Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-08-15
ut loss to know how / was going to
ask for what 1 wanted.

ut loss to know how 1 was going to
ask for what 1 wanted.
While trying to make up my mind
whether it was safe for me to 90 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 for
moving pictures that night. "Where
! you came from, my friend" l figured,
''there must be more like you! guess
it is good night for walking"
The next day, however, in recalling
the incident of the evening before, 1t
seemed to me that l had been rather
foolish. What I needed more than
anything else at that time was conf
dence. Before / could get to the from
tier l would have to confront German
soldiers many times, because there
We're more of them between this city
and Holland than in any section Of the
country through which / had so far
Travelled. Safety in these conting-
encies would depend largely upon the
calmness l displayed. 1t wouldn't do
to get all excited at the mere sight of
a spiked helmet. The Belgians, had
noticed, while careful to obey the
orders of the Huns, showed no partic-
ular fear of them, and 1t seemed to
me the sooner l cultivated the same
feeling of indifference the better /
would be able to carry off the part l
was playing.
For this reason l 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
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 / could I
attend because that was about the last |
place Germans would expect to find a 1
fugitive English officer in even if they |
were searching for me.
I started out for the theatre. 1 fixed
myself up as well as possible. 1 had
on a fairly decent pair of pants which
Huyliger had given me and 1 used
clean handkerchief as a collar.
With my hair brushed up and my
beard trimmed as neatly as possible
with a pair of rusty scissors which i
had found in the house, while my ap-
Dearance was not exactly that of a
Beau Brummel, don't think looked
much worse than the average Belgian.
In these days the average Belgian is
very poorly dressed at best.
I can't say had no misgivings as
made my way to the theatre; GER
ainly 1 was going there more for dis
,ipline than pleasure, but had made
Up my mind that 1 was going there to
see it through.
The entrance to the theatre or beer
garden, for 1t was as much one as the
Dther, was on the side of the building
md was reached by way of an alley
which ran alongside. Near the door
vas a ticket-seller's booth, but as this
vas one of the free nights there was
10 one in the booth.
l marched slowly down the alley
as best 1 could the indiffer- !
mt gait of the Belgians, and when
ntered the theater endeavored to act
S though l had been there many times
efOre. A hasty survey of the layout
f the place was sufficient to enable
he to select my seat. 1t was early and
here were not more than half dozen ,
eople in the place at that time, so
hat 1 had my choice.
There was a raised platform, per- ;
APPS two feet high, all around the ,
'allS of the place except at the end !
here the stage Yves located. On this
latform- tables were arranged and
lere were tables on the floor proper :
S well.
l decided promptly that the safest q
lace for me was as far back as pos I
BILE, where would not be in the lins =
vision of others in back of me. Ac =
,rdingly l slouched over to table =
/ the platform directly opposite the
age and took the seat against the
all. The whole place was now in '
ont of me- could see everything y
at was going on and everyone who :,