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w5 rH' fs.. H f ,' I)4- THE BEAVER' HERALD, BEAVEH, OKLAHOMA v OUTWITTING THE HUN By LIEUTENANT PAT O'BRIEN Ok-'l ! 1. & V Copyright, 1918, by Pat Ahra O'Brien M sj in I J hAi Y- -,4 k to 1 -r - w .'JH y 3 , 'ii r- ii F. r CHAPTER XIII. Five Days In ah tmaty Heuae The Are days I spent in thnt house seemed to ma like five years. During 11 that time I had Tery little to eat less In fact than I had been getting la the fields. I did not feel It so bad, per haps, because of the fact that I was no longer exposed to the other privations which before had combined to make say condition so wretched. I now hod a good place to sleep, at any rate, and I did not wake every halt hour or so as I had been accustomed te do In the fluids and woodsy and, of course, my hunger was not aggravated by tho physical exertions which had been ecessnryt before. Nevertheless, perhaps because I had more time now to think of tho hunger fains which were gnawing at me all the time, I don't believe I was ever so miserable ns I was at that period of my adventure. I felt so mean towards tho world I would have committed murder, I think, with very little prov ocation. German soldiers were passing the house at all hours of the day. I watched them hour after hour from tho keyhole of the door to have shown myself at the window was out of the question because tho house In which I was concealed was supposed to bo untenanted. Because of the fact that I was un able to speak either Flemish or Ger man I could not go out and buy food, although I still bad the money with ojajp n jajjBBJff ill 1 1 jli I Rummaged the House Many Times. which to do it That was one of the things that galled one the thought that I bad the wherewithal in my jeans to buy all the food I needed and yet no way of getting it without en dangering my liberty and life. At night, however, after It was dark, I would steal quietly out of the house to see what I could pick up In the way of food. By that time, of course, the stores were closed, but I scoured tho streets, the alleys and the byways for scraps of food and occasionally got up courage enough to appeal to Belgian peasants whom I met on the streets, and in that way I managed to keep body and soul together. It was quite apparent to me, how ever, that I was worse off in the city than I had been in the fields, and I decided to get out of that house just as soon ns I knew definitely that Huy llger had made up his 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 a room which looked out on the street. By keeping well 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 ao constantly that I believe I must have worn a nath 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 waa very much surprised to find that lu three hours I crossed the room no less than 5,000 times and thS dlstanco covered waa between nine and ten miles. It was Hot very grati fying to realize that after walking all that dutance I wasn't a step nearer say goal than when I started, but I had to do something while waiting for Hay tiger to help me, and pacing ap and dawn waa a aataral outlet for say restlessness. While looking oat of the top Moor window one day, I noticed a cat oa a window ledge of the house acroaa the I kad a alee place of a brakes mirror which I had picked up In the house and I used It to amuse myself for an hour at a ttae shining It In the cat'a 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 used to the glare and wouldn't budge no matter how strong the sunlight was. Playing with the eat In this way got me Into the habit of watching her comings and goings and was Indi rectly the means of my getting food a day or two later at a time when X 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 Huyllgcr at 8, but I hadn't the slightest hope that he would bring me food, as ho had told roe that he wouldn't take the risk of having food In his possession when calling on me. I "was standing at tho window In such a way thnt I could see what was going on In the street without being observed by tliose who pnssed by, when I noticed my friend, the cat, coming down the steps of tho opposite house with something in his mouth. Without considering the risks I ran, I opened the front door, ran down the steps and across tho 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. Perhsps I felt a little sorry for the cat, but I certainly bad no qualms about eating the animal's dinner. I waa 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. From my place of concealment I fre qently saw huge carts being pushed through the streets gathering potato peelings, 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 fact is that the Germans have brought these things down to such a science that the bread they' make this way is really very good to eat I know it would have been llko 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 gazing 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, and 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, nnd 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 nnd 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 I The store was a butcher shop and one of the principal things they gold apparently was sausage. The display they made, although It con sisted merely of sausages piled In the window, certainly bad plenty of "pull ing" power. It "pulled" nine Ger mans out of ten out of thqlr course and Indirectly "pulled" me rlghtacross the street I 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 atop In their tracks when they reached the wladow, even though I waa bow aware what the attraction was. One of ray chief occupations during these days' was catching files. I would catch a fly, pat him la a spider's web (there were plenty of them In the old house), and sit down for tho spider to comedown and get htm. 