Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-10-04
CHAPTER XIII.


-
Five Days in an Empty House.
The FIVE days l spent in that house
seemed to me like five years. During
all that time had very little to eat
less in fact than had been getting in
the fields. did not feel 1t so bad, per-
haps. because of the fact that was no
longer exposed to the other privations
which before had combined to make
my condition so wretched. l now had a
good place to sleep, at any rate, and l
did not wake every half hour or so as
| had been accustomed to do in the
nelds and woods, and. of course, my
hunger was not aggravated by the
physical exertions which had been
necessary before.
Nevertheless, perhaps because had
more time now to think OF the hunger
pains which were gnawing at me all
the time, don't believe l was ever so
miserable as l was at that period of
my adventure. felt so mean towards
the world l would have committed
murder. l think, with very little prov
ocation.
German soldiers were passing the
house at all hours of the day.
watched them hour after hour from the
keyhole of the door-to have shown
myself at the window was out Of the
question because the house in which
[ was concealed was supposed to be
untenanted.
Because of the fact that 1 was un-
able TO speak either Flemish or Ger
man l could not go out and buy food,
although l still had the money with
which to do it. That was one of the
things that CALLED one-the thought
that I had the wherewithal in my
Jeans to buy all the food needed and
yet no way of getting it without en-
dangering my liberty and life.
At night. however. after 1t was dark,
[ would steal quietly out of the house
10 see what could pick up in the way
Of food. BY that time, of course, the
stores were closed, but secured the
streets. the alleys and the byways for
scraps Of food and occasionally got up
courage enough to appeal to Belgian
peasants whom | met on the streets,
and In that way l managed to keep
body and soul together.
II was quite apparent to me, how
ever, that | was worse off in the city
than l had been in the fields, and
decided to get out of that house just
rs soon as / knew definitely that Huy-
liger had made up his mind to do moth
Ing further for me.
When was not at the keyhole of the
aoor spent most Of my day on the top
noor in a room which looked out on the
street. BY keeping well away from the
window l could see much of what was
going on without being seen myself.
In my restlessness, I used to walk back
Ind forth in that room and I kept 1t up
TO constantly that believe 1 must have
worn path in the floor. 1t was nine
steps from one wall to the other, and
as l had little else to nmuse me fig
ured out one day after 1 had been
pacing up and down for several hours
Just how much distance l would have
sVNNAN0 va ny Wdy W IL NY
footsteps had been taken in that dlrec-
ton instead of just up and down that
bid room. was very much surprised
10 find that In three hours l crossed
the room no less than 5000 times and
The distance covered was between nine
and ten miles. 1t was not very graft
lying to realize that after walking all
dat distance wasn't a step nearer my
goal than when started. but had to
10 something while waiting for Huy-
iger to help me, and pacing UP and
down was natural outlet for my
Festlessness.
While looking out Of the top floor
window one day, noticed cat on O
window ledge Of the house across the
street. had a nice piece of broker
mirror which l had picked up in the
house and used it to amuse myself
for an hour at n time shining 1t in the
eats eyes across the street. Al frs
.he animal was annoyed by the reflec
hon and would move away, only Il
come back few moments later. b.
and by. however, it seemed to ge
used to the glare and wouldn't budgI
no matter how strong the sunlight was