Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-10-11
My Companion
For a Day
BY ETHEL HOLMES

there it was over the heights lying on
the west. Standing on an eminence /
was looking down upon France spread
out before me when, glancing aside,
saw young woman sitting before an
easel sketching. She turned her face.
and. seeing a woman standing near
her, she smiled. went to her and
looked at her picture.
sat down on the ground near her,
and while she remained on her sketch
ing stool and worked we chatted. l
attempted to interest her in the United
States, but she did not appear to ad
mire our institutions.
You are a nation of individuals" :"
she said, land there is nothing to weld
you. Many races are represented
among you, and the people of each race
stand together and keep up their ma
tional traditions. If war should
break out between any too nations
here the people Of each in America
would come back to fight for the ia
therland, even those who had been
born on American SOIL"
You are mistaken" l replied. Our
foreigners are glad to escape the dis
advantages of a monarchical form of
government. They become naturalized,
and that makes them American citi-
zens."
Let war come in Europe" contin-
ued the artist, land you will see."
You prefer an emperor"
Yes. we Germans are one people un-
der one head. We have the most eff
cient form of government"
l asked her where she was going, and
she said that she intended sketching
along the French border northward.
She described the scenery northward
as attractive, and since l was wander
ing at will concluded to 60 & part of
the way with her. She received the an
nouncement coldly, but when added
that l would take the first good road
came to down into France she seemed
better pleased.
So we proceeded northward together.
she stopping now and again to sketch
her pictures were very singular. In
deed, they were rather. it seemed to
me, the groundwork for pictures, and
when / told her that did not under
stand them she told me that they were
memoranda from which pictures would
be painted on her return tc her home In
Berlin.
We kept together till evening" when
we came to hotel where we asked for
rooms. We were told that there was
but one room vacant, and if we cared
to accept it together we might do so.
My companion expressed herself as
agreeable to the plan. and | also cor
sented
Il must look ont for my passport"
said to her when we were going to bed.
"a stranger in Europe without a pass
port is like a fish without gills." And
put my passport under my pillow.
When l awoke the next morning and
looked toward the other bed it was va
cant Nor were my companions clothes
in sight. Her sketching materials, too,
were gone. got out of bed and went
to the door. 1t was locked from the in
side. Turning to a window, I noticed
that few feet beneath it was shed.
1t occurred TO me that my artist friend
had gone out by the window and de-
scended from the roof of the shed.
Was she thief? l opened my bag,
where kept my money. The funds
were there. counted them, and none
were missing. Relieved, l dressed my
self and put my hand under my pillow
for my passport. 1t was gone.
was glad that my cash had been
spared instead of my passport. l could
get on without the one, though might
need it sorely, but not without the
other. But what did the girl want with
1t? For my life l could divine no rea-
son for her stealing it. She was going
back to Berlin to work up her sketches,
and surely in her own country she
needed no passport, especially one be-
longing to another.
Going to a mirror to do a bit of
prinking before descending to break
fast, my image reminded me slightly of
the thief. Then I remembered that we
were both about the same height and
build, both blonds and both blue eyed,
though she was of lighter hair and eyes
than I. Nevertheless, could not di-
vine why she should want my passport.
The first gun fired by the Germans a
few weeks later forced the reason into
my stupid brain. The border between
France and Germany was a hotbed for
spies on both sides. This girl was
doubtless spy for the German govern
ment. She was laying down memoranda
in the shape of basis for pictures of
the topography Of the ground on the
French border.
But before the war opened 1 saw her
again. l had put up at "a hotel near the
German border and took a seat in the
dining room for supper. At a table
near by sat the girl who had stolen my
passport. If she saw and recognized
me, which she probably did, she main
tanned her equanimity perfectly.
1t was within my power to send her
to a fortress, probably to death. All
had to do was to denounce her. Had