Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1918)
THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. OUTWITTING THF Mb!M" Ek I III III I A LIEUTENANT PAT O'BRIEN- CHAPTER XN. The Forged PaaeeorL For obvious reasons, I cannot do crlbe Uio man to whom I applied for tfe passport nor tho boose In which ho lived. While, In view of what sub acueatly happened, I would not 1o very much concerned If ho got Into troable for having dealt with me, I realize that tho hardships ho had en dured In common with tho other In habitants of that conquered city may possibly have distorted his Idea of right and justice, and I shall not de liberately bring farther disaster on him by revealing his Identity. This man wo will call him Hay tiger because that la aa unliko his name as it Is mine was very kind to wo on that memorable night when I aroused bun from bla sleep and In a few words of explanation told him of ray plight He Invited me Inside, prepared somo food for me and, putting on a dress ing gown, camo and sat by me while I ate, listening with the greatest inter est to the short account of my adven-teres. He could speak English fluently, and be Interrupted mo several times to ex- pres bis sympathy for tho sufferings I had endured. "O'Brien," bo said, after I had con eluded my story, "I am going to help yea. It may tako sovcral days per haps as long as two weeks but event ually we will provide the means to en able yon to get to Holland." I thanked blm a thousand times and told htm that I didn't know how could possibly repay him. "Don't think of that," ho replied; "the satisfaction of knowing that tuiTA aided In placing ono more victim of the Huns beyond their power to tutm will more than ropay mo for all the risk X shall ran In helping you. You'd better turn In .now, O'Brien, and la the morning I'll tell you what I plan ft do." As I removed my clothes and noticed that my knees wcro still swollen to twice their normal bIzo, that my left ankle was black and bluo from the wrench I had given it when I Jumped from the train and that my ribs showed through my skin, I realized what a lot I had been through. As a matter of fact, I could not havo weighed more than ono hundred and fifty pounds at that time, whereas I had tipped tho scales at ono hundred and ninety when X was with my squadron In France. I lost no Umo in getting Into bed and still less in getting to sleep. I don't know what I dreamed of that Bight, but I hud plenty of time to go through tho experiences of my whole life, 'for when I was aroused by a knock on the door and Huyllger en tered in response to my invitation to enter, he told me that It was nearly noon I I had slept for almost twelve Moure. I cannot say that tho thought did not run through my hend that per haps after all I was living In n fool's paradise, and that when Huyllger re appeared it would bo with a couplo of German soldiers behind htm, but I dis missed such misgivings summarily, re alising that I was doing Huyllger an lajaatlco to let such things enter my head even for an Instant I had no rtgat to doubt his sincerity nntt It would do me no good to entertain such suspicions. If ho was going to provo treacherous to me, I was powerless any way to copo with him. in a few moments my host reap peared with a tray containing my Breakfast. X don't suppose I shall ever Cerget that meal. It cotiHlstcd of esu of csffee real coffee, not tho kind X,faad had at Courtral several slices of stead, some hot potatoes and a dish f scrambled eggs. rery mouthful of that meal tasted like rmgol-food to me and Huyllger eat oq the edge of the bed and watched eae enjoying it at the same time out (Msg tho plans he had mado for my escape. I la brief, tho scheme was to conceal see In a convent until conditions were rtpe for me to make my way to the border. In the meanwhile I was to bo dressed in the garb of a priest, and whea the time camo for me to leave &e dty I was to pretend that I was Spanish sailor, bemuse I could speak little Spanish, which I had picked s on the coast To attempt to play tfce sart of a Belgian would becomo In ereaslngly difficult, he pointed out, and would bring Inevltablo dlsuster in tho event that I was tailed upon to speak. 