U HIE Mil Br LIEUTENANT PAT O'BRIEN ft Ceprrif kt, Ivu, or I'M Alra U'Bcim SYNOPSIS. CHAPTER I-lntroJuctory. Pat O'Brien talla ot liU purptMv in wilting ilia aiury ol itia advanturva. CHAPTER II Telia of hla enllitment In tlia Royal J-'lylng vurpa, tiia training In Canada and liia Uanaur lu t ranca fur ao Uva duly. CHATTEH IlI-IWrlheN flfhu In which ha brought down lu Uonnan alrplauea and hla llnal light in wliii'U lia waa brought down wounded wlihln tha Oar man linea and waa mail a prlaoner of war. CHAPTER IV-Dlacovtra that Otrman hoapltal aiafC burburoualy imglecud Ilia lutally woumled uiul devoted tlielr enet lea to rvalorliiK tliime who iinulit be returned to ihc tiring line. Wtineaaea death In IU;lil of liia beat chum. iJeuU 1'aul Ralney. CHAPTER V-Ile In taken to tha of Bcera' prlaon camp at Courtial. There lie begHn plannliiK hla eHiape. liy great aae rirlce he nianuMea (u autn and hide away two dully lutiuna nf bread. CHAPTER Vt-Ile conflacatea a map of Oermany and JUHt half an hour later la put on a ti'uln hound fur a prlaon vamp In Germany, lie Imp llirnuitli a window while the trulu la traveling ut a rule of SO mllea an hour. CHAPTER VII-For ulna dayi ha crawla through Uvriiiuny, hiding during tha day. tiavi-llng at night, guided by the aiara and aubHlailiiK on ruw vegetable. Jie covera Tu mllea before reaching l.ux mburg. CHAPTER VIH-For nine day more tie atrugglea on In a weakened condition through Luxemburg In tha direction of Belgium. It was then uhout 3 o'clock In the morning. I wmled In aud was soon In beyond my depth and had to swlin. After about an hour of It I was very much exhausted, and I doubted whether I could make the opposite bank, although It was not more than thirty or forty feet away. I choked and gasped, and my arms and legs were completely fagged out. I sank a little and tried to touch bottom with my feet, but the water was still be yond my depth. There are times when everyone will pray, and I was no exception. I prayed for strength to make those few wicked yards, and then, with all the will power I could summon, struck out for deur life. It seemed a life time before I finally felt the welcome mud of bottom und was able to drag myself up to the bank, but I got there. The hank was rather high and I was 'baking so violently that when I took hold of the gruss to pull myself up, the gruKH Hhouk out of my hands. I could not retain my grip. I was afraid I would fuint then and there, but 1 kept pulling und crawling frantically up that Infernal bank and flually made it. Then for the first time in my life I fainted fainted from utter exhaus tion. It was now about 4 o'clock in the morning und I was entirely unpro tected from observation. If anyone hod come along I would have been found lying there dead to the world. Possibly two hours passed before I regained consciousness, and then, no doubt, only because the ruin was beating in my face. I knew that I had to get away, as it wus broad daylight. Moreover, there was a tow-path right there and uny minute a bout might come along and find me. But. It was equally dangerous for me to attempt to travel very fur. Fortunutely I found some shrubbery' near by and I hid there all day, without food or drink. "That night I made a little head way, but when day broke I had a dreadful fever aud was delirious. I talked to myself and thereby In creased my chances of capture. In my lucid Intervals when I realized that I had been talking, the thought sent a chill through me, because In the silent night even the slightest sound carries far across the Belgian country. I began to fear that another day of this would about flalsh me. I have a distinct recollection of a ridiculous conversation I carried on with an Imaginary Fat O'Brien a sort of duplicate of myself. I argued with him as I marched drearily aloog aaA he answered me back In kind, Md when we disagreed, I celled upon y one constant friend, the North .Star, to stand by me. "There you are, you old North Star," I cried aloud. Ton want me to get to Holland, don't you? But this Pat O'Brien this Pat OTJrelo who calls himself a soldier he's got a yellow treak North Star- and he says It cant be donel He wants me to quit to lie down here for the Huns to find me and take me "back to Cour trat after all you've done. North Star? I don't -want to follow him I just want to follow yon because yon yon arc taking me away from the Hutu and this Pat O'Brien this fel low who keeps after me all the time and leans on my neck and wants me to 11 down this yellow Pat O'Breln wants me to go back to the Hons 1" After a spell of foolish chatter Uke tbt my tenses would corse back to ne for a while and I would trudgt aloni without word on til the fever cam on ma agtla. III I Hull causb 1 fa'iramnit on WJ "rnsnegiTT was very much