The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-10-04

tie prospect OF their overlooking me.
They would search the house from top
to bottom and. II necessary, raze IL to
the ground before tney w>nld give up
the search. To escape from the house
through the backyard through the iron
grating, which had no doubt could
force, seemed to be the logical thing
to do, but the chances were that the
Huns had thrown Gordon around the
entire block before the squad was sent
to the house. The Germans do these
things In an efficient manner always.
They take nothing for granted
Iy one chance seemed to be to stand
pat In the hope that the officer I'm
Charge might possibly come to the con.
c.-sion that he had arrived at the
house too late-that the bird had
flown. :
My position In that wine cellar was
anything put a comfortable one. Rats
and mice were scurrying across the
floor and the smashing and crushing
going on overhead was anything but
promising. Evidently those soldiers
imagined that l ought to be hiding in
the walls. for II sounded as though
they were tearing Off the wainscotting,
the picture molding and. In fact,
everything that they could tear or pull
apart.
Before very long they would finish
their search upstairs and would come
down to the basement. What they
would do when they discovered the
wine i had no idea. Perhaps they
would let themselves loose on 1t and
give me my chance. With a bottle of
wine In each hand figured could put
up good fight In the dark. especially
as l was becoming more and more ac-
customed to IL and could begin to dis
tnguish things here and there. where
as when they entered the pitchy dark
ness OF the cellar they would be as
blind rs bats In the sun.
Perhaps 1t was twenty minutes be-
fore l heard what sounded like my
death-knell to me; the soldiers were
coming down the cellar steps
clutched wine bottle In each hand
and waited with bated breath.
Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! In a mo-
ment " would be in the cellar
prop | could almost hear my heart
Deating. The mice scurrled across the
moor by the scores, frightened no
doubt by the vibration and noise made
by the descending soldiers. Some Of
the creatures ran across me where
was too much interested In bigger
game to pay any attention to mice.
Tramp! Trampl Haiti" Again
an order was given In German. and al
though l did not understand II / am
willing to bless every word of IL, be-
cause II resulted In the soldiers turn
Ing right about face. marching up the
stairs again. through the hall and out
of'the front door and awayi
1 could hardly believe my ears. 1t
seemed almost too good to be true that
they could have given up the search
just as they were about to come upon
their quarry. but unless my ears de-
ceived me that was what they had
done.
The possibility that the whole thing
might be German ruse did not escape
me. and l remained i'm the cellar for
nearly mn hour after they had appar-
emily departed before / ventured to
move. listening intcntly in the mean
while for the slightest sound which
would reveal the presence of a sentry
upstairs.
Not hearing sound began to feel
mat they had indeed given up the hunt,
Lpr Gid notraIelievc that a German
cilicer would SO considerate of his
men as to try 10 trap me rather than
carry the cellar b. force IL they had
the slightest ideq that was there.
took Off my shoes and crept softly
and slowly to the cellar steps aud then
step by step. placing my weight doYss