Page 169 - LEIBY
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Chapter 22 169
Chapter 22
Late at night, a man knocked on the farmhouse door. He was
dressed in a prisoner’s uniform and looked haggard and wasted.
He seemed to have undergone a hard time lately.
“I’ve escaped from a prison camp, I need help…” he blurted, out
of breath and panting. “I have to get away, right now… How do
I get to the border?”
“Wouldn’t you like to rest a little first, stay here overnight, and
continue on your way in the morning?” Leiby suggested.
The man let out a short bark of laughter that sounded more like
a sob. “No, I have to get away now, they’re looking for me.”
“Who’s looking for you?” Leiby found it hard to believe that
anyone was running after a survivor of the camps. Whenever
he saw one, the only emotion he felt was pity for them. What
could this skeletal, disheveled looking man possibly have done,
to have the police chasing him?
Leiby began looking for a raincoat to give the stranger, but he
assured him that there was no need. “I’m used to getting wet in
the rain… I used to stand for hours in the pouring rain, in the
