Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-11-07
AN empty
HELL WHEN SEIZED
Belgus Great City Turned the Germans Approached
From Panicstricken Mass to Silence, Which Terrified
the Stragglers-Story Of the Hystercal Old Woman

the blue light Of shells bursting the
town was absolutely dark. Overhead
the sky was painted by the distant
light OF flames where suburbs OF the
town were burning In spite of the
pom2pafdment' pom! aI;11 the city was wonder
The big guns did not make a noise
SO So much as they made a JAR" said he.
The ground shook beneath ones
rect, as though q trip hammer had
fallen. Then one heard that terrible
scream OF the shell, overhead"
More than anything else he wanted
company. He was lonesome. In the
cellars he had found little kitten,
and at first he carried it with him. But
the cat leaped out of his arms and ran
back to her home. There is loyalty in
cats.
For the first time since I grew a
beard" said he. '"I felt like crying
then. l wanted to. take some one by
the hand and be told that was quito
SAFE" 49,. ..,.,5.s
So he began asstumbling process
through the dark streets looking for
lighted window. Now and then he
would hear the crash Of masonry as
house front topp1ed into the street.
He tripped upon loose stones and fall
en- timbers and fell headlong in holes
the great shells had torn in the cob
bled surface. -
II saw dark things lying on the
street." said he. II do not know what
they were. I did not dare find out.
1t seemed to him that he went on
in this fashion for hours Sometimes
he would be seized by panic, and then
ne would run until fall would pull
him up bruised and breathless. Then
for time he would feel his way with
caution. hearing marching Germans
down every side street. They were not
there, but he was quite sure he heard
them.
'At last" said he, 81 saw a feeble
little gleam of, light in. a window. l
was afraid at first, i thought it was a
trap. The window was quite open, and
through it could see candle stands
ing on the table The room seemed
quite empty.
After a time he went in. There was
an old woman sitting in that. room,
knitting. She had been sheltered from
view from the street by an old-rash.
1oned chest of drawers. Sho looked up
as though he had, been long expected.
They faced each other in silence. Then
the old woman spoke: "Are you hun
gry?" she asked.
He Found q Human Being.
| It had not OCCURRED to him until
then, but he was, iEayenoUsly hungry.
| He. remembered that there had. been
hams dnd things se64 4sd In the cellars
| of the st. Antoine. And he regretted
them bitterly. He wished to embrace
the old woman. Her food, he felt,
would be quite solid and commonplace
and satisfying, like herself. He said
that he was famished.
"Ar," said the old woman" so am
He remembered that he had a great
r:any cigarettes. and so he and the
! old woman smoked-the in friendship
Tor time. 1t seemed to hit. that the
bombafdment was lessening. Gome-
times minutes would pass in which
there Was no thump Of the ground and
nc horrid scream Of shells. lie was no
longerly lonely By:and by the old wo.-
man snapped her fingers in i.npa-
tience. = -, - -.
:"stupid!". said she. .'1 have wine"
She came back with many bottles
under her arms; .-7hey toasted each
las run away. The English. but lust
%" no Beige toasis the English. THE
Et sches were quite competent to 10
their own toas.;ng. BY and hy the old
wonan's eyes began to prigtllcn. She
launched upon u chronicle of the scan
dals or a generation that had heen un-
der ground this twenty years. Perhaps
1t was because the mans hair is gray
that she told the; gossip of lively
circle as though to u contemporary.
And so madame hi: the inan III the
| clothes basket" said she, "and when
her husband care-'
But the rest Of that tails will not
! bear repeating. 1t amused the 1.ian
greatly. After thsy had become ge I'd
| FRIENDS he asked her why. on such a
! night as this She vat in her hpuse
How else should j. sit? she asked.
"All who knew me are dead. What
does it matter whether I follow them
tQDight siY ias 1ro.,a