New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-09-27

| perhaps give me an opportunity to
buy something to eat. although ] was
at a loss to know how | was going to
ask for what | wanted.
While trying to make up my mind
whether 1t was safe for me to go In !
walked half a block past the place. n
when l turned back again and reached
the entrance with my mind made up
that | would take the chance | ran fuli
tilt into a German officer who vas just
coming out.
That settled all my %hankerings for
moving pictures that night. "Where
you came from, my FRIEND" | figured
there must be more like you! guess
1t Is a good night for walking"
The next day. however, in recalling
the incident of the evening before. 1t
seemed to me that ! had been rather
foolish. What ] needed more than
anything else at that time was conil'
dence. Before | could get to the from
tier | would have to confront German
soldiers many times, because there
were more of them between this city
and Holland than in any section OF the
country through which | had so far
Travelled. Safety in these contihg-
encies would depend largely upon the
calmness l displayed. 1t wouldn't do
to get all excited ut the mere sight or
a spiked helmet. The BelgianS, had
noticed, while careful to obey the
orders of the Huns, showed no Iartic-
ular fear of them, and 1t seemed to
me the sooner | cultivated the same
feeling of Indifference the better !
would be able to carry off the part
vas playing.
For this reason l made up my mind
then and there that, officers or no or
ficers, | would go to that show that
night and sit it through no matter
what happened. While people may
think that ! had decided unwisely be-
cause of the unnecessary risk involved
in the adventure, it occurred to me
that perhaps after all that theater was
about one of the safest places | c0uld
attend because that was about the last
place Germans would expect to find a
fugitive English officer in even If they
were searching for me.
As soon as evening came, therefore,
I started out for the theatre. f1Xed
myself up as well as possible. had
on IA fairly decent pair of pants which
Huyliger had given me and | used q
clean handkerchief as Il collar.
With my hair brushed up and my
beard trimmed as neatly as possible
with a pair of rusty scissors which
had found In the house. while my up.
pearance was II" exactly that or a
Beau Brummel, l don't think l looked
much worse than the average Belgian.
In these days the average Belgian is
very poorly dressed at best.
| can't say | had no misgivings as l
made my way to the theatre; GER
tainly l was going there more for dis
cipline than pleasure, but l had made
up my mind that l was going there to
see it through.
The entrance to the theatre or beer
garden, for it was as much n as the
other, was on the side of the building
and vas reached by way of an alley
which ran alongside. Near the door
was a ticket-seller's booth, but as this
was one of the free nights there was
no one in the booth.
marched slowly down the alley
initiating as best | could the indiffer-
ent gait of the Belgians, and when ]
entered the theater endeavOred to act
as though had been there many times
before. A hasty survey of the layout
of the place was sufficient to enable
me to select my seat. 1t vas early and
there were not more than half a dozen
people in the place at that time, SO
that l had my choice.
There was a raised platform, per.
haps two feet high, all around the
walls of the place except at the end
where the stage was located. On this
platform tables We're arranged and
there We're tables on the floor proper
as well.
(TO BE CONTINUED)