Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-02-25
OlJ WIT ING
~<>sTH"E E Tin. H. : $
F}3'!!!!!zFF 4? !EEA !:!7;|!! !:E!!Et! I! .
enxz.eruW ose9~ WA
.>, >Ql

guards at the Dutch frontier. and he
assured me that everything would work
out according to schedule.
"Yours is not the first case, OBrien,
we have handled successfully" he de-
clared. "Only three weeks ago heard
from an English merchant who had
escaped from German detention camp
and came to me for assistance and
whom I had been able to get through
the lines. His message telling me of
his safe arrival in Rotterdam came to
me in an indirect way, Of course, but
the fact that the plans we had made
carried through without mishap makes
me feel that we ought to be able to do
as much for YOU"
told Huyliger was ready to follow
bis instructions and would do any
thing he suggested.
II want to rejoin my squadron as
soon as I possibly can" I told him,
"but realize that it will take GER
tin length Of time for you to make the
necessary arran gements, and will be
as patient as I can."
The first thing to do, Huyliger told
me, was to prepare passport. He had
blank one and 1t was comparatively
simple matter to fill in the spaces, u.s.
ing genuine passport which Huyliger
possessed as sample Of the hand
writing of the passport clerk. My oc-
cupation was entered as that OF a
sailor. My birthplace we gave as
Spain, and we put my age at thirty.
AS matter of fact, at that time /
could easily have passed for thirty
five, but we figured that with proper
food and q decent place to sleep at
night, could soon regain my normal
appearance, and the passport would
have to serve me, perhaps, for several
weeks to come.
Filling in the blank spaces on the
passport was. as I have said, COM
paratively easy matter, but that did
not begin to fill the bill. Every genu-
inc passport bore an official rubber
stamp, something like an elaborate
postmark, and I was at loss to know
how to get over that difficulty.
Fortunately, however, Huyliger had
half of rubber stamp which had evil
dently been thrown away by the Ger
mans, and he planned to construct the
other half out of the cork from a wine
bottle, He was very skillful with a
penknife, and although he spoilt a
score or more Of corks before he sue
ceeded in getting anything like the
result he was after, the finished article
was far better than our most sanguine
expectations. Indeed. after we had
pared 1t over here and there, and re-
moved whatever imperfections our re-
peated test disclosed, we had stamp
which made an impression 30 closely
resembling the original that without q
magnifying glass. we we're sure, 1t
would have been impossible to ten
that It was counterfeit.
Huyliger procured a camera and
took a photograph Of me to paste on
the passport in the place provided for
that purpose, and we then had q pass
port which was entirely satisfactory
to both of us and would, we hoped,
prove equally so to our friends the
Huns.
It had taken two days to fix up the
passport. In the meanwhile Huyliger
informed me that he had changed his
plans about the convent and that in
stead he would take me to an empty
house, where I could remain in safety
until he told me it was advisable for
me to proceed to the frontier.
This was quite agreeable to me, as l
had had misgivings as to the kind
Of priest would make and 1t seemed
to me to be safer to remain aloOf from
everyone in q deserted house than to
have to mingle with people or come In
contact with them, even with the best
Of DISCUSSES.
That night I accompanied Huyliger
to fashionable section of the city
where the house in which was to be
concealed was located.
This house turned out to be a four.
story structure of brick. Huyliger told
me that 1t had been occupied by O
wealthy Belgian before the war, but
since 1914 it had been uninhabited save
for the occasional habitation Of some
refugee whom Huyliger was befriend
ing.
| Huyliger had a key and let me In
but he did not enter the house with
me, stating that he would visit me II
the morning.
sIexplored the place from top to bot
tom as well as could without lights
The house was elaborately furnished
fbut, of course, the dust lay quarter
Of an inch thick everywhere. 1t was {
large house, containing some ,twent!
rooms. There were two rooms In tht
basement four on the first floor, foul
on the second five on the third and fiv'
on the top. In the days that were t.
come I was to have plenty Of oppor
tunity to familiarize myself with th'
contents of that house but at that tim'
II did not know 1t and I was curious
enough to want to know just what th'
house contained.
Down In the basement there was
huge pantry but it was absolutely bare
except Of dust and dirt. A door which
llevidently led to a sub-basement at
itracted my attention and ] thought !
might be a good idea to know JUS
where 1t led to in case 1t became neces
sary for me to elude searchers.,
lin that cellar found case after cas-
lof choice wine-Huyliger subsequent!
Ifold me that there were 1900 bottles o
,slitl 1 was SO happy at the turn m!
. affairs had taken and In the rosy pros
poets which I now entertained that
WAS half inclined ito indulge in littl
celebration then and there. On, secon'
. thought however. remembered tn
! old warning Of the folly Of shouting
before you are we'll out of the woods
. and L decided that It would be just q
|. well to postpone the festivities for 4
while and go to bed instead.
In such an deliberately funishe'
Il house had naturally conjured u
.jldeas of a wonderfully large bee
Vsx1kh khsnI hofv vrooffrono dOWn