Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1918-09-27
SYNOPSIS.


brought down wounded within the Ger
man lines and WAS made n prisoner o
war.
CHAPTER IV-Discovers that German
hospital stan biHbarously neglected tho
fatally wounded and devoted their ener.
giles to restoring those who might b
returned 10 the firing lines. Witnesse;
death In fight Of his best chunl. Lieut.
Paul Rainey.
CHAPTER Vile is taken to the Of
hcers' prison camp at Courtrai. There hi
began planning his escape. BY great sac
rifice he manages 10 save and hide away
two daily rations Of bread.
CHAPTER Vile conflscates a map Of
Germany and just half an hour later Ia
put on q train bound for a prison camp
In Germany. lie leaps through window
while the train is travelling at n rate or 3.
miles an hour.
CHAPTER VlI-For nine days he
crawls through Germany, hiding during
the day. travelling al night. guided by the
stars and subslsting ON raw vegetables.
He covers 10 miles before reaching Lux
emburg.
CHAPTER VIIl-For nine days more he
struggles on In weakened condition
through Luxembourg In the direction Of
Belgium.
It was then about 3 o'clock In the
morning. waded in and was soon
in beyond my depth and had TO swim.
After about an hour of 1t was very
much exhausted, and I doubted
whether / could make the opposite
bank. although 1t was not more than
thirty or forty feet away. chOked
and gasped, and my arms and legs
were completely tagged out. sank a
little and tried to touch bottom with
my feet, but the water was still be-
yond my depth.
There are times when everyone will
pray, and / was no exception. !
prayed for strength to make those
few wicked yards, and then, with all
the will power could summon, struck
out for dear life. 1t seemed a life
time before finally felt the welcome
mud of bottom and wns able to drag
myself up to the bank, but got there.
The bank was rather high and ] was
Ihaking so violently that when took
hold of the grass 10 pull myself up,
the grass shook out of my hands. /
could not retain my grip. was afraid
l would faint then and there, but !
kept pulling and crawling frantlcally
up that internal bank and finally
made II.
Then for the first time in my life l
fainted-faInted from utter exhaus-
ton.
II was now about 4 o'clock In the
morning and l was entirely unpro.
tected from observation. If anyone
had come along l would have been
found lying there dead to the world.
Possibly two hours passed before !
regained consciousness, and then, no
doubt, only because the rain was
beating In my face.
l knew that / had to get away, as
1t was broad daylight. Moreover,
there was a tOw-path right there and
any minute a boat might come along
and find me. But. 1t was equally
dangerous for me to attempt to travel
very fur. Fortunately 1 found some
shrubbery near by and hid there all
day, without food or drink.
That night l made a little head
way, but when day broke ] had a
dreadful fever and was dellrlOus. l
talked to myself and thereby in
creased my chances Of capture. In
my lucid intervals when realized that
/ had been talking, the thought sent
O chill through me, because In the
silent night even the slightest sound
carries far across the Belgian country.
/ began to fear that another day Of
this would about ARlsh me.
have q distinct recollection Of a
ridiculous conversation carried on
with an imaginary Pat 0'Brien-a
sort Of duplicate Of myself. / argued
with him as l marched drearily along
and he answered me back In kind.
and when we disagreed, called upon
hiy one constant friend, the North
Star, to stand by me.
There you are, you old North Star,"
I cried aloud. "You want me to get
to Holland, don't you? But this Pat
O'Brien-this Pat OBrein who calls
himself a sOldler-he's got yellow
streak-NOrth Star-and he says 1t
can't be donel He wants me to quilt
to lie down here for the Huns to
find me and take me back to Cour-
traI-after all you've done, North
Starr don't want to follow him
lust want to follow you-because you
you are taking me away from the
Huns and this Pat 0'Brien-this fel-
low who keeps after me all the time
and leans on my neck and wants me
TO lie dOwn-thls yellow Pat 0'Breln
wants me to 90 back TO the Hunsl"
After a spell Of foolish chatter like
that my senses would come back to
ne for q while and would trudge
along without q word until the fever
cama on me again.
IneW that I had 10 have food Be.