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LIEUTENANT |
PAT O BRIEN
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Copyright, Ildh, by I'at Alva U Jlrlen
SYNOPSIS.
I'H.U'Ti.U I Introductory. I’at O'Brien
tt li.s i.i lus i urpo.se in writing Uk- alory
of Lis a live mures
CHAPTER II T* !ls of his enlistment in
the Royal i lying .oipy, ins training in
Canada and ills transier to Krunce fur ac
tive duty .
CHAPTER III Inscribes fights in which
lie hruuglit down two German airplanes
and his final light in which he vs as
brought down wound* d within the Ger
man Dr.es and was made a prisoner of
war.
CHAPTER IV—Discovers that German
hospital staff b « buiously neglected tho
fatally wounded and devoted their enn
gies to restoring those who might be
leturued to the bring lines. Witnesses
death In light of his best chum. LieuW
Paul Rainey.
CHAPTER V—Ho is taken to the of
ficers’ prison camp at Court; ai. There ho
h« gajn planning his escape. Hy great sa -
rlhco he manages to save and hide aw ay
two daily rations of bread.
CHAPTER VI He confiscates a map of
Germany and *ust hall an hour later is
put on a train hound for a prison camp
in Germany. He leaps through a window
while tho train Is traveling ut a rate of it*J
miles an hour.
CHAPTER VII For nine days he
crawls through Germany, hiding during
the day, traveling at night, guldi 1 by tno
stars and subsisting on raw vegetables.
He covers TO miles b« fore reaching Lux
emburg.
LifAPTWK VIIf I-or nine days more he
struggles on In a weakened condition
through Luxemburg in tho direction of
Belgium.
CHAPTER IX He endures terrible
hardships, swims rivers while delirious
from hung*-!, li.ing lo • a hunted animal
and on th«- • igni*-*-,it.. day after jumping
from the train into itelgium.
CHAPTER A When v.eil on his way
tlii. ■ i u* I Ihlgium I.- I befriend*-! on
night i-v a Id- mi.-h jM- isaiit. who feeds
him and *111 e. i: him t a man in a i ci
gian 1 it ;, who will i |» Mm to gel a pass
pur-..
CHAPTER XI I. i-iirigllng with R* 1
gl.'lll ai.tr,!- !.«- iiai;:>i<o • duth- «i ■ i -
mill ‘-old! I: and lea :• the Helgiun«il>
where la finds tn. i ; c • i ih* man from
whom he exp*-, i j.
CHAPTER XII H .Eiger forges a pass
port for h'Hrit-n and promises to assist
f.lm in gifting into Holland. Miter Huy
lig«-r and ins us.vm uiU-s demand an ex
orhitant sum for tludr services and
o'lirien bleaks with them.
find nighta In nn unoccupied house with
oul food except for the scraps he picks up
in night forays.
1 have n considerable streak of curi
osity’ in me, and I couldn’t help won
dering what It could he in that window
which almost without exception
seemed te interest (iernmn soldiers hut
failed to hold the Belgians, and after
conjuring my brains for a while on the
problem I eame t• • the conclusion that
the simp must have been a honk-shop
und the window contained (iernmn
magazines, which, naturally enough,
would he of the greatest interest to
the Gemini:*' hut of nope to the Bel
gians.
At any rut/? I resolved that ns soon as
night cam* I would go out and in
vent the window. V’hen I got the
answer I laughed so loud that I was
afraid for the moment I must have at
tracted the attention of the neighbors,
but I couldn’t help it. The window
was filled with hug** quantities of
sausage! The store was a butcher
shop and one of the principal things
they sold apparently was sausage. The
display they made, although it con
sisted merely of sausages piled in the
window, certainly had plenty of “pull
ing" power. It “pulled" nine Ger
mans out of ten out of their course and
Indirectly “pulled" mo rigiit across tin*
street : The idea of those Germans he
| Ing so interested in that window dis
play as to ft and in front of the win
dow for tvvi, three or four minutes at
a time, however, certainly seemed
funny to me, and when I got hark to
i the house I sat at the keyhole again
and found just as much interest as
before In watching the Germans stop
in their tracks when they reached the
window, even though I was now aware
what the attraction was.
