Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-04-29

CeSSIul.
Get across I must. and I decided
there was nothing to do but swim.
1t was then about o'clock in the
morning. l waded in and was soon
in beyond my depth and had to
swim. After about an hour of it
was very much exhausted. and
doubted whether 1 could make the
opposite bank, although it was not
more than thirty or forty feet away.
choked and gasped, and my arms
ana legs were completely tagged out.
l sank little and tried to touch
! potion with my feet, but the water
was still beyond my depth.
There are times when every one
Will pray, and was no exception.
| prayed for strength to make those
iew wicked yards, and then, with
all the will power 1 could summon,
struck out for dear life. 1t seemed
| a lifetime before / finally felt the
welcome mud of bottom and was
able to drag myself up to the bank,
but l got there.
The bank was rather high and I
, was shaking so violently that when
l took hold of the grass to pull my
self up, the grass shook out of my
hands. l could not retain my grip
] was afraid would. faint then and
there but l kept pulling and crawl
! ing frantically up that internal
bank and finally made it.
| Then for the first time in my life
| I tainted-fainted for utter exhaus-
tion.
| 1t was now about o'clock in the
morning and l was entirely unpro-
tected from observation. II any one
! had come along J would have been
found lying there dead to the world.
Possibly two hours passed before
reSained consciousness. and then
no doubt only because the rain was
beating in my face.
] knew that | had to get away, as
1t was broad daylight. Moreover.
| there was a towpatn right there and
any minute boat might come along
| and find me. But it was equally
dangerous. for me to attempt to
travel very far Fortunately 1 found
some shrubbery nearby and ] hid
there all day, without food or drink.
The DeIlrIum of Fever
That night / made a little head
way, but when day broke ] had a
dreadful fever and was delirious. /
talked to myself and thereby in
creased my chances of capture. In
my lucid intervals when | realized
that I had been talking the thought
sent a chill through me. because in
| the silent night even the slightest
sound carries far across the Belgian
country. ! began to fear that an
other day of this would about finish
me.
have a distinct recollection of
ridiculous conversation l carried on.
with an imaginary Pat O'Brien--a
sort of duplicate of myself. / argu-
ed with him as / marched drearily
along and he answered me back in
kind and when we disagreed l call
ed upon my one constant friend, the
North Star, to stand by me.
There you are. you old North
Starr I cried aloud. You want me
to get to Holland, don't you? But
this Pat OBrien-this Pat O'Brien
who calls himself a soldier-he's got
yellow streak-North Star-and he
says it can't be done +! He wants me
TO quito lie down here for the
Huns to find me and take me back
to Courtrai-after all you've done,
North Star, to. lead me to liberty.
Won't you make this coward leave
me, North Star? l don't wan to
follow him-I just want to follow
you-because you-you are taking
me away from the Huns and this
Pat O'Brien-this fellow who keeps
after me all the time and leans on
my neck and wants me to lie down
this yellow Pat OBrien wants me
to go back to the Huns!
After a spell of foolish chatter like
that my senses wonid come back to
me for n while and l would trudge
along without a word until the fever
came on me again.
I knew that l.. had to have food
because l was about on my last legs.
| was very much tempted to lie down
then and there and call it a heat.
Things seemed to be getting worse
for me the further ] went. and all
the time 1 had before me the specter
of that electric barrier between Rel
giUm and Holland. even IL ever
res ched there alive. What wis the
use of further suffering when
would probably be captured in the
! end anyway?
Decides on Bold Move
Before giving up, however. 1 de-
cded upon one bold move. 1 wouLi
approach one of the houses in the
vicinity and get food there or die in
| the effort!
l picked out small house because
1 figured there would be less likeli-