The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1918-08-29
NANT PAT, O'BRIEN

|
way, / could cover two or three miles
in the daytime and gain just so much
time. Travelling through the wood
would be comparatively safe. There
was a railroad going through the
wood. but l did not figure that that |
would make 1t any the less safe.
About three o'clock that afternoon,
therefore. 1 emerged from my hiding |
place and hurried into the wood. |
After proceeding for half a mile or |
so l came to the railroad. / took a |
sharp look In both directions and see
Ing no signs of traiaS or soldiers,
walked boldly over the tracks and
continued on my way.
/ soon came upon a clearing and
knew that someone must be living in
the vicinity. AS turned a group of
trees / saw a small house and in the
distance an old man working in a
garden. decided to enter the house
and ask for food, figuring the woman
would probably be old and would be
no match for me even If she proved
hostile. The old woman who came
to the door In response to my knock
was older than 1 expected. If she
wasn't close to a hundred, miss my
guess very much.
She could not speak English and
could not speak Flemish, of course,
but nevertheless l made her under
stand that wanted something to eat.
She came out of the door and hol-
loed for her husband in a shrill voice
that would have done credit to girl
of eighteen. The old man came i'm
} from the garden and between the two
of them they managed to get the idea
, that was hungry and they gave me
! piece of bread--a very small piece
! which was quite a treat.
The house they lived in consisted of
just two roOms-the kitchen and
bedroom. The kitchen was perhaps
fourteen feet square, eight feet of
one side being taken up by an enor-
nous fireplace. What was in the bed
room 1 had no way of telling, as /
did not dare to be too inquisitive.
/ made the old couple understand
that would like to stay in their house
all night, but the old man shook his
head. l babe them good-by and dis
appeared into the woods, leaving them
to speculate as to the strange for
eigner they had entertained.
From the great density of the popu-
: lation In this section through which
was now passing 1 realized that
: must be I'm the outskirts of the big
e city which the Belgian had mentioned
: and where 1 was to procure a pass
\ port.
! Village after village intercepted me.
$ and although / tried to skirt them
!. wherever possible realized that 1
would never make much progress II
D ! continued that course. To gain a
: mile 1 would sometimes have to make
!. a detour of two or three. / decided
e that 1 would try my luck In going
}, straight through the next village l
{ came to.
AS 1 approached IL, I passed num-
y bers of peasants who were ambling
along the road. was afraid to mingle
with them because 1t was impossible
for one to talk to them and 1t was
dangerous to arouse suspicion even
among the Belgians. For all knew,
Z one of them might be treacherous
u enough to deliver me to the Germans
q in return for the reward he might be
L sure of receiving.
About 9 o'clock that evening
Q came to point where ahead of me on
L the right was Belgian police station
II Il knew 1t from its red lights-and
e on the other side of the street were
two German soldiers in uniform
leaning against a bicycle.
u Here was a problem which called
1 for instant decision; If turned back
Is the suspicion of the soldiers would
V be instantly aroused and If / crossed
y the road so as not to pass so closely
Is to them they might be equally sus'
% picious. l decided to march bravely
y by the Huns, bluff my way through
D and trust to Providence. II anybody
10 imagines, however, that / was at all
'e comfortable as 1 approached these
u soldiers, he must think 1 am a much
e drawer man than / claim to be. Ny
heart beat so loud / was afraid they
r would hear 1t. Every step l took
l brought me SO much nearer to what
might prove to be the end of all my
o hopes. 1t was nerve-racking ordeal
II was now within a few feet OF
d them. Another step and
~ They didn't turn a hairl I passed
10 right by them-heard what they were
y saying. although, of course, didn't
understand 1t, and went right on.
le can't say didn't walk little faster
IL as I left them behind. but tried tc
N maintain an even gait so as not Il
8 give them any idea of the inward ex
e, ultation was experiencing. No words
ID can explain, however, how relieved
'e really felt-to know that had sue
a cessfully passed through the first OF
ot a series of similar tests which real
"a lied were In store for me-althougf
An I~u~u, Thor, hnxxr ooox. II xvos