< hie of my chief occupations during
these days was catching flies. I would
catch a fly. put him in a spider's *eh
| (there were plenty of them in the old
bouse), and sit down for the spider to
: mine down and get him. Hut always I
! pictured mysdf in the same predica
ment and rescued tie* fly just as the
spider was about to grab him. Several
times when things wen* dull I was
tempted to see tie* tragedy through,
hut perhaps the same Providence that
guided me safely through all perils
was guarding, too, the destiny of those
flies, for I always weakened and tin
flies never did suffer from my Inst for
amusement.
The house was well supplied wills
hooks—in far t, one of the choicest li
hraries I think I ewer saw- hut the>
were all written either in Flemish «»r
French. 1 could read n » Flemish am;
very little French. I might have mad*
a little headway with the latter, hill
the hooks ail seemed too deep for m«
I and 1 gave It up. There was one thing
though that I did read and reread
from beginning to end; that was n
New York Herald which must have nr
rived Just about the time war was de
viand. Several things in this in
forested mo. and particularly the base
ball scores, which I studied with as
much care as a real fan possibly could
1 an up-to-date scon-. I couldn't refrain
from laughing when l <amc i»» an ac
count of Zimmerman (of the Cubs)
being benched for "<*1110 spat with tie1
unipije. and it nlTord-d in.- jut *
much interest three years after it had
happened—perhaps more—than snun
current item of world-wide interest
had at that time.
1 rummaged the house many times
from cellar to garret in my search f"i
something to eat, hut the harvest <,1
three years of war had made any suc
cess along that line impossible. I wa>
like the man out in the ocean in a ‘boat
and thirsty with water everywhere bui
not a drop to drink.
I was tempted while in the rif. t«
go to church on* Sunday, lmt my better
judgment told me ii would b«* a u> b-s
risk, of course, someone would surel\
say something to no* and I didn’t
know how many Gormans would It*
there or what migl Happen, so I gavt
up tlu't idea.
lairing nil the time I was concealed
in this house i saw loti one uutomobilt
anti that was a German staff officer's
That same afternoon 1 had one of tht
frights of my young life.
I had lieen gazing out of the keyhole
as usual when I heard coming dowr
the street the measured tread of tier
man soldiers. It didn't sound like very
many, hut there was no doubt in my
mind that German soldiers were
marching down the street. I went tip
stairs am! peeked through the window
and Mire enough a squad of German in
fantry was coming down tin* streel
accompanied I > y a military mutoi
truck. I hadn't the sligiitest idea tiiui
they were coming after me, imt still
I the possibilities of tile situation gim
me more or less alarm, and I consul
i ored how I could make my escape 11
lliy chance I was the man they V rt
! after. Tile idea of hiding in the wim
cellar appealed to me us the most
j practical; there must have been
plenty of places among the wine keg>
- and eases where a man could conceal
; himself, hut. as a matter of fact, I did
i not believe that any such contingency
l would arise.
The marching soldiers came nearer,
I could hear them at the next house
In a moment I would see them pass
the keyhole through which 1 was look
ing.
••Unit!”
At the word of cp.mmnnd shouted by
a lunlor officer the suuud came to at
teiiiion right in from of the house!
1 waited no longer. Running down the
stairs I Hew into tin* wine cellar and
aRhough it was almost pitch dark—
the only light coming from n grating
which led to the backyard—1 soon
found a satisfactory biding place in
the extreme rear of the cellar. 1 had
had the presence of mind to leave the
door of the wine cellar ajar, figuring
that If the soldiers found a closed door
they would he more apt to search for
a fugitive behind it than If the door
were open.
