The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-05-07
Mistaken
For Spy
By r BAXTER

NSIO IoN = 81 . sOOCO k0At ! u0O
better remain where l was than try
to get back to America. 50 | stuck to
my quarters In the capital. though l
displayed an American Gag at my win.
dow and visited the embassy to make
sure my passport was all right.
By October the lines Of traffic over
the Atlantic had become safe. and hear.
ing that l could get passage at Rotter.
dam for New York l concluded to ven
tmre upon q trip home. The only dan
ger in my personality lay in the fact
Of my accent. We Rostonians use the
broad n" like the English. and on this
account | was liable to b. taken for MI
EngIishwOman.
At the time | started the allies in
the west were engaged in repulsing the
attacks Of the Germans in France and
il part Of Belgium which was still o.
rllpied by the Belgians. Having cross
I'd the Meuse | fell IN with the Ger
man army in the rear OF the line Ot
trenches which vas being held as q re.
serve. | was conducted to the bead
quarters OF the general commanding.
and my passport was examined by an
officer of his staff who spoke English,
bu, with the usual accent of Il German
After d few questions he left me, but
DOR returned.
There Is fighting on the route YOU
must take. and it would not be safe to
proceed just nov The general desires
that you join him at dinner. and we
will see that you have a comfortable
place to sleep"
| vas sorry for the delay. but exer
ciscd patience. especially since | was
to be we'll treated. Some British pris.
oners were brought in during the day.
and | went among them, chatting with
them. l noticed that they all supposed
ME to be English, several of them ask.
ing from what part of England l ha T.
ed. This troubled me, for there were
German OF GERS and soldiers present.
and | was quite ure that at least one
Ut the officers was listening to our ron.
versatiOn.
dined with the general and severa.
members of his staff. There was also
another woman present besides nv.
self, who spoke English f1uently. In.
deed, not every one would knn
whether she was English or German.
though to me she betrayed her nation
atty in certain words that a German
can never pronounce. For the wv"
she used q ~" For q 'g" she used
Ssh" But it seemed to me that she
must have learned English while
young, for these peculiarities Of Ger.
man pronunciation were very slight.
After dinner the men arose and said
that they would smoke outside. giving
US two ladies an opportunity to enjoy
each others society for a short time.
They had scarcely left US alone to-
sether when my companions name
changed completely. She drew her
seat very near me and whispered:
II am not German. | am English. |
have very important information of the
German forces which | wish to carry
to England. But there are officers be.
tween me and the coast who know me-.
and if l proceed l will be arrested for
Il spy. If you will carry a bit of paper
through the lines to General French's
headquarters you will save the lives Of
hundreds. thousands, of our country.
men,"
This speech frightened me dreadful.
ly. | arose and attempted to leave the
woman, convinced that she was really
working upon me for some purpose
which l did not know. She caught me
by the skirt and held me. looking up
at me with an expression which was
Intended for terror. but which ! be-
lieved was feigned.
do not betray mev' she cried in a
smothered voice. 1T will mean death
to me"
Let me CO." l retorted. II am not
English. ! am American"
The woman held me. impl0ring me
not to betray her. | told her that
had no interest in her whatever. l
was neither German nor English, but
a native and a citizen of u neutral
country. She played her part admira-
bly,, and for a moment such was the
agony she assumed that l almost be.
lieved her. But l remembered how
she had betrayed herself in her speech
and refused to credit her.
pulled myself away from her and
fed. Outside the general and the 9th.
er officers who had retired from the
dinner table were seated on camp
chairs smoking. They arose as ! ap
| reared aud turned toward me.
General" l said. II wish to proceed
on my journey at once You have set
this woman upon me to see If ! am
what I pretend or a spy. She Is not
| English. which you know al we'll az l.
She is German. though she speaks
| English better than any German I ever
met. But when she tells me she IS
not q German l know better. | am
an American. bearing an American
passport, and l demand to be allowed
to proceed on my journey to Rotter-
| dam, where l hope to End passage to
my home in America"
The general broke into a laugh in
which the other officers Joined. The
- IA ~0DroirnI nm nnooVNpk