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 whea 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 files, for I always weakened and tho files never did suffer from my lust for amusement The bouse was well supplied with books In fact, one of the choicest li braries I thfck I ever saw but they were all written cither In Flemish or French. I could read no Flemish and very little French. I might have made a little bcadwny 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 abo'ut the tlmo war was de clared. Several things in this in terested me, and particularly the base ball scores, which I studied with ns much care ns a real fan possibly could nn up-to-date score. I couldn'Urcfraln from laughing when I came to nn ac count of Zimmerman (of the Cubs) being benched for some spat with the umpire, and It afforded mo just ns much Interest three years after It bad 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 ray search for something to eat, but the harvest of three yeara of war had made any suc cess along that line Impossible. I was like the man out In tire ocean In a boat and thirsty with water everywhere but not a drop to drink. I was tempted while in the ctty 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 might happen, so I gave up that Idea. During all the time I was concealed In this house I saw but one automobile nnd that was a German staff officer's. That some afternoon I had one of the frights of my young life. I had been gazing out of the keyhole ns 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 stairs and pecked through tho window and sure enough a squad of German la fantry was coming 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 waa the man they were after. The Idea of hiding In the wine cellar appealed to me as the "most practical; there must have been plenty of places among the wine kega and cases whero a man could conceal 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 house. In a moment I would see them pacs the keyhole through which I waa look Ing. "Haiti" At the word of command shouted by a junior officer tho squad came to at tention right In front of the house I I waited no longer. Running down the stairs I flew into the wine cellar and although It wns almost pitch dark the only light coming from n grating which led to the backyard I soon found a satisfactory hiding place In the extreme rear of the cellar. I had had the presence of mind to leave the door of the wine cellar ajar, figuring that If tho BOldlers found a closed door they would be more apt to search for a fugitive behind It than If the door were open. My decision tvrnt away from that front door had been made and carried out none too soon, for I had only Just located myself between two big wlneY cases when I beard 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, and then the noise of scur rying feet from room to room and such a banting and hammering and smash ing and crashing that I could not make out what waa gulug on. If nuyllger had revealed my hiding place to the Huns, as I was now con fident he had, I felt that there was lit tle 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 tho 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 tho chances were that the Huns had thrown a cordon around tho entire block before the' squad was sent te the house. The Germans do these thag la an efficient manner always. That: tak aothlng for granted. My one chanco seemed to he to stand pat In tho hope that the officer In charge might possibly come to tho con clusion that ho had arrived at tho house too late that the bird bad flown. My position In that wine cellar wns anything but a comfortable one. Rnts and mice were scurrying across the floor and-'he smashing and crashing going nniverhead wus anything but promising. Evidently thoso ' soldiers Imagined that I ought to bo hiding In the walls, for it sounded ns though they were tearing off the walnsccttlng, the picture molding and, In fact, everything that they could tear or pull apart, Beforo very long they would finish their search upstairs nnd would cotno down to tho basement. Whnt they would do when they discovered tho wlna I had ho lden. I'erhups they would let themselves loose on It nnd glvo me my chnncc. With n bottlo of wine In each hand I figured 1 could put up a good fight In tho dark, especially ns I wns becoming morn nnd more ac customed to It nnd could begin to dis tinguish things hero nnd there, where as when they entered the pitchy dark ness of tho cellar, they would bo ns blind as bats In the sun. Perhaps It wns twenty minutes be fore I heard wliut sounded llko my death-knell to me; U10 soldlera were comluc down the cellar steps I 1 clutched a wine bottle In each hand end waited with bated breath. Tramp I Tramp I Tramp I In a mo ment they would be In the cellar proper. I could almost hear my heart beating. The mice scurried across the floor by the scores, frightened no doubt by the vibration nnd noise made by. the descending soldiers. Some of the creatures