My decision to get away from that
front floor bad been made and carried
out none too soon, for I bad only Just
located myself between two ldg wine
cases when I heard the tramp of sol
diers’ feet marching up the front stoop,
a crash at the front door, a few hasty
words of command which I did not un
derstand, and then the noise of scur
rying feet from room to room and such
a hanging and hammering and smash
ing and crashing that I could not make
out what was going fin.
If Iluyligcr find revealed my hiding
place to the Huns, ns I was now con
fident lie had. I felt that there was lit
I
“I Figured I Could Put Up a Good
Fight.”
tie prospect of their overlooking me.
They would search the house from top
to bottom trod, If necessary, raze it to
the ground before they would give up
the search. To escape from the house
through the backyard through the iron
grating, which l had no doubt I could
Cone, seemed to he tin* logical thing
tn do, but the ehanees were that the
Huns had thrown a cordon around the
entire block before the squad was sent
to the house. The Hermans do these
things in an efficient manner always.
They take nothing for granted.
My one chance seemed to he to stuiid
pat in the hope that the officer In
charge might possibly come to the con
clusion that he had arrived at the
house too late—that the bird had
liowiL
My position in that wine cellar was
anything hut a comfortable one. Mats
and mice were scurrying across the
floor and the smashing and crashing
going on overhead was anything hut
promising. Kv identic those soldiers
imagined that I ought to he hiding in
the walls, for it sounded as though
they were tearing off the w ainscot ting,
the picture molding and, in fact,
everything that they could tear or pull
apart.
Itefore very long they would finish
their search upstairs and would come
down to the basement. What they
would do when they discovered the
wine 1 had no idea. Perhaps they
would let themselves loose on It and
give tne my chance. With a bottle of
wine in each hand I figured I could put
up a good tight in the dark, especially
as 1 was liecoming more and more ae
, custoined to it and could begin to dis
tinguish tilings here and there, where
as when they entered the pitchy dark
ness of the cellar, they would be ns
blind as lints In the sun.
* Perhaps It was twenty minutes be
i fore 1 heard what sounded like my
| death-knell to me; the soldiers were
coming down the cellar steps! 1
clutched a wine bottle In each hand
and waited with bated breath.
Tramp! Tramp! Trump! In a mo
ment they would he In the cellar
proper. I could almost hear my heart
beating. The mice scurried across the
floor by the scores, frightened no
doubt by the vibration and noise made
by the descending soldiers. Some of
the creatures ran across me where I
stood between two wine cases, hut I
was too much Interested In bigger
game to pay any Attention to mice.
Tramp! Trump! “Halt!" Again
an order was given In German, and al
though I did not understand It I um
| willing to bless every word of It, be
cause It resulted In the soldiers turn
ing right about face, marching up the
stairs again, through the hall and out
of the front door and away 1
I could hardly believe tny ears. It
seemed almost too good to be true that
they could have given up the search
,1ttst as they were about to conte upon
their quarry, hut unless my cars de
ceived me that was what they had
d me. .
The possibility that the whole thtpj
i got ! •* a German ruse did not escape
t. c, and 1 remained In the cellar for
nearly an hour ufter they hud appar
ently departed before 1 ventured t*
move, listening Intently In the mean- i
while for the slightest sound which j
would reveal the presence of a sentry
upstairs.
Not bearing a sound T began to feel
that they had indeed given up the hunt,
for 1 did not believe that a German
officer would be so considerate of Ms
men us to try to trap me rather than
carry the cellar by force if they had
the slightest idea that I was there.
I took off my shoes and crept softly
and slowly to the cellar steps and then
step by step, placing my weight down
gradually so as to prevent the steps
from creaking, I climbed to the top.
The sight that met my eyes as I
glanced into the kitchen told me the
whole story. The water faucets had
been ripped from the sinks, the water
pipes haveing been torn off, and
gas fixtures, conking utensils and
everything else which contained even
tin* smallest proportion of the metals
tile Germans so badly needed had been
taken from the kitchen. I walked up
stairs now with more confidence, feel
ing tolerably assured that the soldi* .
hadn’t been after me at all, but bad
been merely colli « ting metal and
other materials which they expected
an ela! *r.;t • dwelling bouse like the
one in which I was coneeabd to yield.