1 Huyllger sold X would be given suf dent money to brlbo the German guards at the Dutch frontier, and ho 'sored me that everything would work -oat according to schedule, c Tours Is not the first case, O'Brien, we hare bundled successfully," he do aterod. "Only three weeks ago X heard trotn an ICagllsb merchant who bad tripe treat Oeraaa detention easap and camo to mo for assistance and whom I hnd been able to get through Uie lines. His messago telling mo of lilo safe arrival in Rotterdam camo to mo in an indirect way, of course, but the fact that tho plans wo had mado carried through without mishap makes mo feel that we ought to bo ablo to do as much for you." I told nuyllgcr I was ready to follow his instructions and would do any thing he suggested. "I want to rejoin my squadron as soon as I possibly can," I told him, "but I rcnllzo that it will tako a ccr tin length of tlmo for you to mako tho necessary arrangements, nnd I will be as patient as I can." Tho first thing to do, Huyllger told me, was to prcparo a passport He had a blank ono and It was a comparatively simple matter to fill in the spaces, us ing a genuine passport which Huyllger possessed as a sample of 'tho hand writing of tho passport clerk. My oc cupation was entered as that of a sailor. My blrthplaco we gavo aa Spain, and wo put my age at thirty. As a matter of fact, at that tlmo I could easily havo passed for thirty five, but wo figured that with proper food and a decent placo to sleep at night, I could soon regain my normal appearance, nnd tho passport would have to servo mo, perhaps, for several weeks to come. Filling In tho blank spaces on the passport was, as I havo said, a com paratively easy matter, but that did not begin to fill tho bill. Every genu ine passport bore an ofTlclal rubber stamp, something llko an elaborate postmark, and I was at n loss to know how to get over that difficulty. Fortunately, however, Huyllgor had half of a rubber stamp which had evi dently boon thrown away by tho Ger mans, and he planned to construct tho other half out of tho cork from a wlno bottle, Ho was very skillful with a penknife, and although ho spoilt a Bcoro or mora oi corks before ho suc ceeded in getting anything llko tho result he wus after, tho finished artlclo wns far better thnn our most sanguine expectations. Indeed, after wo hnd pared It ovor here and there, nnd re moved whatever Imperfections our re peated tost disclosed, wo had a stamp which mado an impression so closely resembling tho original that without a magnifying glass, wo woro sure, it would havo been impossible to tell that It was u countcvfolt Uuyltgcr procured a camera and took a photograph of me to pnsto on the passport In the plnco provided for that purposo, nnd wo then had a pass port which was entirely satisfactory to both of us and would, we hoped, provo equally so to our friends tho Huns. It had taken two days to fix up tho passport. In the meanwhile Huyllgor Informed mo that ho had changed hla plans about tho convent and thnt in stead he would tako mo to an empty house, whero I could remain in safety until ho told mo it wns ndvlsablo for mo to proceed to the frontier. This was qulto agrceablo to mo, as I had had ralsglvlugH as to tho kind of a priest I would mako nnd It seemed to me to bo safer to remain aloof from everyone In a deserted house than to havo to mlnglo with peoplo or como In contact with them, oven with tho best of disguises. Ttwif nlrfYif T nitinntnnntail Tltivllfrnt to a fashlonahlo section of the city, where the house in which I was to bo concealed was located. This house turned out to bo a four story structuro of brick, nuyllgcr told me that it had been occupied by a wealthy Belgian boforo tbo war, but since 1014 it had been uninhabited savo for the occasional habitation of somo refugee whom nuyllgcr was befriend ing. Huyllger had a key and let mo In, but he dill not enter tho house with me, stating that he would visit mo in tho morning. I explored the placo from top to bot tom as well as I could without lights. The houso wns elaborately furnished, but of course, tho dust lax. a quarter of an Inch thick everywhere. It was n largo houso, containing somo twenty rooms. Thoro wcro two rooms in tho basement four on tho first floor, four on the second Ave on tho third uud Ave on the top. In tho days that wero to come I was to havo plenty of oppor tunity to familiarize- myself with tho contents of that houso but at that tlmo I did not know it and I was curious enough to want to know Just what tho houso contained. Down tu tho basement thcro was q of choice wine nuyllgcr subsequently told mo that thero wero 1,800 bottles of ltl I wns so happy at tho turn my affairs had taken and in tho rosy pros pects which I now entertained thnt I was half inclined to Indulge in u little celebration then and there. On second thought, however, I remembered tho old warning of the folly of shouting boforo you aro well out of the woods, and I decided that It would bo just as well to postpone tho festivities for n wlille and