Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-02-25

"Your Lives Won't Be Worth Damn"
thorities, give myself up. show them
the passport that you fixed for me,
tell them how l got 1t, and explain
everything"
'Huyliger paled. We had no lights
in the house, but we were standing
near q landing at the time and the
moonlight was streaming through a
stained-glass window.
The Belgian turned on his heel and
started to 60 down the stairs.
Mind you," / called after him, II
shall wait for you till the city clock
strikes twelve, and If you don't show
up with those papers by that time, the
next time you will see me is when you
confront me before the German au-
thorities. l am desperate man, Huy-
Tiger, and l mean very word l say"
lie let himself out CT the door and /
ut on the top stair and wondered just
". ".dn'i do. Would he try to
steal q march on me and get In first
word to the authorities so that my
story would be discredited when l
put it to them?
OF course, my threat to give myself
up to the Huns was pure bluff. While
I had no desire to lose the papers
which Huyliger had and which In
cluded the map and the last resting
place Of my poor chum Raney, l GER
tainly had no intention Of cutting OH
my nose to spite my face by surren-
dering to the Germans. I would have
been shot, as sure as fate. for after all
/ had been able to observe behind the
German lines I would be regarded as
a spy and treated as such.
At the same time I thought l de-
tected yellow streak in Huyliger, and
l figured that he would not want to
take the risk of my carrying out my
threat even though he believed there
was but small chance of my doing so.
| If I did, he would undoubtedly share
my fate, and the pictures and papers
he had of mine were really OF no use
to him, and I have never been able to
/ ascertain why it was he wished to re-
tain then unless they contained some
thing-some information about me
which accounted for his complete
change of attitude towards me in the
first place, and he wanted the papers
| as evidence to account to his supe-
riOrs for his conduct towards me.
When he first told me that the plan
| of placing me in convent disguised
as q priest had been abandoned he ex-
planned it by saying that the cardinal
had issued orders to the priests to
help no more fugitives, and / have
since wondered whether there was
anything in my papers which had
turned him against me and led him to
forsake me after all he had promised
to do for me.
For perhaps two hours sat on that
| staircase musing about the peculiar
turn in my affairs, when the front door
opened and Huyliger assembled the
| stairs.
II have brought you such Of your be-
longings as I still had, O'Brien," he
said softly. "The rest, as told you, l
cannot give you. They are no longer
in my possession"
I looked through the little bunch he
handed me. 1t included my identifi-
cation disk, most Of the papers l val
ued, and perhaps half Of the photo
graphs.
| II don't know what your object Is In
retaining the rest Of my pictures, Huy-
Tiger" 1 replied, "but as matter OF
! fact, the ones that are missing were
only of sentimental value to me and
you are welcome to them. Well call 1t
a beat"
don't know whether he understood
the idiom, but he sat down on the
stairs Just below me and cogitated for
few moments.
"O'Brien." he started finally, I'm
sorry things have gone the way they
have. feel sorry for you and / would
really like to help you. l don't sup
pose you will believe me. but the
matter of the order which which !
asked you to sign was not Of my doing.
However, we won't 60 into that. The
proposition was made to you and you
turned 1t down, and that's the end OF
1t. At the same time, hate to leave
you to your own resources and l am
going to make one more suggestion
to you for your own good. ! have an
other plan to get you into Holland
and If you will 60 with me to another
house, will introduce you to man
who think will be In q position to
help YOU" :.
| "How many millions of pounds will
he want for his trouble " I answered
sarcastically.
| "You can arrange that when you see
him. Will you got"
| I suspected there was something
fshy about. the proposition. but I felt
that could take care. of myself and
decided to see the thing through.
knew Huyllger' would not dare to de
liver me to the authorities because OF
the fact that had the tell-tale pass
port. which would be his deafhkneil as
well as my own.
| Accordingly said would be quite
I willing to so with him whenever he
was ready. and he suggested that we
20 the next evening.
| I-pointed out, to him that l. was en-
j tirely without food and asked hin
| whether he could not. arrange to bring
OF. send me something to eat while !
remained In the house.
| "Tm sorry, O'Brien." he replied, 'bu
I'm, afraid you will have to get aloni
! as best you can. When ] brought y9s