Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-11-07
(Ry Herhert corevl


hour the tall Belgian had been sitting
by. listening to the conversation, but
taking no part In it., Finally he spoke
Il have seen two hells." said he;
a noisy hell and an empty hell. 1 do
not know which is the worse"
Those sitting there nodded their
heads.
Those empty Streets" said one,
after moment. II shall not forget
them. They were so unreal. Four hun
dred thousand had fed from them"
The men and women of the party
were Of that flood of refugees from
captured Antwerp that has drowned
Holland. An about them were other
thousands, walking wearily, along the
ing under hedges. Our refugees were
in a wagon. 1t was as though they had
been marooned on a tiny islet, just
out Of reach Of the restless sea. We
had been asking them to tell us of
that last day in Antwerp. They shook
their heads -.
Each of us saw so ,little," they ex-
planned. "It is as though blind man
asked you to describe the night sky to
him. How would you tell him of the
stars 2"
There were passing silences. At last
one man spoke:
Il shall never forget the mad wom-
an L saw running down the street."
said he. She was in her night dress.
Her neck and arms were bare. Her
long hair fioated out behind her. Up
on her shoulders she had strapped u
soldiers knapsack. In one hand she
waved rifle, with bayonet fixed. AS
she ran she screamed"
She Died ON the Street.
The refugees were singularly un-
communicative. They wished to tell,
but 1t was as though they had been
silenced by the laundering guns. The
events through which they had passed
We're still SO near that they lacked
perspective. Only her and there an In
cident stood out.
There was girl upon the street"
said another. after time. Il stopped
to look at her. Both legs had been
broken by a shell. and there was cut
in her neck, and her head had been
injured. A doctor had given her first
aid. Do you know how morphine acts
upon the wounded?"
The man at whom he was looking
shook his head.
1T makes them restless" said he,
simply. Perhaps they do not suffer,
but they throw themselves about So
1t was with this girl. She was twisting
about on the stones Of the street. and
her head was beating on the stone.
She was only sixteen
Some one asked what he did. i =.
What gould I do2" he asked. yhepe-
lessly II had a car, but it was full Of
other wounded, and this girl was dy
Ing. Her father. and mother begged me
to take her with me, but I could not.
I told them it was better that she die
than be awakened to agony. So at last
they agreed with me and came away.
She was left lying there"
The tall Belgian spoke again.
Il waited until the Bosches came,''
said he. IT did not intend to run. l
have never believed all these stories
Of outrage. and was sure that the
Germans are on their good behavior
now. But could not stand those emp
ty streets"
His home is on the wide street down
which the Germans came in their tri-
umphaf parade, every man Of them
splck and span, his buttons shining,
his cap on at the regulation angle, his
broad, good-natured face shining.
Each German was Justify bawlina,
either Die Wacht am Rhein" or that
other German hymn Of which a free
translation is "a mighty fortress is our
God''
They were too fat and young and
strong" said he. 1--WE have been lied
to. I thought to see old men, or the
land wehr and the landsturm-the
men we have been told by our papers
have been living on turnips and beet
roots in the fields. But these were men
Of the first battle line. They frighten-
ed me-"
Antwerp townsmen and women
spend half their lives in the streets.
Every other house is a cafe. The pave
ments are always thronged with gos.
sipers and young people flirting. A..
l sat in the corner window Of my
house." said he. 1t is on the corner OF
two streets down which they marched
could see for half mile in either
direction. There was. not man or q
woman or hoy-not even a stray
dog--upon those streets. !, And the
Bosches marched down them-sing-
ing. For five hours I watched them.
Then ran away. was afraid,
did they offer you any harm? p He
shook his head.
II was afraid of the town." said he,
Did you ever see an empty town?"
In the Deserted City.
II had been living at the Hotel ST.
Antoine" said one man. II had taken
refuge in the cellars-the wallis are
twelve feet thick. built by the monks
of 500 years ago-but after time one
cannot stay in a cellar It is black and
very lonely One feels It is better to
die in the open. And my candles ran
out" -
So he went upon the street. This
was on the night preceding the Ger
man entry.sAs I; recall It. Except: for
- .--.'.--. 3 60 = - : - 80 -
ITIGT ~MINIITEj