The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-01-29

with ths AmeficanS passport. b with
n cur hnaD Tor tnfoenatde0. We have
rscsivsd orders ~ loek out for him
and u W take him to shoot him at
onee. Cone"
Eegiestoo paled He Was aware
that The ken sesot " spy hunters
WAs Leading the detectives to make
short WORK Of suspicious peFs0ns and
supposed b was to b taken out to be
shot
But monsieur. was In Lille q
few days agO. wheee made the &C.
quaintance Of those connected With
the General safety. Thsy win vouch
for me-"
"Ah. but they are not here" with a
shrug Of bis shoulders
And must suffer a. Q spy because
those who are able to identify me are
not here's"
THAT is one of the hardships Of war.
We can take no risks. Besides. those
men In Lille may have been deceived
in you"
when did the Germans capture the
passport you have referred top
Yesterday"
Il met the General safety detectives
last week."
At this moment another man came
into the room and looked ut EgglestOn
as a hound would look at hare in
which he was about to set bis teeth.
The two Frenchmen talked together
in low voice. Eggleston thought 1t
better not to seem much troubled
about the matter and, taking up one
Of the sheets before him, pretended
to read. A third man was called into
the room, who. having been instructed,
approached the American and said to
him In German:
IF you will confess your life win be
spared"
Eggleston. who did not understand
a word Of what was said to him, but
recognized that 1t was in the German
language, replied:
"Nicht versteh."
This was quite enough for the
! Frenchman. who held that the 'nicht
versteh" was full proof that the sus.
pect was q German. However. after
deliberation they concluded to refer
the case to some one higher up; 90
they placed Eggleston under guard for
the night.
But the allies were at that time too
busy fighting for any one In authority
to pay any attention to an individual
case. The next morning, no reply hav.
ing been received concerning the sus.
pected spy, his captOrs concluded that
1t was best to take no risks. but shoot
; him. though they did not ike to do 60
on an uncertainty. for in case he
should be what he pretended they
! would be liable to get themselves into
. trouble.
The roar of battle ut times sounded
nearer and at times more distant. On
one occasion when the guns were
louder Eggleston's cnptors decided ia
remove him to town farther west.
I During the journey they were about
to cross road running north and
south and had stopped to let a train
Of refugees pass when among the lat.
ter Eggleston caught glimpse OF the
pretty girl he had met in Lille.
"Mademoiselle. he shouted.
Louise Legire turned and. seeing the
American who had assisted the fam
Ny In the hour Of need. clasped her
hands with French fervency and call
ed her mothers attention to him.
A halt was called, and the refugees
and the detective came together for q
conference. Both mother and daugh.
ter were horTi0ed when they learned
that "le bon American" was to b
shot a. . SPY. They told the story
Of having seen him In Lille about q
week before and how be had assisted
them. This was proof positive that be
was not travelling on q captured pass
port, for be had shown II to an o6cer
Of the General Safety corps in their
presence. and Louise. who had never
seen q passport before. had examined
II from curiosity.
EGgleston's capt0rs apologiaed for
having intended to shoot him - CON-
placently a. u they were doing 20 fur
having uninteutionaily joggied him In
passing. They dismissed him. and the
last seen Of him be had Joined the L.
gires. and that Il the last that has been
heard Of him. His reports to his paper
suddenly stopped. There are those
who suspect that this ending Of the
story b Incorrect and that be was
really shot A. q spy. But such per
sons do not consider that there b al.
ways danger Of a man being carried
away BY pretty girl even II there are
plenty Of warriors handy 10 do the Job.