Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-11


reflected that with the rubber shortage rain
coats must be at "a premium in Germany.
So ! followed the howing son of Shen INT"
his dark and dirty shop and emerged pres
entity wearing appallingly ugly green
macintosh reekng hideously OF rubber. II
was shocking garment hut reflected that
l was Il German and must choose my garb
accordingly
outside the shop | nearly ran into little
man who was lOanng in the doorway. He was
a wzened. scrubby old fellow wearing
dirty peaked cap with n band OF tarnShed
gold ! knew him at once for one Of those
guides. half tout, lalf bully. that infest the
railway tcrrnini Of all great Continental
cities
Want guide air?' the man said in Ger
man
/ SHOOK my head and hurried on. The man
trottcd beside me Want a good cheap hotel,
sir Good. respectable house. What
a
"Ach gehen Sic 2um Teufel! :" l cried ar
Hrly, But the man persisted. running along
reside M" and rccling of his tout's patt@r In
wheeling, asthmatic voice. / struck of
blindIv down the first turning came 20.
hoping To- he rid OF the fellow. but in vain.
Finally, | stopped and held out gulden
Take this and go away I said.
Ihr old follow NlEed the coin ASIDE
"panke, danlle." he said nonchalantly, look
iaE al the same tine to right and lef'
Then he said In calm English voice ut
tc;ly different from his whining accents of n
romeut before; You must he dam cool
haud!'
But ne didn't blum me, staggered though I
was | said quickly in German:
what do You want with me? don't
understand YOU If You annoy me any more
| shall call the police"
Again he spoke in English AMI it was the
voice of well-bred EnElishman that spoke:
You're either a past-master at the game
on raving mad. why the whole station is
humning after YOU, Yet you walked out Of
the buffet and through the whole lot Of them
without turning hair. No wonder they
never spotted YOU"
Again ! anawored in German
"Ich ycrstche NIGHT 80
But he went in English without seem
ing to notice my observation:
Hang it all, man, YOU can't go into Ger
many wearing a rcgimental tie !"
Ny hand flew to my collar and the blood
TO my head. What a cursed amateur I waN
after all, | had entirely forgotten that
was wearing my regmental colDrs. | was
crimson with veXation but also with n sense
OF relief, / felt | might trust this man.
II would be a sharp German agent who
would notice "a small detail like that
SIN | resolved to stick to German; !
would trust nobody
But the guide had started his patter again
they had passed, he said, this time in Eng
lsh;
You're quite right to he cautious with a
stranger like me, but / want TO warn YOU
Why, I've been following YOU round all the
| morning. Lucky for you it was me and not
one Of the others
Stil ! was silent. The little man went
on.
For the last half-hour they had been comb
ing that station for you, How you managed
to escape them | don't know except that
none of them seems to have very clear
idea of your appearance. You don't LOOK
very British | grant you. but I spotted
| your tie and then | recognized the British
| officer all right
"No, don't worry TO tell me anything apbut
| yoursef-it is none Of my business TO know,
any more than you will find out anything
| about me. I know where you are going for
| I heard you take your ticket but you may
| as well understand that you have as much
| chance of getting into your train II you walk
| into the railway hall and up the stairs IN
the ordinary way as you have of flying across
| the frontier"
But they cant stop me- l said This
| isn't Germany ."
Bah :" said the guide ''You will be lost
| led, there will be an alteration, false
| charge, and you will miss your train, They
will attend 10 the rest
| damn it, man." he went on. 81 know what
| I'm talking about. Here come with me and
| I'll show you. You have twenty minutes be-
| fore the train goes, Now start the German
| again :"
| We went down the street together for ,u
| the world like mug in tow of ona of
| those blackguard guides. As we approached
| the station the guide said in his whining
| German:
Pay attention to me now. shall leave
| you here. 60 to the suburban booking
| ofi!ce-the entrance is in the street 10 the Ier,
| Of the station hall. 90 into the flrst-cIase
| waiting room and look out OF the window that
| gives ON to the station hall.
There you will see some of the forces
| mobilized against you. There is a regl
| lar Gordon Of gudes-like me--drawn acres,
| the entrances TO the mainline platforms
| unostentatiously, OF course IL you look vo,
will see plenty OF 'plain-clothes Huns
| 100 ~
'Ciuldes?" l said.
lie nodded cheerfully.
Looks bad for me, doesn't Il? Bur mn.
| gets better results by being one OF therr
| Oh! it's all right. In any case you've 90,
10 trust me now
"See here! When you have satisfied YOUR
| self that I'm correct in what I say take q
| platform ticket and walk upstairs to Plat
| ,orm No. 5. On that platform you will hnc
| a train Go to the end where the metals
run out Of the station, wnere rne engin,
| would be coupled on, and get into the las
fret class carriage On no account moy,
from there until you see me- Now then, III
have that guden,
gave him the coin. The old fellow looked
an n and wagged his head, so I gave hin
another, whereupon he took OFF his can
bowed low and hurried OF.
In the suburban side waiting room peere.
out of the window on to the station han