New-York tribune., 1918-05-19
Come Door Might Slam,
~ Some Candle Flicker Out

eyes, my friend, my fellow hostages
and I had plenty to think about as we
went to give our masters our morning
salute. We knew that, any day, on our
arrival at the military headquarters we
might be informed that some disorder
some gross infringement of the regula-
tions had occurred house door had
been blown to by the wind or some candle
had been forgotten-and that we were to
be shot by way Of breakfast. We knew
we'll that to be hostage with the Ger
man army was for man to take the
chances Of thousand to one against his
not being shot, either by his captors in
expiation Of some so-called offence by his
fellow citizens, or, more tragically still,
by his fellow countrymen, while being
driven in front of the Germans as a liv-
ing screen. The battlefront was far
from Saint Hilaire, and this second fate
was an unlikely one for any of us. But
one never knew. The tide of battle might
roll back upon us. And then! Well
meanwhile, our immediate anxiety of
every morning was enough for us to deal
with. l am an old man and cared little
Tor life IN those days, but even so could
have dispensed with that every morning
doubt AS for my colleague, the shop
keeper, he was very fond of his life, and
the thing preyed upon his mind to such
an extent that he ended by cutting his
throat. That is amusing, eh? The Ger
mans were amused at any rate. They
made up little song about it and sang
it in the streets. But first they chose
another hostage; they were careful to
40 that, of course.
We had all been required (under pain
of death) to deliver up such poor wea
pons as we had; our guests were taking
no risks, and who knew il the order had
been strictly obeyed? Now suppose a
few desperate characters had retained
their pistols, and suppose four of them
mad got together and made an attack.
One or two Germans might have received
injuries. They were hundred and fiftv
in number, and they were all armed to
the teeth, and they had some machine
guns with them; and so they felt pretty
confident Of not being actually worsted;
but the blood of German soldier is. as
we know, fluid that is not to he spilled
II precautions can keep it in his veins.
AT any rate if during the daytime two
of us, going about our absolutely neces
sary purposes, happened to meet a third.
we all FASTENED to separate lest fourth
should, by some accident, add himself to
our number and the machine guns be set
to work to clear the streets Of riotous
assemblage.
And now, lest we should seek COM
tort for our earthly miseries by taking
glance heavenward now and then:
lest we should turn our eyes from the
sad spectacle of our poor little hushed
town, and the wearers of spiked helmets
who staggered about in it, to solace
them with glimpse of Gods beautiful
SKY and the assurance that the sun was
still alight in it; behold! another plague
OF posters to inform us that it would be
very imprudent for US, even out of sim
pie curiosity, to follow too attentivelv
the mannuvres sof aircraft that might
happen to fly over our heads. The most
severe penalties were promised us should
we attempt to make signals to the aero
planes OF those who were endeayorinp to
rescue us. It is, of course, always poss;.
BILE that somebody in Saint Hilaire might
nave waved encouragement to d French
or q British aeroplanc, had it appeared