The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-02-02
Who Captured
Him?
Was II a French War De.
tective or a Pretty Girl?
BY JOHN Y. HARMED

~
+ BY JOHN Y. HARMED F
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When the great European war broke
out Arthur Eggleston. young Ameri-
can reporter. anxious to make his way
In the world. full Of the vigor Of youth
and not averse to adventure. saw his
opportunity. He took the first steam.
er for London that sailed and in due
time arrived at that city.
Crossing the channel with a con-
tingent Of British troops. he landed at
Ostend during that period when the
German forces were hammee:ng at the
forts Of Liege and the French and
British forces were gathering to resist
, the invasion into France He applied
for permission to attach himself to
the British headquarters, but was re-
fused on the ground that no newspaper
J correspondents would be allowed to
accompany the army. At the French
headquarters be received the same re-
spouse to his application.
Eggleston. having crossed the Allan
tic ocean and the British channel to
report the big nght determined to fol.
low In the allies rear, hang about
their tanks. anything except get in
their way. and report what be could
gather. He found himself at Lille
when the allied armies had begun their
retreat, but before they had reached
that city. He also found 1.-The General
Safety" detective force used to hunt
down and eradicate spies. When one
II bunting for any particular thing the
identity Of which Is doubtful be Is very
apt to End 1t. With lot Of spy hunt
ers in the 6eld a scarecrow set up to
keep the crows away from the corn Is
not safe.
Eggleston was walking in Lille one
day when a file of French soldiers
under the command of lieutenant
came down the street, stopping per.
sons here and there. The American
did not dream Of danger and. when
they reached him and the officer de.
manded to know who he was. where
be had come from and where he was
going. told him that he was a newspa.
per correspondent looking for news
The officer, not being satisfied with this.
Informed him that he must take him to
the headquarters Of the General safety.
Eggleston was conducted to a build.
ing in room of which an officer. sit
ting behind a desk. regarded him ON.
inOusly. The Frenchman began ask.
ing him questions tn French. and Egg
gleston understood most of them. an.
Swering without hesitation. but when
bis questioner branched into German
the American showed plainly that he
did not understand. It did not at once
occur to him that the man suspected
him Of being a German spy and was
trying to catch him. Presently Eggles.
ton bethought himself Of his passport
and produced 1t. This established the
fact that he was an American. and be
was thereafter treated with great con.
Sideration.
EgglestOn spent some time In Lille
without being permitted to 60 near the
armies. One day he was walking along
residence street when he heard
feminine voice say In French:
Monsieur. have you any news of the
armies? Will they come this wayi
We are all packed ready to move"
Turning. he saw pretty girl leaning
ont Of window. He had studied the
French language ut school and had
picked up Frenchman on the way
across the Atlantic. with whom he had
talked necessarily in order to gather
enough French to enable him to get on
In France. So he replied as best he
could that he was profoundly ignorant
OF what was going on at the front: be
was trying to get there, but thus far
had been unsuccessful. Noticing that
his French was not Of the best, the
girl asked him II he were not English.
No: he was American. The English
were very popular since they had come
to assist the French, but before that
Americans were the best liked. An
elderly lady came to the window. anx.
iously asked for news and gave Egg
gleston an invitation to come in He
accepted 1t. A glass of wine was
brought out, and the three sat discuss
ing the probabilities of the family hav-
ing to leave their home and cart their
belongings across country to the coast.
as the Belgians were doing.
And so 1t happened that Eggleston.
instead Of writing up the thunder Of
guns. the explosion of shells. the rattle
OF rifles. the groans Of the wounded.
spent several days dallying with u pref
ty girl. at the end of which time. since
he did not 60 to the guns, the guns
came to him. and while they were yet
in the distance he helped his friends,
the Legires. to remove their effects-or
q small portion of them-to cart he
secured for them and saw them on
their way 70 the southwark, after
which he began to do some work as a
war correspondent
Eggleston. keeping as near the re-
treating French and English lines as
he dared. preceded their retreat toward
the capital. When the tide turned he
was on the allies left flank and one
day after witnessing some very hard
fighting went into town on the west
bank of the river Disc to write ur
copy and send 1t by courier to the
coast to be forwarded.
He was sitting in the writing room
Of the only hotel In the place when q
man came in and. bending over him