with
a sickening sensation that they were
headed directly for the two seats at
my table, and thut waa Indeed ths
case.
These two seats were In front of ths
table facing the stage and except when
the officers would be eutlng or drink
ing their backs were toward me, and
there was considerable consolation In
that From my seat I could hava
reached right over and touched one of
them on his bald bead. It would have
been more than a touch, I am afraid.
If I could have gotten away with It
safely.
As the officers seated themselves,
a waiter came to us with a printed
blll-of-fure and program. Fortunately,
he waited on the others first and I
listened Intently to their orders. Tha
officers ordered some light wine, but
my Belgtun neighbor ordered "Bock"
for himself and his wife, which was
what I had decided to order anyway,
as that was the only thing I could say.
Heaven knows I would fur rather have
ordered something to eat and I wus
afraid to take a chance at the pronun
ciation of the dishes It set forth.
There were a number of drinks listed
which I might safely enough have or
dered. For instance, I noticed "Lemon
Bquush, 1.50," "Olnger Beer, 1.
"Sparkling Dry Ginger Ale, j-
"Appollnarls, 1.," and "Scbweppea
Soda, 030," but It occurred to me that
the mere fnct that I selected some
thing that was listed In English might
attract attention to me and something
In my pronunciation might give fur
ther cause for suspicion.
It seemed better to parrot the Bel
gian and order "Bock" and that was
what I decided to do.
One Item on the bill of far tanta
lized me considerably. Although It waa
listed among the "Prlzzen der
dranken," which I took to mean
"Prices of drinks," It sounded verj;
much to me like something to eat
and Heaven knows I would rather
have had one honest mouthful of
food than all the drinks In the world.
The ItcrnJ refer iq was "Djjbjjel GflJS
(To be continued)
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