The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1918-09-12
CHAPTER XIV.
A Niaht of Dissipation.


During the first two days 1 spent
with Huyliger after l had first arrived
in the big city, he had told me, among
other things, of moving picture show
in town which he said l might have a
chance to see while there.
at is free every night in the week
except Saturdays and Sundays" he
said, "and once you are inside you
would not be apt to be bothered by
anyone except when they come to take
your order for something to drink.
While there is no admission, patrons
are expected to eat or drink while en-
joying the pictures"
A day or two later. while walking
the streets at night inlsearch for food,
l had passed this place and was very
much tempted to go in and spend a
few hours, particularly as 1t would
perhaps give me an opportunity to
buy something to eat, although l was
at loss to know how vaS going to
ask for what 1 wanted.
While trying to make up my mind
whether it was safe for me to go In
walked half block past the place, and
when turned back again and reached
the entrance with my mind made up
that would take the chance / ran full
tilt into German officer who was just
coming out.
That settled all my hankerings Tor
moving pictures that night. Where
you came from, my friend" I figured,
"there must be more like you'll guess
1t is a good night Tor walking"
The next day, however, in recalling
the incident of the evening before, II
seemed to me that ! had been rather
foolish. What / needed more than
anything else at that time was conf
dence. Before could get to the from
tier 1 would have TO confront German
soldiers many timee, because there
were more of them between this city
and Holland than ic any section of the
country through which l had so far
travelled. Safety IN these conting-
encies would depend largely upon the
calmness / displayed. 1t wouldn't DO
to get all excited at the mere sight OF
a spiked helmet. The BeIgians. had
noticed, while careful TO obey the
orders of the Huns, showed no partic-
ulsr fear of them, and 1t seemed to
me the sooner 1 cultivated the Same
feeling of Indifference the better j
would be able to carry of the part i
was playing.
For this reason made up my mind
then and there that. officers or no OF
ficers, would go to that show that
night and sit it through no matter
sNhat happened. While people may
think that 1 had decided unwisely be
cause of the unnecessary risk involved
in the adventure, 1t occurred to me-
that perhaps after all that theater wns
about one of the safest places / could
attend because that was about the last
place Germans would expect to find Q
fugitive English officer in even If they
were searching for me.
AS soon as evening came, therefore
1 started out for the theatre. / fixsc
myself up as well as possible. / had
on q fairly decent pair of pants which
| Huyliger had given me and l used Q
clean handkerchief as a collar.
With my hair brushed up and my
beard trimmed as neatly as possibls
with a pair of rusty scissors which
had found in the house, while my ap
pearance was not exactly that OF
Beau Brummel, don't think / lookee
much worse than the average Belgian
In these days the average Belgian I,
very poorly dressed at best.
can't say / had no misgivings as
made my way to the theatre; GER
tainly / was going there more for dis
cipline than pleasure, but had made
up my mind that was going there t
see it through.
The entrance to the theatre or bect
garden, for IL was as much one as tina
other, was on the side of the building
and was reached by way of an alley
which ran alongside. Near the docs
was n ticket-seller's booth, but as thii
was one ofsthe free nights there wal
no one in the booth.
I marched slowly down the alley
initiating as best could the In 1iffer
ent gait of the Belgians, and when
entered the theater endeavored to ac'
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 was early ant
there were not more than half dozes
people in the place at that time, u
that 1 had my choice.
There was a raised platform, per
haps two feet high, all around thu
walls of the place except at tie END
where the stage was located. On THU
platform tables were arranged AMI
there were tables on the floor props
as well.