go to bed Instead. Tn such an elaborately furnished house I had naturally conjured up Ideas of a wonderfully largo bed, with thick hair mattress, downy quilts and big soft pillows. Indeed, I debated for a while which particular bedroom I should honor with my pros enco that night Judge of my disap pointment, therefore, when after vis iting bedroom after bedroom, I discov ered thnt thoro wasn't n bed In any one of them that was in a condition to sleep in. All tho mattresses had been removed nnd tho rooms wcro abso lutely bare of everything in tho way of wool, Bilk or cotton fabrics. Tho Germans had apparently swept tho honsc clean. There was nothing to do, therefore, but to mako myself as comfortable as I could on tho floor, but as I had grown accustomed by this time to sleeping under far less comfortable conditions, I swallowed my disappointment as cheerfully as I could and lay down for tho night In the morning Huyllger appeared and brought mo somo breakfast, and after I had eaten it be asked mo what connections I had in Franco or Eng land from whom I could obtain money. I told him that I bnnked at Cox & Co., London, and that if ho needed any money I would do anything I could to get It for him, although I did not know Just how such things could bo ar ranged. "Don't worry about that, O'Brien,' he replied. "We'll And a way of get ting It all right What I want to know is how far you are prepared to go to compensate mo for tho risks I am rendering you!" Tho chango In tho man's attitude stunned me. I could hardly bellevo my cars. "Of course I Bhall pay you as well ns I can for what you havo done, Huyll ger," I replied, trying to conceal as far as posslblo tbo disappointment hla de mand had occasioned roe, "but don't you think that this is hardly the proper tlmo or occasion to talk of compensa tion? All I havo on me, as you know, Is n few hundred francs, nnd thnt, of course, you aro wclcomo to, and when I get back, If I ever do, I ehnll not easily forget that kindness you have shown me. I am suro you need havo no concern about my showing my gratitudo in a substantial way." "That's all right, O'Brien," he In slsted, looking at mo In a knowing sort of way; "you may take care of me afterwards, and then again yon may not I'm not satisfied to wait I want to bo taken caro of now I" "Well, what do you want me to do? How much do you expect in the way of compensation? How can I arrange to get it to you? I am willing to do nnythlng that Is reasonable." "I want pounds," be replied, nnd ho named a flguro thnt staggered me. If I had been Lord' Kitchener In stead of just an ordinary lieutenant in tho It. F. 0., ho would hardly have nsked a larger sum. Perhaps ho thought I was. "Well, ray dear man," I said smiling ly, thinking that perhaps ho was Jok ing, "you don't really mean that, do you?" "I certainly do, O'Brien, nnd what Is more," ho threatened, "I intend to get Outlining the Plans He'Had Made for My Escape. every cent I have asked, and you aro going to help mo get it" Ho pulled out nn order calling for tho paymont to htm of the amount ho had mentioned nnd demanded that sign It. I waved it aside. "Huyllger," I Bald, "you have helped mo out so far and perhaps you have tho power to help me further. I appre ciate what you havo done for me, al though now. I think. I sco what vour uugopaniry uui u was ausoiuioiy uarc, .motlvo was, but I certainly don't In except or uusi anu uirt. a uoor wmcu tend to bo blackmailed and I tell vou- ovldcntly led to n sub-busciucnt at tracted my nttentlon uud I thought it might tu a good Idea to know Just where it led to In caso It becamo neces sary for me to elude searchers, la that cellar I found caso after case right now thnt I won't stund for It." "Very well," he said, "It Is Just ns you say, but before you make up your mind so obstinately I would advise you to think it over. I'll bo back this evening." My first Impulse, after tho man had left, was to get out of that houso Just as soon ns I could. I had the passport he had prepared for me; and I flgured that even without further help I could now get to tho border without very much difficulty, nnd when I got there I would hnve to use my own ingenuity to get through. It wns evident, however, thnt Huy llger still had an Idea thnt I might chango my mind with regard to tho payment ho h'nd demanded, and I de cided that it would bo foolish to do anything until he paid mo a second visit At tho beginning of my dealings with Huyllger I had turned over to him some pictures, papers, and other things that I had on mo when I entered his house, including my Identification disk, and I was rather