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FOUR THE LAST-SIIOT - c/tA#U3 jamr/fAi; FREDERICK PALMER In thin story Mr. Palmer, the noted war correapondent, has paint ed war as he has aean It on many battlefields, and between many na tions. His Intimate knowledge of amnlee and armamenta has enabled Mm to produce a graphic picture of the greatest of all wars, and Ms knowledge of conditions has led him to prophesy an end of armed eonfllote. No man Is bettor quali fied to write the etory es the ffnal world war than Mr. Palmar, and he haa handled his subject with a nose ter hand. (Continued from Yesterday.) Too saw so much morn of me than tbe others, Miss Galland.'’ h« said with a charming bow, "and yon are so quick , 'They Shall Not Wlnl They Mint Notl- to observe. I am sorry” he panned with heed down for an instant—“very norry to have deceived you." "But you are still a deaf gardener to me," said Marta, flndiug consolation In pleasing him. "Bh? HJh?" He put hi* hood to hie ear as be rammed hts stoop "Yea, Fee.' he added, as a deaf man will when undenrtaading of a remark which he failed at lint to cat oh cranes to him In an echo. “Tea, the gardener has no •net." he declared In the gentle old wardener* voice, "when all the flow ers die every year and he thinks only of next year's bloeaome—of tha fu ture!" Nov the air at ths room seemed to be stifling him. that of the rootless world of the garden calling him The bent figure disappeared around a turn to the path and they listened without moving until the sound of his alow, dragging footfalls had dlod away. "When he Is serving those of his own socle! station I ran see how it would be sealer for him not to have me know," said Maria. "Sensitive, proud and intense— ” and a look of horror appeared in her eyas. “As he cam" across the room his faro wan transformed 1 imagine it was like that of n man giving no quarter in a baronet charge!" Feller had won the day fbr himself where a friend’s pleas might have tolled TMs was as It should lie. Lan gtron thought. "The right view- the view that you were bound to taka!” he said "And yet, I don’t know your plans tor him Lanny There is another thing l» oanaider.” aha replied, with an ah topt change of tons "But first let u* leave FMfer’s quarters We ere in truders hare." "A men playing deaf; a secret tele phone Installed on our premises with out our oooeeot— this is all 1 know so far," said Marta, sealed opposite Lanstron at one end of the circular east tn the arbor of Mercury “Of course. with our 1,000,000 against their i,000,000. the Grays will taka the offensive.’ be said Tor us. the defensive La Tlr Is in an angle It dose not belong In the permanent tactical line of our defenses Never theless. there will be herd fighting hers The Browns will fail back step by slap, and wa meau. with relatival) small cost to ourselves to make the Gray* pay a heavy price for each step —Just as heavy as we can " "You need not use euphonious terms." she said without lifting her lasts* or any movement except a quick, nervous gesture of her free hand "What you mean is that you will kill as many as possible of the Grays, isn't Is? And If you could kill flva for every man you loat. that would be splendid, wouldn’t II?” "1 don't think of It a* splendid. There Is nothing splendid about war," be oh Jested, "not to ms. Marta.” - "And altar you have made them pay five to one or tvn to ooe in human lives for the tangent, what then? Go on! I want to look at war face to face, free of the wlll-o’ the-wlsp glamour that draws on soldiers.” “We fall back to our first line of de denso, lighting all the lime. The Grays occupy La Tir, which will be out of tbes reach of our guns. Your bouse will no longer be In danger, and we happen to know that Wester ling means to make it hie headquarters.” "Our house Westerling's headquar ters!” she repeated. With a start that brought her up erect, alert, challeng ing, her iaabes flickering, she recalled that WesterllDg had said at parting that he should see her If war came This corroborated Lanstron'* informs tion. One sida wanted a spy in the gardes; the other a general In the house. Wsui she eipected to make a choice? Ho had ceaaed to he Lanny. He personified war. Westerling per sonified war. ”1 suppose you have spies under bis very nose—in his very staff offices?" she asked. “And probably be has In ours.” said Lari sir on. "though we do our beat to prevent it.” "What a pretty example of trust among civilized nations!” she ex claimed. "You say that Westerling, who commands the killing on his side, will be In no danger. And, Lanny, are you a person of suck distinction In the bnaiiMMM of killing that you also will ha out of danger?” She did not see, an her eyes poured bar hot indignation into his, that hie maimed hand was twitching or how he bit his lips and flushed before he re p Mad; "Bach ona goee where he is ssnt, link by link, down from the chief of staff. Only in this way can you have that solidarity, that harmonious effi ciency which means victory.” "An aotocracy, a tyranny over the Uvea of all the adult