He reached Le Havre last Saturday afternoon. He had in his pockets no
papers except an order for the car. He had been in Le Havre about two
minutes when a gentleman attacked him from behind with a tap on the
shoulder. The gentleman pulled back his coat lapel and flashed a star
bearing the insignia of the British Intelligence Department. He was
curious as to Mr. Kiley’s name and business. Mr. Kiley told him. Then
he wanted to see Mr. Kiley’s papers. Mr. Kiley showed him the order for
the car.
“I’m afraid that won’t do,” said the officer. “I’d advise you to leave
town.”
“Give me just an hour,” pleaded Mr. Kiley, “just time enough to get the
car and get out.”
“All right,” said the officer, “and be sure it’s only an hour.”
Mr. Kiley hastened to where the car was reposing, displayed the order,
and started joyously to wind her up. He cranked and he cranked and he
cranked. Nothing doing. He gave her a push downhill and tried to throw
her into speed. Nothing doing. It occurred to him that something must
be the matter. A thorough examination resulted in a correct diagnosis.
There was no gas.
Next to getting a drink of ice-water in Paris, the hardest job for a
stranger is buying gasoline in any French town. Mr. Kiley was turned
down five times before eighteen o’clock, when all the garages closed
for the day.
He registered at a hotel and went into the café for dinner. He was just
picking up the carte du jour when his friend, the officer, horned in.
“Mr. Kiley,” says this guy, “you have been in town more than an hour.”
“Yes, sir,” said Mr. Kiley. “But I’ve had trouble. I found my car, but
I can’t run it because there’s no essence.”
“I think you’d better leave town,” said the officer.
“If you don’t mind,” said Mr. Kiley, “I’ll leave early in the morning.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you left right now,” said he.
There followed a long discussion and a cross-examination even crosser
than mine in Bordeaux. Mr. Kiley revealed his whole family history and
won the right to stay overnight, provided he remained indoors and
departed from town first thing in the morning.
But France is like America in that Saturday is usually succeeded by
Sunday, and when Mr. Kiley arose from his hotel bed and resumed his
search for gas he found every garage in town shut up tight. As I
remember the United States, garages do not keep holy the Sabbath Day
nor any other day. Over here, however, everything closes on Sunday
except churches, theaters and saloons.
Mr. Kiley took in the situation and returned to his room to hide.
Shortly before midi there was a knock at his door and a new officer
appeared.
“You seem to like our town, Mr. Kiley,” said he.
“I’ll leave it as soon as I can get away,” said Mr. Kiley.
“No doubt,” replied the officer. “But I believe you will be here a long
while.”
Mr. Kiley tried to look calm.
“Bone,” he said in perfectly good French.
“For the present,” said the officer, “you must not leave the hotel.
Later on we’ll talk things over.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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