nfrald that he might rcfuso to return them to me. All day long I remained in the house without a partlclo of food other than tho breakfast Huyllger had brought to inc. From tho windows I could sco plenty to Interest mo and help pass tho tlmo away, but of my experiences whllo In that house I shall tell In de tail later on, confining my attention now to a narrative of my dealing with Huyllger. That night ho appeared as ho had promised. Well, O'Brien," he asked, ns he en tered the room where I was awaiting hlra, "what do you say? Will you sign the order or not?" It hnd occurred to me during tho day that the amount demanded wns so fabulous that I might havo signed the order without uny danger of its ever being paid, but tho Idea of this man, who hnd claimed to bo befriending me, endeavoring to make capital out of my plight galled mo so that I was deter mined not to give it to him whether I could do so in safety or not. "No, Huyllger," I replied. "I hnve decided to get along ns best I can with out any further assistance from you shall see that you are reasonably paid for what you have -done, but will not nccept any further assistance from you at nny prico, nnd whnt Is moro I want you to return to mo nt onco nil tho photographs nnd other papers nnd belongings of mlno which turned over to you n day or two ago 1" "I'm sorry about that O'Brien," ho retorted, with a show of apparent sin cerity, "but that Is something I cannot do." "If you don't give me back those papers nt once," I replied hotly, "I will tako steps to get them, and d d quick tool" I don't know just whnt you could do, O'Brien," he declared coolly, "but as a matter of fact the papers and pictures you refer to are out of tbo country. I could not get tbem back to you if I wanted to." Something told me the man was lying. "See here, Huyllger 1" I threatened, advancing towards him, putting my band on his shoulder and looking him straight in tho eye, "I want those papers and I want them here before midnight to-night If I don't get them X shall sleep in this place just once moro and then, at 8 o'clock to-morrow morning, I shall go to the German au thorities, glvo myself up, show them tho passport that you Axed for me, tell them how I got It and explain everything." Huyllger paled. Wo had no lights in the house, but wo were standing nenr a landing nt tho tlmo and tho moonlight was streaming through n Dtnined-glnss window. Tho Belgian turned on his heel and started to go down tho stairs. "Mind you," I called after him, "I shall wait for you till the city clock strikes twelve, and If you don't show up with thoso papers by that tlmo, the next tlmo you will sco mo is when you confront mo beforo the German au thorities. I am a desperato mun, nuy llgcr, nnd I mean every word I sny." He let himself out of tho door and I sat on tho top stair and wondered just whnt he would do. Would ho try to steal a march on roe and get in n first word to tho authorities eo that my story would bo discredited when put it to them? Of course, my threat to give myself up to tho Huns wns a pure bluff. While I had no desire to lose tho papers which Huyllgor had and which In eluded tho map and the last resting place of my poor chum Ilaney, I cer tainly had no intention of cutting off my nose to spite my face bysurrcn derlng to tho Germans. I would have bocu shot, as sure as fate, for after all I had been able to obscrvo behind the German lines I would bo regarded as a spy and treated as such. At the same tlmo I thought I de tected a yellow streak in Huyllger, and I figured that ho would not wont to take the risk of my carrying out my threat even though he believed there was but a small chance of my doing so. If I did, ho would undoubtedly share my fate, and tho pictures and papers bo had of mlno were really of no use to him, nnd I have novcr been nblo to ascertain why It wns ho wished to re tain them unless they contained some thing somo Information about mo which accounted for his complete chango of attitude towurds mo in the flrst place, and ho wanted tho papers as cvluenco to account to his supe riors for ills conduct towards me When ho first told mo that tho plan of placing mo in a convent disguised ns n priest had been abandoned, ho ex plained It by saying that the cardinal had issued orders to tho priests to help no more "fugitives, and I havo Blnco wondered whether there was nnythlng In my papers which had turned him ugulnst me and led him to forsako mo after all ho had promised to do for me. For perhaps two hours I sat on that stulrcaso musing about the peculiar turn In my affairs, when the front door opened nnd Huyllger