malea in countries that boast of the ballot and self-gov erning lnstttntlone!” she put in. "But I hope,” he went on. with the quickening pulse and eager smile that used to greet a call from Feller to "set things going” In their cadet days, "that i may take out a squadron of dirigibles. After all this spy business, that would be to my taste.” "And if you canght a regiment in clone formation with a shower of bomba, that would be positively heav enly. wouldn't ttr Hhe bant nearer to him, her eyas flaming demand and sat Ira. "No! War —neceaearv, horrible, hell ish!" he replied. Something in her seemed to draw out the brutal truth she had asked for In place of euphonl oua terms "When I became chief of lntelllgnnoa I found that an underground wire had been laid to the raatle from the Klghtti division headquarters, which will be our general etaff headquarters In time of war. The purpose was the same ae now, but abandoned as chimerical. All that was necessary was to install the Instrument, which Feller did. I, too, saw the plan as chimerical, yet It was a chance the ona out of a thousand. If it should happen to succeed ws should play with our cards eoncoHled and thstrs on the table. "The rest of Fellor's part yoa have guessed already," he concluded. "You ran see how a deaf. Inoffensive old gardener would hardly eeem to know a Gray soldier from a Brown, how It might no more occur to Westerling to send him sway than tha family dog or eat; how ha might retain his quarters In tha towar, how he could judge the atmosphere of the staff, whether elated or depressed, pick up scraps of conver sation, and. as a trained officer, know the value of what he heard and report it over the phone to i’artow'e head quarters." "But what about the aeroplanes?" she asked. ”1 thought you were to de pend on them for scouting ” "We shall use them, but they are the least tried of all the new re sources." he said. "A Gray aeroplane may cut a Brown aeroplane down be fore it returns with the news we want At most, whan the aviator may descend lo* enough for accurate observation he can see only what is actually betng done. • Feller would know Wesle rltng’s plans before they were even la the first steps of execution This"—play ing the thought happily—"this would be the Ideal arrangement, while our planes and dirigibles were kept over our lines to strike down theirs. And. Marta, that Is all,” he concluded. "if there Is war, the moment that Feller’s ruse Is discovered he will be shot as a spy?** she asked. "I warned him of that.’ said Lan stron "He Is a soldier, with a sol dier’s fatalism. He sees no more dan der in (hie than in commanding a bat tery In a crisis " "Suppose that tbs Grays win? Sup pose thst La Tlr is permanently theirs?" "They shell not win! They must not!” lanstron exclaimed, his tone as rigid as Wssterling's toward her a so on J prophecy. "Yet If tb«y should win and W ester ling finds that 1 have been party to this treachery, aa 1 shall be now that 1 am in the secret, think of the posi tion of toy mother and myeelf!** ahe continued "Has that occurred to yon, a friend. In making our property, our garden, our neutrality, whfch Is our only defense, a faotor In one of your plans without our permission?” Her eyes, blue-black In appeal and reproach, revealed the depths of a wound as they had on the terraoe steps before luncheon, when he had been apprised of a feeiing for him by seeing It dead under hla blow. The logic of the chief of intelligence withered. He understood how a friendship to her was, Indeed, more sacred than patrlotle paKslon. He realized the shame of what he had done now that he wea free of professional Influences. "You are right, Marta I” he replied. "It was beastly of me -there is no ex cuse.” He looked around to see an orderly from the nearest military wireless sta tion. "I was told It was urgent, sir," said the orderly, In excuse fbr hla Intrusion, as he passed a telegram to Lanstron. Immediately Lanstron felt the touch of the paper his features seemed to take on a mask that concealed ble thought as he read: "Take night express. Come direct from station to me. Partow.” This meant that he would be ex pected at Partow’s office at eight the eext morning. He wrote his answer; the orderly saluted and departed at a rapid pace; and than, as a matter of habit of the same kind that makes some men wipe their pens when lay ing them down, he struck a match and set fire to one corner of the paper, which burned to his fingers’ ends be fore he tossed the charred remains away. Marta Imagined what he would be like with the havoc of war raging around him—all self-possession and mastery; but aotually be was trying to reassure himself that he ought not to feel petulant over a holiday cu( short. “I shall have to go at once." he said. "Marta, If there were to be war very soon—within a week or two weeks — what would be your attitude about Fel ler’s remaining?" "To carry oat hie plan, you mean!