Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-02-11

| As l sat there drying myself-for l
was in no hurry to leave the first
human habitation I had entered in
| four weeks-I reflected on my un-
happy lot and the unknown troubles
aud dangers that lay ahead Of me.
Here, for more than q month, / had
been leading the life Of hunted
animal-yes. worse than q hunted
animal, for nature clothes her less
favored creatures more appropriate
iy for the life they lead than was
lothed for mine-and there was not
the slightest rc" son to hope that con-
ditions would grow any better.
Perhaps the first warm food had
eaten for over month had released
unused springs Of philosophy in me,
as food sometimes does for man.
I pointed to my torn and water
soaked clothes and conveyed to them
as best could that would be CRATE
full for an old suit, but apparently
they were too poor to have more than
they actually needed themselves, and
I rose to &C. / had aroused them out
of bed and I knew / ought not to keep
them ND longer than was absolutely
necessary.
AS l approached the door I got
glance at myself in mirror. was
the awfulest sight had laid eyes on j!
The glimpse / got of myself startled
me almost as much rs II l had seen
dreaded German helmet! My left eye
was fairly well healed by this time
and was beginning to regain sight
of 1t, but my face was so haggard and
my beard so long and uakelnpt that
looked like Santa Claus on bat!
AS they let me out of the door 1
pointed to the opposite direction to
the one intended taking and started
off In the direction had Indicated.
Later / changed my course completely
to throw off any possible pursuit.
The next day was so worn out from
exposure and exhaustion that threw
away my coat, thinking that the less
weight l had to carry the better it
would be for me, but when night came
1 regretted my mistake because the
nights were now getting colder.
| thought ut first it would be better for
me to retrace my steps and look for
the coat l had so thoughtlessly dis
carded, but l decided to 60 on with
out 1t.
| I then began to discard everything
that had in my pocket, finally throw
ing my wrist watch into canal. A
wriSt-watch does not add much
weight, but when you plod along and
have not eaten for month 1t finally
becomes rather heavy. The next
thing discarded was pair of flying
uiittenS.
These mittens had gotten at Camp
Borden, in Canada, and had become
| quite famous. as my friends termed
| them "snow Shoes" In fact, they
were ridiculous pair of mittens, but
the best pair / ever had and really
felt worse when l lost those mittens
than anything else. l could not think
of anybody else ever using them, so l
| dug a hole in the mud and buried
l them and could not help but laugh
at the thought if my friends could see
me burying my mittens, because they
were standing joke in Canada, Eng
land and France.
| had on two shirts and as they were
always both wet and didn't keep me
warm, it was useless to wear both.
One of these was a shirt that had
bought in France, the other an Amer
lean army shirt. They were both
khaki and one as apt to give me away
as the other, SO discarded the French
shirt. The American army shirt l
brought back with me to England and
1t is still in my possession.
When l escaped from the train still
had the Bavarian cap Of bright red IN
my pocket and wore 1t for many
nights, but took great care that no
| one saw it. 1t also had proven very
useful when swimming rivers, for l
carried my map and a few other be-
longings in it and I had fully made
up my mind to bring 1t home as
| souvenir. But the farther j went
the heavier my extra clothing became,
so l was compelled to discard even
the cap. / knew that it would be
tell-tale mark If I simply threw 1t
away. so one night after swimming
river, dug hole, in the soft mud on
the bank and buried it, too, with con-
siderably less ceremony than my n.y.
ing mlttens had received perhaps; SO
that was the end Of my Bavarian hat.
MY experience at the Belgian's
house whetted my appetite for more
food and figured that what had been
done once could be done again.
Sooner or later. I realized l would
probably approach Belgian and hnd
a German instead, but In such con-
tingency I was determined to meas
ure my strength against the Huns II
necessary to effect my escape.
AS II was, however, most Of the Bel
gians to whom applied for food gave
1t to me readily enough, and If some
of them refused me it was only be-
cause they feared l might be spy
or that the Germans would shoot them
IL their action were subsequently
found out.
About the fifth day after l had en-
tered Belgium was spending the DAY
as usual in clump Of bushes when
discerned in the distance what ap-
peared to be something hanging on o
| line. All day long strained my eyes
irving to decide what it could be anu
arguing with myself that it might be
something that could add to my In
ADEQUATE wordrobe, but the distance
was so great that could not Identity
It. I had a great fear that before
night came it would probably be re-
moved.
| AS soon as darkness fell, however, l
crawled out of my hiding place and
worked up to the line and got q pair
of overalls for my industry. The pair
of overalls was the first bit OF civil
ian clothes I had thus far picked up
with the exception Of q civilian cap
which I had found at the prison and
| concealed on my person and which
still had. The overalls were rather
| ond yory chorf hrt when / nut