The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-09-20
The Forged Passport.
CHAPTER XII.


the passport nor the house in which
he lived. While, in view of what sub
seQuently happened, l would not be
very much concerned If he got into
trouble for having dealt with me,
realize that the hardships he had en-
dured in common with the other in
habitants of that conquered city may
possibly have distorted his idea of
right and justice, and l shall not de-
liberately bring further disaster on
him by revealing his identity.
This man-we will call him Huy-
Tiger because that is as unlike his
name as it is mine-was very kind to
me on that memorable night when l
aroused him from his sleep and in
few words of explanation told him of
my plight.
He invited me inside, prepared some
food for me and, putting on a dress
ing gown. came and sat by me while
ate, listening with the greatest inter
est to the short account Of my adven-
lures.
He could speak English fluently, and
he interrupted me several times to ex-
press his sympathy for the sufferings
had endured
"O'Brien," he said, after l had con-
cluded my story, II am going to help
you. 1t may take several dsys-per-
haps as long as two weeks-but event
ually we will provide the means to en-
able you to get to Holland"
! thanked him thousand times and
ri him, hot 7 d,tt
could possibly repay him.
Don't think Of that" he replied
''the. satisfaction of knowing that
have aided In placing one more victim
of the Huns beyond their power to
harm will more than repay me for all
the risk I shall run In helping you
You'd better turn in now, O'Brien, and
In the morning I'll tell you what I plan
to do
AS removed my clothes and noticed
that my knees were still swollen to
twice their normal size, that my left
ankle was black and blue from the
wrench l had given it when l jumped
from the train and that my ribs showed
through my skin, realized what a LOT
l had been through. AS matter OF
fact, ! could not have weighed more
than one hundred and fifty pounds al
that time, whereas I had tipped the
scales at one hundred and ninety wher
I was with ray squadron in France.
] lost no time in getting into bee
and still less in getting to sleep.
don't know what l dreamed CT thai
night, but l had plenty of time to &C
through the experiences of my whole
life, for when l was aroused by &
knock on the door and Huyliger en-
tered in response to my invitation t.
enter. he told ME that 1t was nearl,
noon / had Slept for almost twelv,
hours.
/ cannot say that the thought die
not run through my head that per
haps after all | was living in a fool
paradise, and that when Huyliger re
appeared ii would be with a couple o
German soldiers behind him, but 1 dis
missed such misgivings summarily re
alizing that | was doing Huyliger al
injustice to let such things enter m.
head even for an instant. I had N
right to doubt his sincerity and
would do me no good to entertain sucl
suspicious. II he was going to prov
treacherous to me, l was powerles
any way to cope with him.
In a few moments my host rear
peared with a tray containing M
breakfast. l don't suppose I shall eve
forget that meal. 1t consisted of
cup of coffee-real coffee, not the kim
had had at Courtrai-several slices o
bread, some hot potatoes and a dis
Of scrambled eggs.
Every mouthful of that meal taste
like angel-food to me and Huylige
sat on the edge of the bed and watche
me enjoying it, at the same time ou
lining the plans he had made for IN
escape.
In brief, the scheme was to conces
me in a convent until conditions wer
ripe for me to make my way to tn
border. In the meanwhile l was to b
dressed in the garb of a priest, an
when the time came for me TO leav
the city l was to pretend that l was
Spanish sailor, because / could speak
little Spanish which l had pickle
up on the coast. To attempt to pla
the part of Belgian would become II
creasingly difficult, he pointed out, an
would bring inevitable disaster in To
event that l was called upon to speal
Hnyliger said l would be given SUI
dcient money to bride the Germa
guards at the Dutch frontier, and h
assured me that everything would wor
out according to schedule.
"lours is not the first case, O'Briel
we have handled successfully" he d
cared. "Only three weeks ago hear
from an English merchant who M
escaped frern German detention cam