The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-10-19
1918. by Pat AIva o'Rrien)


pearance, 1 don't know. but certainly
it would have to be brave old man
and boy who would start an argument
with such villainous looking char
acter as stood before them that night
l had not shaved for a month, my
clothes were wet, torn and dirty, my
leggings were gone-they had gotten
so heavy ! had to discard them-my
hair was matted and my cheeks were
flushed with fever. In my hand /
carried the rock in my handkerchief
and ! made no effort to conceal its
presence or its mission.
Anyway, they motioned me indoors,
gave me my first hot meal In more
than month! True. It consisted only
OF warm potatoes. They had been
previously cooked. but the old woman
warmed them up in milk In one Of the
dirtiest kettles I had ever seen. I
asked for bread, but she shook her
head, although think 1t must have
been for lack Of II rather than be-
cause she begrudged 1t to me. For
| If ever q man showed he was finished,
did that night. / swallowed those
warm potatoes ravenously and drank
four glasses Of water, one after an
other. 1t was the best meal had had
since the banquet" In the prison at
Courtrai.
The woman Of the house was prob
ably seventy-five years old and had
| evidently worn wooden shoes all her
| life, for she had a callous spot on the
| side of her foot the size of half dol
lar and 1t looked so hard that / doubt
| whether you could have driven nail
into 1t with hammer!
| AS sat there drying myself-for
| was In no hurry to leave the first
human habitation I had entered in
four weeks-I reflected on my un-
happy lot and the unknown troubles
and dangers that lay ahead Of me.
Here, for more than q month, had
been leading the Life Of a hunted
| animal-yes, worse than a hunted
animal. for nature clothes her less
favored creatures more appropriate
ly for the life they lead than was
clothed for mine-and there was not
the slightest reason to hope that con-
ditions would grow any better.
Perhaps the first warm food had
eatsn for over a month had released
unused springs Of philosophy In me,
as food sometimes does for man.
| ] pointed to my torn and water
soaked clothes and conveyed to them
as best I could that I would be CRATE
full for an old suit, but apparently
they were too poor to have more than
they astually needed themselves, and
rose 10 60. / had aroused them out
.. Of bed md knew ought not to keep
them q, longer than was absolutely
Necessary.
Il AS ] approached the door ! got a
glance 81 myself In a mirror. was
the awfiest sight had laid eyes on !
The glinnse got Of myself startled
me almos as much as IL had seen a
dreaded German helmet! My left eye
: was fairIs well healed by this time
and I wa beginning to regain sight
OF 1t, but by face was so haggard and
Z my beardso long and unkempt that
looked lila Santa Claus on a batl
III As they let me out Of the door ]
nj pointed 70 the opposite direction to
!, the one INTENDED taking and started
yo Off In the direction I had Indicated.
TIL changed my course completely
fefo throw or any possible pursuit.
Ime The next day was so worn out from
meEposure and exhaustion that / threw
elm way my coat thinking that the less
Eight I had to carry the better 1t
Ike Ipuld be for me, but when night came
to regretted my mistake because the
loo hits were now getting colder. ]
uer rght at first 1t would be better for
4to retrace my steps and look for
coat had SO thoughtlessly dis
caed. but ! decided to go on with
! OUT.
a. then began to discard everything
IN tnq had in my pocket, finally throw
ha inehy wrist watch into canal. A
~ wrfwatch does not add much
m WELT, but when you plod along and
"A navhot eaten for a month 1t finally
~ becdes rather heavy. The next
h. thing discarded was a pair OF flying
:. mittss.
III The mittens had gotten at Camp
= Borde In Canada, and had become
quite amous. as my friends termed
them SNOW shoes" In fact, they
= were ridiculous pair of mittens, but
the beA pair ever had and / really
= 1elf wose when ] lost those mittens
than anthing else. could not think
;. OF anybdy else ever using them, so ]
! Dug Bile in the mud and buried
them an could not help but laugh
: at the thnght IL my friends could see
; me buryiig my mittens, because they
were a stinding joke in Canada, Eng
land and France.
l had ontwo shirts and as they were
always boh wet and didn't keep me
warm. 1t vas useless to wear both.
One of these was a shirt that I had
bought In France, the other an Amer.
lean army shirt. They were both
khaki and one as apt to give me away
as the other, so discarded the French
| shirt. The American army shirt ]