tempted to lie down then and there und call It a beat Thin;; seemed to he sotting worse for Kept Pulling and That Infernal Crawling Bank. Up me the farther I went, and all the time I had before me the spectre of that electric burrler between Belgium and Holland, even if I ever reached there alive. Whnt was the use of further suffering when I would prob ably he captured in the end nnywayf Before giving up, however, I decided upon one bold move. I would ap proach one of the huuxes In the vl clnlty and get food there or die In the effort I picked out a small house because I figured there would be less likeli hood of soldiers being billeted there. Then I wrapped a stone In my khaki handkerchief as u sort of camouflaged weapon, determined to kill the occu pant of the house, German or Belgian, If that sten was necessary In order to get food. I tried the well in the yard, but It would not work, and then I went up to the door and knocked. It was 1 o'clock in the morning. An old lady came to. the window and looked out. She could not imnglne what I was, probably, because I was still attired In Unit old overcoat. She save a cry and her husband and a bor came to the door. They could not sneak English and I could not speak Flemish, but I pointed to my flying coat und then to the aky and said "Fleeer" (flier), which I thought would tell them what I was, Whether they understood or were Intimidated by the hard-looking ap pearance, I don't know, but certainly It would have to be u brave old man and boy who would start an argument with such a villainous looking char acter as stood before them that night I I had not xlinvcd for a month, my clothes were wet, torn and dirty, my leggings were Rnne they had gotten so honvy I had to discard them my balr was matted and my cheeks were flushed with fever. In my hand I carried the rock In my handkerchief and I made no effort to conceal It presence or Its mission. Anyway, they motioned me Indoors, gave me my first hot meul in more than a inonth ! True, It consisted only of warm potatoes. They hod been previously cooked, but the old woman warmed them up In milk lu one of the dirtiest kettles I had ever seen. I asked for bread, but she shook her head, although 1 think It must have been for lack of it rather than be cause she begmdged It to me. For If ever a man showed he was flmlshed, I did that night. I swallowed those warm potatoes ravenously and I drnnk tour glasses of wuter, one after an other. It was the best meal I had had since the "banquet" In the prison at Courtral. The woman of the house was prob ably seventy-five years old and had evidently worn wooden shoes all her life, for she had a callous spot on the aide of her foot the size of half a dol lar and It looked so hard that I doubt whether you could have driven a nail luo It with a hammer I As I sut there drying myself for I was In no hurrry to leave the first human habitation I had entered In four, weeks I reflected on my un happy lot and the unknown troubles and dangers that lay ahead of me. Here, for more than a month, I had been leading the life of a bunted animal yes, worse than a hunted animal, for nature clotbea her less- favored creatures more appropriate ly for the life they lead than I was clothed for mine and there was not the slightest reason to hope that con dltlons would grow any better. Perhaps the first warm food I had eaten for over a month had released unused springs of philosophy In ma, as food sometimes does for a man. I pointed to my torn and water soaked clothes and conveyed to them as best I could that I would be grate ful for an old suit, but apparently they were too poor to have more than they actually needed themselves, and I rose to go. I had aroused them out of bed and I knew I ought not to keep them up longer than waa absolutely necessary. As I approached the door I got glance at myself In a mirror. I waa the awful est alght I had laid eyea on 1 The glimpse I got of myself startled me almost as much aa If I had seen a dreaded German helmet ! My left eye wss fairly well healed by this time and I waa beginning to regain eight of It, but my face waa so haggard 'and toy beard to long and unkempt that X yfcrve r',"-rvyt'tj - : . -r? : ' " i .... M "Aa they lef ine uTbrihe door pointed to the opposite direction to the one I Intended taking and started off In the direction I had Indicated. Later I changed my course completely to throw off any possible pursuit The next day I was so worn out from exposure and exhaustion that I threw away my coat thinking that the less weight I hud to carry the better it would be for me, but when night cam I regretted my mistake because the nights were now getting colder, thought at first It would be better for me to retrace my steps and look tor the coat I had so