ascended the stairs. "I hnve brought you such of your be longings ns I still had, O'Brien," ho said softly. "Tho rest, as I told you, I cannot glvo you. They nro no longer in my possession." I looked through tho little bunch ho handed me. It included my Identifi cation disk, most of tho papers I val ued, nnd perhaps half of tho photographs. "I don't know whnt your object Is In retaining the rest of my pictures, Uuy Hger," I replied, "but nB n matter of fact, tho ones thnt are missing wero only of sentimental value to mo and you aro welcomo to them. Woll call it a beat." I don't know whether bo understood tho idiom, but ho sat down on tho Btnlrs Just below mo and cogitated for a few moments. "O'Brien." he stnrtcd flnnlly, "I'm sorry things havo gone tho wny they havo. I feci sorry for you and I would really like to help you. I don't sup pose you will bellevo me, but the matter of the order which which I asked you to sign wns not of my doing. However, wo won't go Into thnt Tho proposition wns mado to you and you turned it down, and that's tho end of it At the samo time, I hato to leave you to your own resources nnd I nm going to make ono moro suggestion to you for your own good. I havo nn- 'Your Lives Won't Bo Worth a Damn." other plan to get you into nollnnd and If you will go with mo to another houso, I will introduce you to n man .who I think will be in n position to help you." "How mnny millions of pounds will ho want for his trouble " I nnswercd, sarcastically. "You can nrrnnge that when you see .him. Will you go?" I suspected there was something Ashy nbout the proposition, but I felt that I could take care of myself and decided to see tho thing through. I know Huyllger would not dare to de liver mo to tho authorities because of tho fact that I bad tho tell-tale pass port, which would be bis denthknell ns well as my own. Accordingly I said I would bo qulto willing to go with him whenever ho was ready, and ho suggested that we go the next evening. I pointed out to him that I wns en tirely without food and asked him whether ho could not arrange to bring or send me something to cat whllo I remained in tho house. "I'm sorry, O'Brien," ho replied, "but I'm nfrald you will havo to get along ns best you can. When I brought you your brcukfast this morning I took a desperato chance. If I had been dis covered by one of tho German soldiers entering this houso with food In my possession, I would not only have paid tho penalty myself, but you would havo been discovered, too. It Is too danger ous a proposition. Why don't you go out by yourself nnd buy your food nt the stores? Thnt would give you con- Adenco and you'll need plenty of it when you continue your Journey to tho border." There wus a good deal of truth In what ho said and I really could not blamo him for not wanting to tako any chances to help roe In view of tho rela tions between us. "Very well," I said ; "I've gone with out food for many hours at a tlmo be fore and I suppose I shall bo nblo to do so again. I shall look for you to morrow evening." Tho next evening ho came nnd I ac companied him to another houso not very far from the one in which I hnd been staying and not unlike it In ap pearance. It, too, was a substantial dwelling houso which had been unten nnted since tho beginning save perhaps for such occasional visits as Huyllger and his associates mado to It. Huyllger let himself in and con ducted me to n room on tho sacond floor, whero ho Introduced mo to two men. One, I could readily Beo by tho resemblance, was his own brother. Tho other was n stranger. Very briefly they explained to me that thoy had procured another pass port for me n genuine ono which would provo far more effective in help ing to get me to the frontier thun tho counterfeit ono thoy bad manufac tured for me. I think I saw through their gnmo right nt tho Btart, but I listened pa tiently to whnt they had to Buy. "Of course, you will have to return to us tho passport wo gavo you beforo wo can glvo you tho real one," said Uuyllgcr's brother. "I haven't tho slightest objection," I replied, "if the now passport Is all yoa claim for it Will you let mo seo it?" Thero was considerable hesitation on tho part of Huyltger's brother nnd the other chap at this. "Why, I don't think that's necessary; nt nil, Mr. O'Brien," said tho former. 