Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-13
CHAPTER NI-lContinuedl

CHAPTER Nl-(COntinued)
THEN, indeed. even German official oh;
l. tuscness might show a spark of real in
teigence; whereas, by gaining a few days
who knows whether your armies may not
come to you, rather than you 20 D them
The good-hearted Frenchman's scheme
worked without a hitch The cart was
broken up for irewood, the harness burnt,
and the dogs taken mile into the country
by Maertz. who sold them for a couple Of
francs, and came back to certain ruined
priory by roundabout road.
Irene and palrcy had gone there already,
The place lay deep in trees and brushwood.
and was approachabe by dozen hidden
ways Although given over to bats and
owls. its tumbcdown walls contained one
complete room, situated some twenty feet
above the ground level and reached by
winding staircase of stone slabs, which
looked most precarious, but proved quite
sound If used by a sure-footed climber.
Here, then the three dwclt clcvqa weary
days During daylight their only diver
sion was the flight Of hosts of airplancs
toward the French frontier. Twice they
saw Zeppelins. For warmth at night they
depended on horserugs and bundles of
species of bracken which throve among the
piles of stones They were well supplied
with food. deposited at dusk in a tosse,
and obtained when the opening bars of La
BrabanCOnne" were whistled at distance
The air itself was n guarantee that no Ger
man was near, because the Belgian national
anthem is not pleasing to Hun ears.
A typed note in the basket formed their
sole link with the outer world. And what
momentous issues were conveyed in the
briefeSt of sentences!
"Namur has fallen after n days bonn
bardment by new and terrible cannon"
brussels has capitulated without re-
sistance"
After fierce battle, the French and
English have retired from Charleroi and
Mons"
The retreat continues. France is in
vaded. Valenciennes has fallen"
on the eleventh morning Dalroy hid
among the bushes until the daily basket
was brought, Monsieur POchard himself
tine would contrive to meet Macrt2, 50 the
girl did not know where her lover was
hidden
The Frenchman started visibly when Dali
roy's voice reached him but the latter spoke
in tone which would not carry far. I'm
sorry to seem ungrateful," he said, but we
are : owing desperate. DO us one last
favor. monsieur, and we impose no more on
your goodness. Tell me where and when
Wo can cross the Meuse and the best route
to take subsequently Sink or swim, |, at
any rate must endeavor to reach England,
an mademOiselle is equally resolved to
make the attempt.
Il don't blame you" came the sorrowful
reply. This is going to be a long war.
Twenty years of deadly preparation are
bearing fruit / am sick with anxiety.
But | dare not loiter in this neighborhoOd
so. as to .your affair, my advice Is that
| you cross the Meuse tomorrow in broad
! daylight The bridge is repaired and no
very strict watch is kept Make for Nj
! vees, Enghien and Oudenarde The Bel
| gians hold the Antwerp -Gand- Roulers line
| but are being driven back daily. I have
| been thinking of you. II you delay longer
| YOU will-at the best-be imprisoned in
| Belgium for many months. Are you de-
| termined?"
yes"
DO you want money!"
we have plenty"
Farewell, then, and may God protect
you"
rs there no chance OF nearing the
British force" was Dalroy's final and al
most despairing question.
Not the least You would be following
| on the heels Of a quckmoving and vic
| torious army. Progress is slower toward
the coast You have lighting chance that
| way: none the other Good-by, monsieur" "
| "Good-by. best of friends -
| The sudden collapse Of Namur and the
| consequent failure of the Anglo-FrenCh
| army's initial scheme had served to alter
| this shrewd mans opinion completely His
| confidence was gone, his nerve shaken. The
/ pressure of the jack-boot was heavy upon
! him. Dalroy was certain that he walked
away with a furtive haste, being in mortal
| fear lest the people he had helped so
| greatly might put forth some additional
request which he dared not grant.
Next morning they left the priory grounds
| separately and strolled into the town, keep
| ing some fifty yards apart. II was only
| after a struggle that Jan Maertz relin-
| ouished the notion OF trying to see Leontine
before going from Huy, but the others con-
| vinced him that he might imperil both the
girl and their benefactors. As matters
| stood her greatest danger must have nearly
vanished by this time; IT would be a
| lamentable thing II her lover were arrested
and Il became known that he had visited
the villa.
| They crossed the river on pontoons. The
| Germans were already rebuilding the stone
| bridge They seemed 20 have men to spare
| for everything. That the bridge was being
| actually rebuilt. and not made practicable
| by timber work only, impressed Dalroy
| more forcibly than any other fact CLEANED
| during his odyssey in Belgium under
| German rule. There was no thought OF
| relinquishing the occupied territory, no hint
| OF doubt that II might be wrested from
their clutch In the near future, He noticed
| that the postoffice. the railway station. the
| parcels vans, even the street names, were
| Germanized. He learned subsequently that
| the schools had been taken over by Ger
| man teachers. while the mere sound OF
French In a shop or public place was
scowled al II not absolutely forbidden
There we're not many froora on the roads
..I..