Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-05-31

When the war Is over, however, OF the
Germans are thrown OuI Oh Belgium, /
shall make Al my uuty to find that kind
BCls .au IL J. haNc'to 80 tnrodsn asair
ali that 4 have suffered already to do il
CHAPTER xI.
i Encounter German Soldiers.
Copyright, 1913. by Pat Alva O'Brien.
~ js.Ar the Delslaus hau told me
M about The need of passport
w save me fresh cause for worry,
suppose should run into German
sentry before l succeeded III getting
one"
decided that until reached the
big city which the Belgian had mem
Homeland which / cannot name for
fear Of Identifying some OF the people
there who befriended me- would pro-
coed with the utmost precaution. Since
| had discarded my uniform and had
obtained civilian clothes. / had not been
quite as careful as 1 was at hrst.
While / had done my travelling at
night, / had not gone into hiding 50
early in the morning as before and ]
had sometimes started again before it
was quite dark, relying upon the fact
that | would probably be mistaken Tor
Belgian on his way to or from work.
as ,he case might be. From now on, /
resol1 ed, however, / would take no more
chances.
That evening l came to a river per
haps seventy-Gve yards wide and ! was
getting ready to swim it wnen l thought
! would walk a little way to find f
possible better place 10 get to the
river from the bank. I had not walked
more than few hundred feet when /
saw a boat 1t was the first time ! had
seen a boat i'm all my experiences.
1t was firmly chained. but as the
stakes were sunk in the soft bank it
was not much OF Job 70 pull them
out | got in. drank to my hearts con
tent. showed over to the other side, got
out drove a stake into the ground and
moored the boat. II would have been
simple matter to have drifted down
the river, but the river was not shown
on my map and | had no idea where 1t
might lead me. Very reluctantly, there
fore. ! had to abandon the boat and
proceed on foot
Making Better Roadway
made several miles that night and
before daylight found a safe place in
which to hide for the day. From my
hiding place ! could see through the
bushes a heavy thick wood only
short distance away. J decided that
would start earlier than usual hurry
over to the wood and perhaps, in that
way | could cover two or three miles
in the daytime and gain just so much
time.
Travelling through the wood would
be comparatively safe There was
railroad going through the wood, but
/ did not figure that would make it any
the less safe.
About 3 o'clock that afternoon, there
fore. | emerged from my hiding place
and hurried into the wood. After pro-
ceedine for half a mile or so | came to
the railroad | took il sharp look in
both directions and seeing no signs of
trains or soldiers, 1 walked boldly over
the tracks and continued on my way.
| soon came upon a clearing and
knew that someone must be living in
the vicinity. AS / turned group of
trees l saw a small house and in the
distance an old man working in gar
den
/ decided to enter the house and ask
for food. figuring the woman would
probably be old and would be no match
for me even if she proved hostile. The
old woman who came to the. door in re-
Spouse to my knock was older than l
had expected. If she wasn't close to a
hundred years, | miss my guess very
much.
She could not speak English and |
could not speak Flemish, of course,
but nevertheless ] made her understand
1
came out OF the door and hoilered for
her husband in a shriH voice that
would have done credit to girl of
eighteen.
The old man came in from his gar
| den and between the two of hem they
managed to get the idea that | was
hungry and they gave me piece OF
! bread-a small piece-which was quite
a treat.
IT, $50, d.. rt,.od 80, ,ousietoa ,,f
Just two roCms-the kitchen and bed
room The kitchen was perhaps four
teen feet square. eight feet of one side
of il being taken mp by an enormous
fireplace What was i'm the bedroom
I had no way Of telling as ] did nor
dare 10 pc too inquisi-iv&.
Refused 4 nights Iodg4Eg.
made the old couple understand
! hat / would like 70 stay in their house
al. night. but the old man shook his
head / babe them goodbye and dis
appeared into the woods, leaving them
! 70 speculate as to the strange foreigner
! hey had entertained.
From the greater density of the ponu-
| }atiCn in the section through which l
| was now passing. | realized that ! must
ne in the outskirts Of the big city which
! the Belgian had mentioned and where
| / was 20 procure a passport
Village after village intercepted me.
and although I cried TO skirt them
/ wherever possible. T realized that /
would never make much progress II |
| continued that course. To gain a mile I
would sometimes have to make Il de
/ tour Of two or three. 1 decided that |
would try my luck i'm going straight
| through the next village / came to.
As | approached il ] passed numbers
/ Of peasants who were ambling along
/ the road / was afra' d to mtngle with
/ them because L was impossible for me
| to talk TO them aud il was dangerous
/ to arouse suspicion even among the
/ BelgIans For all | knew one Of them
/ might be treachcrous enough to deliver
me to the Germans i'm return for the
. rewa ID he might be sure Of receiving
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