thoughtlessly dis carded, but I decided to go on with out it I then begun to discard everything that I had In my pocket, finally throw ing my wrist watch Into a canal. wrist-watch does not add much weight, but when you plod along and have not eaten for a month It finally becomes rather heavy. The next thing I discarded was a pair of flying mittens. These mittens I had gotten at Camp Borden, In Canada, and had become quite famous, as my friends termed theiu "snow shoes." In fact they were a ridiculous pair of mittens, but the best pair I ever had and I really felt worse when I lost those mittens than unythlng else. I could not think of anybody else ever uslug them, ao I dug a hole In the mud and burled them and could not help but laugh at the thought If my friends could see iue burylug my mittens, because they were a standing Joke In Canada, Eng land and Franco. I bad on two shirts and as they were always both wet and didn't keep me wurni, It wus useless to wear both. One of these was a shirt that I bad bought In France, the other an Amer ican army shirt. They were both khukl and one as apt to give me away as the other, so I discarded the French shirt. The American army shirt I brought back with me to England and It Is still In my possession. When I escaped from the train I still had the Bavarian cap of bright red In my pocket and wore It for many nights, but I took great care that no one saw It. It also had proven very useful when swimming rivers, for I carried my map and a few other be longings In It and I had fully made up my mind to bring it home as a souvenir. But the farther I went the heavier my extra clothing became, so I was compelled to discard even the cap. I knew that It would be a tell-tale murk If I simply threw It iiwuy, so one night after swimming a river, I dug n hole in the soft mud on the bank and buried it, too, with con- Nidernhly lens ceremony than my fly ing mittens had received perhaps; so that was the end of my Bavarian bat. My experience at the Belgian's house whetted my appetite for more food and I figured that what had been done once could be done again. Sooner or Inter. I realized I would probably approach a Belgian and find a German Instead, but In such a con tingency I was determined to meas ure my strength against the Hun's If necessary to effect my escape. As It was, however, most of the Bel gians to whom I applied for food gave It to me readily enough, and If some of them refused me It was only be cause they feared I might be a spy or that the Germans would shoot them If their action were subsequently found out About the fifth day fitter I had en tered Belgium I was spending the day as usual in a clump of bushes when I discerned In the distance what ap peared to be something banging on a line. All day long I strained my eyes trying to decide what It could be and arguing with myself that It might be something thut I could add to my In adequate wordrobe, but the distance was so great that I could not Identify It I had a great fear that Deiore night came It -would probably be re moved. As soon as darkness fell, however, I crawled out of my hiding place and worked up to the line and got a pair of overalls for my Industry. The pair of overalls was the first bit ot civil lan clothes I had thus far picked up with the exception of a civilian cap which I had found at the prison and concealed on my person and which I still had. The overalls were rather amall and very short, but when I put them on I found that they hung down far enough to cover my breeches. It waa perhaps three days later that I planned to search another house for further clothes. Entering Belgian houses at night is anything but a safe proposition, because their families are large and sometimes as many as seven or elzht sleen in a single room. The barn la usually connected with the house proper, and there waa always the danger of disturbing some dumb animal even If the Inmates of the house were not aroused. Frequently I took a chance ot searching a back yard at night In the hone of finding food scraps, but my success In that direction was ao alight that I aoon decided that It wasn't worth the risk and I continued to live on raw vegetables that I could pick with safety In the fields and the occasional meal that I waa able to get from the Belgian peasant In the day time. Nevertheless I was determined to get more In the way of clothing and when night came I picked out a house that looked as though It might furnish me with what I wanted. . It was a moonlight night and if I could get in the barn I would have a fair chance of finding my way around by the moon light which would enter the windows. The barn adjoined the main part of the boose, but I groped around very carefully and aoon I touched some thing hanging on a peg. I dlfiat