ran acrost me where I stood between two wine cases, but I was too much Interested in bigger game to pay any attention to mice. Tramp I Tramp I "Haiti" Again an order was given In German, and al though I did not understand It I am willing to bless every word of it be cause It resulted in the soldiers turn ing right about face, marching up the stnlrs again, through the hall and out of the front door nnd 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 about to come upon their quarry, but unless my ears de ceived me that was what they bad done. The possibility that the whole thing might be n Herman ruso did not escape me, and I remained In tho cellnr for nearly nn hour nfter they had appar ently departed before I ventured to move, listening Intently In the mean while for tho slightest sound which would reveal the presence of a sentry upstairs. " Not hearing a sound I began to feel that they hod Indeed given up the hunt, fur I did not believe that a German fTvHBjaaaBHBflBBHnBBBBajFaBB . 11 r iij!ffBJBJBJBslpjBJBJBJPjESSj"r?g" "I Figured I Could Put Fight" Up a Good officer would be so considerate of his men as to try to trap ine rather than carry the cellar by force if they bad 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 1 glanced Into the kitchen told me the whole story. The water faucets had been ripped from the sinks, the water pipes havelng been torn off, and gas fixtures, cooking utensils and everything else which conMaed even I tk smallest proportion of tho metal the Germans so badly needed had been taken from tho kitchen. I wnlked up stairs now with more confidence, feel ing tolerably assured that the soldiers hadn't been after mo at all, but had been merely collecting metal and other materials which they expected an elaborate dwelling house like the ono In which I wns concealed to yield. Later I heard that the Germans have taken practically every ounce of brass, copper and wool they could lay their hands on In Belgium. Evep the brass out of pianos hns been ruthlessly re moved, tho serious damage dono to valuable property by the removal of only nn Insignificant proportion of metal never being taken into consid eration. I lenrned. too, that all dogs over fourteen Inches high had been seized by tho Germans. IHils furnished lots of i-pcculntlon among the Belgians as to what use tho Germans were put ting tho animals to, tho general Im pression apparently being that they were being used for foodl This, however, seemed much less likely to mo than that they wcro being employed ns dispatch dogs In the trenches, the sninu ns wo use them on our side of the line. They might pos sibly kill the dogs nnd uso their skins for leather and their carcasses for tal low, but I feel quite sure that the Iluus nro by no means so short of food thnt they have to cat dogs yet nwhlle. Indeed, I wnnt to repeat1 hero 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 welt provided the Ger mans nre In that respect. They have considered their food needs in connec tion with their resources for several years to como and they have gone at It In such a methodical, systematic way, taking Into consideration every possible contingency, that provided there Is not an nbsoluto crop failure, there Isn't tho slightest doubt In my mind that they can last for years, and the worst ox It la they are very cock sure about it themselves. It Is true that the German soldiers wnnt pence. As I watched them through the keyhoto In the door I thought how unfavorably they com pared with our men. They marched nlong tho street without laughter, with out Joking, without singing. It was quite apparent thnt the war Is telling on them. I don't believe I saw a single German soldier who didn't look as ir he hail lost his best friend and he probably had. At the same time there Is a big dif ference certainly a difference of sev eral years between wishing the war was over and giving up, and I don't bellcvo the German rank and file any more thnn their lenders have the slight est Idea at this time of giving up at nil.' But to return Jo my experience while concealed In the house. After the visit ,of the soldiers, which left the house In a wretched condition, 1 decided that I would continue my Jour ncy towards the frontier, particularly as I had gotten nil I could out of Huy tiger, or rather he had gotten all be was going to get out of me. During my concealment In the house I had made various sorties Into the city nt night and I was beginning to feet more comfortable even when Ger man soldiers were about Through the keyhole I bad studied Tery 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 hnvo looked as much like the average poor Belgian as a mnn could. The only thing that was against mo was my height. I was soveral Inches taller than even the tallest Belgians. I had often thought that red hair would have gotie good with my name', but now, of course, I was mighty glad that 1 was not so endowed, for red-haired Belgians are about ns rare ns German charity. There are many, no doubt, who will wonder why I did not get more help thnn I did ut this time. It Is easily answered. When a man Is In hourly fenr of his life and the country Is full of spies, as Belgium certainly was, ho Is not going to help Just anyone that comes along seeking nld. One of the German's most successful ways of trap ping the' Belgians has been to pose as an English or French prisoner who has escaped, appeal to them for nld,' Impli