Later I beard that the Geniur s have
taken practically < very ounce of brass,
copper nii ! w.#o| they could lay their
hands or. ir Belgium. Kven the brass
out of pianos has In en ruthlessly re
moved. the serious damage done to
valuable property by the removal of
only an insignificant proportion of
metal never being taken Into consid
eration. 1 leaned, too. that all dogs
over fourteen ho lies high had been
seized !»;. the Ger; ans. This furnished
lots of spceulntloii among t!:« Belgians
as to \.h ’ us ibe Germans were put
ting t’ e aidn.als t«>, the general im
pressien uppanutly being that they
were being used for f. < d !
n it? an
likely t n <* tlur. 12<iit they were being
, employed, as dispute:, dogs in the
trenches, tin* same as we us«* them on
OUT Sid.e of the life . They might pos
sibly kill t’’“ dogs n:.d ime t!:«lr : Kins
for letitlo r ar. ! their ran r^s-s f. r tnl
low, 1 in I feel ;;\i t«* s: i .* : . a the
Huns ar* y y.o fm at " short of food
that till have to eat dog- y»*» awhile
Indeed I want to repeat here what
I have Mi-lit i < it 1«*« i he i 11 |'i • ; if ;i|)\n|ie h:i"
the id.*:, that thi" war * ,m he won l>\
starviii tie Huns. ho ha n't tin* slight
est id*a how w. ! I provided the Hoi
mans are in that n ;• t. Tlp*\ have
eonsid* I' d their feed needs in < ontn*« -
ti*»n with their resources for several
years to eoine and they have gone at
it in such a methiHlieai, systematic
way, taking into consideration every
possible contingency, that provided
there is not an abstiliv, crop ad’!;*,
there Isn’t tin* slightest doubt in my
mind JhiA they cun last for years, and
tSf»* w >j*s# of It Is they are very cock
sure rhont it themselves.
It is true that tin* Herman soldiers
want peace. As 1 watched them
through tin* keyhole in the door 1
thought how unfavorably they com
pared with our m n. Tln \ marched
along the street without laughter, with
out joking, without singing, it was
quite apparent that the war is telling
nr n b * to know Imw I was going to
as for what I wanted.
While tr.vlng to make up my m:nd
whether it was safe for me to go in 1
walked half a block past the place. and
when I turned hack again and ivnehed
the entrance with my mind made iq
that I would take the chain*- I ran full
tilt into a Herman orliecr w ho w as just
coming out.
That settled all my hankerings for
moving pictures that night. “When
you came from, my friend," 1 figured,
“then* must I*.* more like yon! I gue*>
it Is a good night for walking.”
The inwt day, however, in re- ailing
the incident of the evening before, it
seemed to me that I had been rather
foolish. What I needed more than
anything else at that time was confi
dence. Before I could get to tin* fron
tier I would have to confront Herman
soldiers many times, because there
were more of them between this city
and II< Hand than in any section of the
count:, th ough which I had so far
traveled. Safety in these conting
encies would depend largely upon the
calmness I displayed. It wouldn't do
to get all excited at the men* sight of
a spiked helmet. The Belgians, I had
noticed, while careful to obey the
orders of the Huns, showed no partic
ular fear of them, and It seemed to
me the sooner I cultivated the same
feeling of indifference the better I
would he able to carry off the part I
was playing.
ror this reason I made up my ratnu
then and there that, officers or no of
ficers, I would go to that show that
night and stt It through no matter
what happened. While people may
think that 1 had decided unwisely be
cause of the unnecessary risk Involved
In the adventure. It occurred to me
that perhaps after all that theater was
about one of the safest places I could
attend because that was about the last
place Germans would expect to llrnl a
fugitive English officer In even If they
were searching for me.
