Show oe oe Soldier- Soldier Chauffeurs Picked Out Officers Then Sold Cars for Few Marks ROBERT WILLES ELLES RITCHIE BY fly I sal Service Staff Correspondent 1 a Holland Jan Tan 18 Some 18 Some I Ithe j je the e features of ot the groat great Gor- Gor retreat through Liege Llego just th of ot this snug Dutch elt city and ass osa the tho narrow trip of ot Dutch fg rg a few miles north would make mako curtain climax for tor any mu- mu 1 comedy on Broadway Out of ot tho the that have marked tho the pass- pass through eastern Belgium of or theten tho the thoten Uen ten and Soviet mad Gorman armies looting of or tho the peasants when resistance was vas offered H ts a few tow Instances of ot unspeakable certain certain gems of ot roaring farce farco can be discovered few tew of ot Instances of ot values turned topsy may prove pro of oC In In- In terest With tho overturning of ot their of officers officers' ot- ot ricers ricers' authority by tho the revolution revolution di directed directed dl- dl from Hamburg and Berlin and tho the beginning of ot tho retreat homeward homo homo- ward the In Individual German Germon soldiers first care was to provide himself with witha a little money against his return to toa toa a I. I barren and hungry hearth So ho began to sell to to the tho civilians whatever what what- over ever of or value ho could la lay hands on on evidently acting on the theory that What hat had been tho the property of oC tho imperial German government bO was nag now his Automobiles were the first to go gotor go- go for tor the good reason that through lack of ot gas bas they were to be bo left lert behind any anyway vay Tho lucky soldier chauffeur who for tor a I. I matter of or months or years year had been the dumb driven dog doff of or his hh officer master promptly tied a red rag around his left leCt am picked kicked his of officer ricer out of or tho the and trundled trun trun- lied died his car to market In Liege InI In I Louvain Hassel and Namur German Germar II automobiles were o offered ered for tor sum that would mal make mako e a n. Broadway car salesman turn faint In Liege I tall talked ed with a Belgian insurance man who had bought a closed limousine with leather upholster upholstery ster electric lights lIght and a a. tidy little little lit Ut- tle electric heater for the tho sum of or marks about 21 American at tho war the rate I rode inthe In tho the car Nothing wrong with It e except except ex ex- it badly needed new tires Ures Tho The new owner paid two marks extra for tho tiro of or gas gaa When thatis that thatIs Is IB gone hell he'll have to put his pretty German car In the garage for tor a few months until gas comes again on the marl market et Ill I'll sa say he got a R bargain And the German chauffeur doubtless Is sure ho turned a neat not penny penn Dutchmen Speculate So many of these cars care have o been sold for tor such ridiculous prices that man many thrifty Dutchmen are arc climbing over tho the frontier to do a little speculating speculating spec spec- in war autos One ma may predict predict pre pre- dict diet a n. bullish market during the nex neo diet let a n. bullish market during tho the next tow few weeks I have heard rumors of ot aeroplanes being sold for and anti marks butI but I have not been able to Verify an any in In- In stance Commandeered wines Ines bed linen silks draperies brass brassy ad c copper work worl which wore hero taken from the Belgians Belgians Belgians Bel Bel- gians under order from the komman- komman of ot this and that city have ha been sold back to the civilian population at absurd reductions In the Pare parc roy dA da day before yesterday a I saw a German sol soldier ler standing b by a n. hand-cart hand filled with rare old Burgundies champagne cognac and Benedictine vending his precious wares at extemporized auction auction tion Ills His customers were mixed a 0 Belgian gentleman In a lined fur-lined overcoat overbid a a. wharf worker wearing wearing wooden shoes for tor a n. bottler bottle r of f r FIn FIna a very flery fler cognac greatly i favored o d over hero ero u Th The sum 1 l he p paid id was was so far tar as I could catch tho the passInS' passInS passIng passIns pass- pass InS Ing of ot money over the heads of ot the crowd 3 or 4 marks The Tho soldier auctioneer was wag a a. study Stubbly red beard bear of ot a a. weeks week's growth had turned his Iris fea features ures Into a a. briar field His hands were largo large as a ac c catchers catcher's mitt But as 03 the they say nay on Broadway tho the boy was thero there when It came to making a LL dishonest A stolid Flemish peasant near bought a field gun for forG 6 G marks When hen I saw him ho was lifting the gun which ho he evidently evident did not want from the carriage by block and tackle Tho The gun carriage and wheels were the valuable part of ot the tho 6 C marks' marks worth to him I suppose sup sup- poso pose hell he'll find some somo use USa for tor tho the ugly tube of ot steel Itself a Flemish peasant wastes nothing nothing- Lot us trust tho tiro Council of ot Allies at Yer Versailles will never como come to dispute the tho possession of ot that cannon Anybody Anybody Any Any- body who'll buy a a. field gun es dur to keep It |