'Tou glvo us the old passport and we will be very glad to give you tho now ono for it Isn't thnt fair enough?" "It mny ho fair enough, my friends," I retorted, seeing that it was usolcss to conceal further tho fact thnt I was fully aware of their wbolo plan and why I had been brought to this house. "It may be fair enough, my friends," I said, "but you will get tho passport that I have here," patting my stdo and indlcutlug my Inside breast pocket "only off my dead bodyl" I supposo the threo of them could havo made short work of mo then and there if they had wanted to go the limit, nnd no ono would ever have been tho wiser, but I had gone through so much nnd I wns feeling so mean to wards the whole world Just at that moment that I was determined to sell my llfo as dearly as possible. "I have that passport here," I r.e plled, "and nm going to keep It If you gentlemen think you can take it from me you arc welcomo to try I" To tell the truth, I was spoiling for a Aght, and I half wished they would start something. The man who had lived in tho houso had evidently been a collector of ancient pottery, for the walls were lined with great pieces of earthenware which had every earmark of possessing great value. They car talnly possessed great weight. I fig ured that if the worst camo to the worst that pottery would come in mighty handy. A single blow with ono of those big vases would put n man out as neatly as possible and as thero was lots of pottery and only three men, I believed I had nn excellent chance of holding my own in tho combat which I had Invited. I had already picked out in my mind what I was going to use, nnd I got up, stood with my back to tho wnll nnd told them that if thoy ever flgured on getting tho passport, then would be their best chance. Apparently they realized that 1 meant business nnd they immediately began to expostulate at tho attitude,! was taking. One of tho men spoke excellent English. In fact, he told me that he could speak Ave languages, and If he could lie In the others ns well ns I knew ho did In my own tongue, ho was not only an accomplished linguist, but a most versatile liar into the bargain. "My -dear fellow," said the linguist "It Is not that wo want to deprive you of tho passport. Good heavens I if it will aid you in getting out of the country, I wish you could have six Just like it But for our own protection, you owe it to us to proceed on your journey as best you can without it because as long ns you have It in your possession you jeopardize our lives, too. Don't you think it is fairer that you should risk your own safoty rather thau placo the lives of threo Innocent men la danger?" "Thnt may be ns it Is, my friends," I retorted, "and I am glad you realize your danger. Keep it In mind, for in case nny of you should happen to. fee Inclined to notify tho German authori) ties that I am in this part of tho coun try, think it over beforo you do so, Remember nlwnys that if tho Germans get me, they get tho passport, too, and If they get the passport your lives won't bo worth n damn I When I toll the history of that clever llttlo piece of pasteboard, I will implicate all three of you, and whoever Is working with you, nnd as I am an officer I rather think my word will be taken before yours. Good night I" The bluff evidently worked, becuuse I was nblo to get out of the city with out molestation from the Germans. I hnve nover seen these men since. I hopo I never Bhall, becauso I am afraid I might bo tempted to do some thing for which I might otherwise be sorry. I do not mean to imply that all Bel glans aro like this. I had evidently; fallen Into tho hands of a gang who were endeavoring to make capital out of tho misfortunes of thoso who wcro referred to them for help. In all coun tries thcro nre bad as well as good, nnd In a country which has suffered so much as poor Belgium it is no wonder If somo of the survivors havo lost their sense of moral perspective. I know that tho average poor peas ant in Belgium would dlvldo his sennty rations with n needy fugitive sooner than a wealthy Belgian would dolo out n morsel from his comparatively well-stocked larder. Perhaps the poop have less to lose than tho rich If their generosity or charity la discovered by tho Huns. There have been many Belgians shot for helping escaped prisoners und other fugitives, nnd it is not to bo wondered nt thnt they aro willing to tako as few chances us possible. A man with a family, especially, does not feel Jus tified in helping n stranger when he knows that he and his whole family may be shot or sent to prison for their pains. Although I suffered much from tho attltudo of Huyllger and his associates, I suppose I ought to hold no grudgo against them in view of the unenviable predicament in which they nro in themselves. (TO BE CONTINUED.) We Suppose This Is So. In place of most of our troubles we might easily have much worso onesv Albany Journal ,