As soon ns evening came, therefore,
I started out for the theatre. I fixed
myself up as well as possible. I had ,
on a fairly decent pair of pants which |
Iluyllger had given me and I used a
clean handkerchief as u collar.
With my hair brushed up and my
beurd trimmed as neatly as possible
with a pair of rusty scissors which I
had found In the house, while my ap
pearance was not exactly that of a
Beau Urummel, I don't think I looked
much worse than the average Belgian.
In these days the average Belgian 1h
■very poorly dressed at best.
I can’t any I had no misgivings ns I
I
made my way to tin* theatre; cer
tainly I was going there more for dis
cipline than pleasure, but I had made* 1
up my mind that I was going there to ,
see it through.
The entrance to the theatre or heer
garden, for It was as much one as the
other, was on the sine of the building
and was reached by way of an alley
which ran alongside. Near the door
was a ticket-seller's booth, hut as this
was one of the free nights there was
no one In the booth.
I numbed slowly down the alley
Imitating as host I could the indiffer
ent gait «*f tin r.elgiaris, and when I
entered tlm theater endeavored to act
as though I had been there many times
before. A hasty survey of the layout
ol the plae.* was sufficient Jo enable
me to seleet my seat. It was early and
t! r<* were not more that, half a doaten
]<e.• p;e in the phiee ;.t that time, so
that 1 had my choice.
There was a raised platform, per
ns two feet high, all around the
„ ulls of the plaee except at the eild
where tlie stage was located. On this
platform tables were arranged and
•here were tables till tile Moor proffer
as well.
1 decided promptly Hint the safest
place for me was as far hack as pos
sible. where I would not be in the line
..f vision ‘>f others in back of me. Ac
cordingly I slouched over to a table
on the platform directly opposite the
stage and I took the seat against the
wall. The whole place was now in
front of me. I could see everything
that was going on and everyone who
on them. T don’t believe T saw a single
Herman soldier who didn’t look as If
he had lost his best friend—and he
probably had.
At the same time there Is a big dif
ference- certainly a difference of sev
eral years- between wishing the war
was over and giving up, and 1 don’t
believe the Herman rank and file any
more than their leaders have the slight
est Idea at this time of giving up at
all
But to return to rnv experience
while concealed In the house. After
tile visit nf the soldiers, which left
the house in a wren lied condition, I
decided that I would continue my jour
ney towards tin- frontier, particularly
as I had gotten ;!|| j « mild out of Huy
lig'-f. or lather he had gotten all he
was gating t•» a- t nut of me.
I hit ing in) « om altm at in tin* house
I had m.. - ..i 11. .nto the
r'ty at i gl.it, a’id 1 v •- h.a a mag to
tee! more « ■ > m i • ■ i:. 11111 ‘ e\.n v. hen Her
man soldiem uijv ahotit. Through
the key hole I !.: i * 1 studied very
elosely the gait nf the Belgians, the
sIoNenly droop that eh.ir\- > teii/'-d most
ot them, and 11.*• i•• general appearance,
and I teit that in my own dirty and un
shaven condition 1 must have looked
as I1IUeh like the nv« : ;'ge poop I’.i Igiati
as a man < oiild. The only thing that
" •'' against me was m\ hcigiti. I was
| several im hes taller than even the
tallest Belgians. I had often thought
! that red hair would have gone good
1 with my name, hut now, of course, I
was mighty glad that I was not ho
endowed, for red-haired Belgians art'
about as rare as Herman charity.
There tire many, no doubt, who will
wonder why 1 did not get more help
than 1 did at this time. It Is easily
answered. Whet, a man Is In hourly
B ar of his life and the country is full
of spies, as Belgium certainly was, he
is not going to help just anyone that
comes along seeking aid. One of the
Herman's most successful ways of trap
ping the Belgians lias been to pose as
an Hnglish or Kieneh prisoner who has
eti iped, app« al to them for aid. itnpll
ca’e as many as possible, and then
turn the whole Herman police force
I'M1' on the; :. As I look hack on
those days l think it remarkable that
1 reeeived as much help as I did, hut
when people ate starving under the
conditions now forced upon those un
fortunate people. It Is a great tempta
tion t.. surrender these escaped pris
oners to Herman authorities and re
ceive the handsome rewards offered
for them or for alien spies, as I was
clashed at that time.