cate as many as possible, and then turn tho whole German police force loose on them. A3 I look back on those days I think It remarkable that I received as much help as I did, but whwi people are starving under tho conditions now forced upon thost un fortunate people, it Is a great tempta tion to surrender tbeso escaped pris oners to German authorities and re ceive the handsome rewards offered for them or for alien spies, as I was classed at that time. Tho passport which I had described me as a Spanish sailor, but I was very dubious about Its value. It I could have spoken Spanish 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 uaa the Dassnort only aa a last resort, preferring to act tho Bt of deaf hi and dumb Belgian peaaaat aa' far aa It would carry me. Before I finally left the bouse I had a remarkable experience which I remember as long as I live. ' CHAPTER XIV.' "J I-" A Night of Dtaetaatfen. During the first two days I apem with Huyllgcr after I had first arrive in the big city, he had told me, among other things, of a moving picture shew In town which he said I might have chance to ace while there. "It la free every night in the week except Saturdays and 8undays," ha snld, "nnd once you are Inside yi wonld not bo npt to be bothered by anyone except when Ihey come to take your order for something to drink. While 'thero Is no admission, patron nro expected to ent or drink while ea Joylng tho pictures." A dny or two later, whllo walking the streets nt night In search for food, I had passed tills place and was very much tempted to go 1n and spend a few hours, particularly as It would perhaps glvo mo on opportunity to buy something to ent, although J waa nt n loss to know how I was going to ask for whnt I wanted. . i Whllo trying to make up ray mind whether It was safe Tor me to go la t wnlked half a block past the place, aed when I turned back agala and reached the entrance with my anlal nude that I would take the chanc I ran fJI tilt Into a German officer who waa Jo coming out That settled all my haakertag far ' moving pictures that night. ''Wher: ,' yoa came from, my friend," t figured, "there must be more like yoa I I gaeoa ' It Is a good night for walking." The next dny. however, In recalllai the incident of the evening before, It l seemed to me that I had bees rather , foolish. What I needed mora thaa , anything else at that time waa coaaV dence. Before I could get to the froa tier I would have to confront Gem)1 soldiers many times, because thaw were more of them between this city nni Holland than In any section of tho country through which CI had ao far traveled. Safety In these conting encies would depend largely apea that calmqesa I displayed. It wouldn't d to get all excited at tne mere.aiam w a spiked helmet Tin Belgian,, I hat ,. noticed, while careful .to, obey,, the) ti orders of the Huns, showed no parti utar fear of there, and It aeomed M me the sooner I cultivated the aaaai feeling of Indifference nhe better' I would be able to carry off the part a. was playing. For this reason I made up my taJsji then and there that, officers or no ut J fleers, I would go to that show that''' night and sit It through no mattaa what happened. While people' nay think that 1 bad decided unwisely bo- cause of the unnecessary HiVlnvotTOt. In the adventure, It occurred to so, that perhaps after all that theater w; about one of the safest place I coM attend because that was about tho laat place Germans would expect to And fugitive English officer In, even If taoy. , were searching tot me. " As soon aa evening came, therefor, I started out for the theatre. I ftaat) myself up aa well' as possible. I 4 on a fairly decent pair of panta wnteJl Huyllger had given me and I seed clean handkerchief aj a collw . With my hnir brushed up and cay beard trimmed as neatly aa' poealblo with a pair of rusty 'scissors which I had found In the house, while my , pcarance was not exnetly that of a Bean Brummel, I don't think I looked -much worse than the nverage Belgian, , In these days the average Belgian l very poorly dressed at best I can't say I had no m!gl1ng as I mado my way to the theatre; cor , talnly I was going there more for dt ' clpllne than plensure, but I had mado up my mind that I was going there to . sco It through. The entrance to the theatre or beer garden, for It was as much one as tho other, was on the side of tho bulldlaa and wns reached by way of an alley "a" which ran alongside. Near the dost was a ticket-seller's booth, but as tht . was one ofthe free nights there was? ( no one in the booth, '' ' , I marched slowly down the alley ' , Imitating as best I could the lndltfrJy cut gait 01 me ueigians, ana wneo -entered tho theater endeavored to ad ns though I had been there many time ; before. A hasty survey of the leyovt, of tho placo was sufficient to enaM- mo to select my seat It was early aM ,' there were not moro than half a dose j people in tho place at that time, a ' that I had my choice. Thero was a raised platform, per tj nans two feet high, all .around th , walls of the placo except at the ead " where the stage was located. On thiol , platform tables were arranged, aafl there were tables on the floor proper L- ftS well (TO BB CONTINUED.) " rn W 5l Showtat It "That De Jones muit bo a felly brave man." "What makes you think ao!" "Because In the course of a day be defied the cook, Matty als wife and bullied Geo too vV. fc N, fti l 4-i,