know what If was, but X cosfieatad It sM nied It o"t Into t f There" 15 TJil HiodulltfhTI "exahilneJ my booty and found that It waa an old coat It was too short for an over coat and too long for an ordinary coat but nevertheless I made use of It It bad probably been an overcoat for the Belgian who had worn It Some days later I got a scarf from a Belgian peasant and with this equip ment I was able to conceal my uni form entirely. Later on, however, I decided that It waa too dangerous to keep the uniform on anyway and when night came I dug a hole and burled it I never realised until I had to part with It Just how much I thought of that uniform. It had been with me through hard trials and I felt aa If I were abandoning a friend when I parted with It I waa tempted to keep the wings off the tunic, but thought that would be a dangerous concession to sentiment In the event that I was ever captured. It waa the only dis tinction I had left as I had given the Royal Flying Corp badges and the stars of my rank to the German flying officers as souvenlrsT but I felt that It was safer to discard It As It finally turned out, through all my subsequent experiences, my escape would never have been Jeopardized bad I kept my uniform but of course, I had no Idea what was In store for me. There was one thing which surprised me very much aa I Journeyed through I Belgium and that was the scarcity of dogs. Apparently most of them had been taken by the Germans and what are left are beasts of burden who are too tired at night to bark or bother Intruders. This was a mighty good thing for me, for I would certainly have stirred them up In passing through back-yards as I sometimes did when I was making a short cut. One night as I came out of a yard It was so pitch dark that I could not see ten feet ahead of me and I was right In the back of a little village, although I did not know It. I crawled along fearing I might come to a cross roads at which there would In all probability be a German sentry. My precaution served me In good atead for had I come out In the main street of the village and within twenty feet of me, sitting on some bricks where they were building a little store, I could see the dim outline of a Ger man spiked helmet I I could not cross the street and the only thing to do was to back track. It meant making a long detour and losing two hours of precious time and effort, but there was no help for It so I plodded wearily back, cursing the Huns at every atep. The next night while crossing some fields I came to a road. It waa one of the main roads of Belgium and waa paved with cobble stones. On these roads you can bear a wagon or horse about a mile or two away. I listened Intently before I moved ahead and hearing nothing concluded that the way was clear. As I emerged from the field and got my first glimpse of the road, I got tha shock of my life 1 In either direction, Diagram Showing How O'Brien Loot Precious Hour by Swimming a Riv er and Later Finding That He Was on tha Wrong Side and Had to Swim Back. aa far as I could see, the road waa lined with German soldiers 1 What they were doing In that part of Bel glum I did not know, but you can bo mighty sure I didn't spend any time trying to find out Again It waa necessary to change my course and lose a certain amount of ground, but by this time I had be come fairly well reconciled to those reverses and they did not depress ma as much as they did at first. At this period of my adventure. If day or night paased without its thrill X began to feel almost dlappolnted, but such disappointments war rather rare. One evening as I was about to swim a canal about two hundred feet wide, I auddenly noticed about one hundred yards away a canal boat moored to the aide. It was at a sort of out-of-the-way place and I wondered what the canal boat had stopped for. I crawled up to. see. Aa I n eared the boat five men were leaving It and I noticed them cross over Into the fields. 'At a safe distance I followed them and they had not gone very far before I saw what they were after. They were commit ting the common but heinous crime of atesllnf potatoes! : ""(Contlnuod la next weak kew To Calculate Interest A rule often recommended for es culatlng Interest for short periods la aa follows: To find tha Interest. ef any given sum for anynumber of daya, multiply tha Principal by the number of days and divide as follows: At per cent by 73 ; at 6 par rent by 60; at T per cent by O; at S par cast tj, 48, and at 9 per cent T A . I Cook-Buffington Lumber Coe A COMPLETE LINE BUILDING MATERIAL We have in stock what you want Get our prices and notice the quality. Yours for a larger Phone 4115. Vita JrULL 'mi IN MUliT OR DAY BAXTER GARAGE We moved January 1st. 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