The passport which I had described
me as a Spanish sailor, but 1 was
very dubious about its value. If 1
could have spoken Spanish fluently It
might have keen worth something to
me. but the few words I knew of the
language would not have carried me
very far if I had been confronted with
a Spanish Interpreter. I decided to
use the passport only as a last resort,
preferring to act the part of a deaf
and dumb Belgian peasant as far as
it would carry me.
Before I finally loft the house I had
a remarkable experience which I shall
remember as long as I live.
(To be < ontlnued i
-+
Your eyes fitted Compound and
stigmatic lenses replaced See Os
borne.
Times classified ads get the results.
Copper River
and Northwestern Ry.
FOUR TRAINS WEEKLY BETWEEN
CHITINA AND KENNECOTT
Leave Cordova, Second Street Depot, on Mon
days, Thursdays and Saturdays
Leave Chitina for Cordova Sundays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Fridays
Leave Chitina for Kennecott Sundays, Tuesdays
and Fridays
Leave Kennecott for Chitina Mondays, Wednes
days, Thursdays and Saturdays
* The above schedule subject to change without
notice.
Dining Car in Connection with all Regular
Passenger Trains between Cordova and Chitina.
Freight received and delivered at Cordova
Wharf from !• a. in. to 5 p in., except Sundays.
Tick tr on sale at Second Street Depot office
«hour before' departure of trains.
CALEB CORSER Sup« rintendent
D. L. LEATON, Ticket Agent
t PROFESSIONAL jj
►•»*
DRS. DAGGETT & BLYTH
Northern Hotel Building,
Cordova.
DENTISTRY
Houre # a. m. to 9 p. m.
Special Attention to
Prophylaxla and Pyorrhea
PHONE 200
WM. A. HESSE
Mining Engineer.
U. 8. Mineral Surveyor,
U. 8. Depaty Surveyor.
BOX 1* CORDOVA. ALASKA
DR. W. H. CHASE
PHYSICIAN and SURGEON
Office over Cordova Drug store.
Calls May be Left at Cordova
Drug Store. Residence,
Alaskan Hotel
DR. W. W. COUNCIL
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON.
Office and Residence: Cordova
General Hospital (Ostrander Bul.l
lug-.
I'honeB—Residence 116, office 1M
DR. C. L. HALE
DENTIST
Office: Over Blum, O'Neill's 8to 4
SMITE & McCONAGHY
PLUMBER* AND STEAMFITTEF d
Cor. Front and B Street*
Office Open Evening*.
E. T. MEDLEY
Attorney and Counaellor at Lav*,.
Room 1.
'-v,
Adam* Block CORDOVA, ALASKA
J
WILLIAM PALLISTER, M.D,
Specialist In the treatment at
diseases and deformities of the
eve. ear, nose and threat; glasses
fitted.
JUNEAU GENERAL HOSPITAL.
FRANK A. METCALF
Civil and Mining Engineer
U. S. Mineral Surveyor
Juneau Alaska
FRANK H. FOSTER
Attorney at Law
Room 1 Alaskan Hotel
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*♦♦
♦
Windsor Hotel ♦
♦
L. Wain. Prop. ♦
-♦
Where You Get *
Comfort and Service ♦
And the Rates Are Right. •
_ ♦
_ ♦
♦
Cordova Alaska ♦
♦
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" 1 ■_...UP!!'. -1L JBS
11 mmifiiifiii i« f
Sixty Steam Heated Rooms Eletric Lighted
Hot and Cold Water in Every Room
With or Without Bath.
I I
1 Cordova Houses
DOOLEY AND GREEN1G ij
M
Headquarters for Railroad and Mining Men M
Satisfaction Ouranteed
Rates Reasonable