** "Yes." There was a perceptible pause on her part. "Let him stay," she answered. "1 shall have time to decide even after war begins.” "But Instantly war begins you must got” be declared urgently. "You forget a precedent," she re minded him. "The Galland women have never deserted the Galland bouse!" “1 know the precedent. But this time the house will be In the thick of the Oghilng." "it has been In the thick of the light ing before," ahe said, wtth a gesture of Impatience. "Marta, you will promise not to re main?” he urged. "Isn't that my affair?" she aaked. "Aren’t you willing to leave even that to me after all you have been telling how you are to make a redoubt of our lawn, Inviting the shells of the enemy Into our drawing-room 7” What could lie say? Only cal! up from the depths the two passions of his life in an outburst, with ell tbe force of his nature In play. "I love this soli, my country'* soil, oura by right- and I love you! I would be true to both!" "Level What mockery to mention that now!" she cried chokingly. "Jt’g monstrous!" "1 —• —“ He wee making an effort to keep his nerves under control. This time the stiffening elbow failed. With a lurching abruptness he swung his right hand around and seised the wrist of that trembling, injured hand that would not be stIIL She oould not fall to notes the movement, and the sight was a magic that struck anger out of her. "Lanny, I am hertlngyrm!" she orlad miserably. "A little," he said, will Anally domi nant over Its servant, and he was smlllug as when, half stunned and In agony and ashamed of the tart—he had risen from the debris of cloth and twisted braces. "It's all right," hs con cluded. She throw back her arms, bar heed raised, with e certain abandon as if she would bare her heart. lanny, there have been moments when 1 would have liked to fly to your arms. There have been moments when I have bad the call that comes to every woman in answer to a desire. Yet I was not ready. When 1 really go It must be In a flame, la answer to your flame!” “You mean—l-—" But if the flame were about to buret forth she smothered It in the spark. "And all this has upaet ms,” she went on Incoherently, "We’ve both been cruel without meaning to be, and we re In the shadow of a nightmare, and next time you oome perhaps all the war talk will be over and—oh. this is enough for today!" She turned quickly In veritable flight end hurried toward the bouse. ’’lf It ever comes," she called. "11l let you know! I'll fly to you In h chariot of Ore bearing my slams—l am that bold, that braten. that recklesa! For 1 am not an old maid, yet. They've moved the age limit up to thirty. But 2#u eas t drill love into me as you THE AUGUSTA HERALD, AUGUSTA, GA. 3rQl discipline Into armies—no, bo more than I can argue peace into armies!" For a while, motionless, Lanstron watched the point where she had dis appeared. CHAPTER VII. Making a War. Hed worth Westerling would have said twenty to one it he had been asked the oddt against war when be was parting from Marta Galland in the hotel reception room. Before he reached home he would have changed them to ten to one. A scare bulletin about tha Bodlapoo affair compelling attention as his car baited to let the traffic of a cross street paes, he bought a newspaper thrust In at the car win dow that contained the answer of the government of the Browns to a dis patch of the Grays about the dispute that had arisen in the distant African Jungle. This be had already read two days previously, by courtesy of the premier. It was moderate In tone, as became a power that had 3,000,000 sol diers against its opponent’s 5.00(1,000; nevertheless, it firmly pointed out that the territory of the Browns had been overtly invaded, on the pretext of se curing a deserter who had escaped across the line, by Gray colonial troops who bad raised the Gray flag in place of the Brown flag and remained defiantly In occupation of the outpost they had taken. As yet. the Browns had not attempt ed to repel the aggreseor by arms for fear of complications, but were relying on the Gray government ,o order a withdrawal of the Gray force and the repudiation of a commander who had been guilty of ao grave tin international affront. The surprising and illuminat ing thing to Westerling was the in spired statement to the press from the Gray foreign office, adroitly appealing to Gray chauvinism and justifying the “Intrepidity” of the Gray commander In response to so-called “pin-pricking'’ exasperations. At the door of hie apartment, Fran cois, his valet and factotum, gave Wes terling a letter. "Important, sir,” said Francois. Westerling knew by a glance that it woa. for it was addressed and marked ’’Personal" In the premier’s own hand writing. A conference for ten that evening wee requested in a manner that left no doubt of its urgency. Curiosity made him a little ahead of time, but he found the premier awalb ing him in his study, free fTom inter* ruption or eavesdropping. In the shadow of the table lamp the old premier looked his years. From youth he had been in politics, ever a bold figure ai d a daring player, hut now beginning to feel the pressure of younger men’s elbows. Fonder even of power, which had become a habit, than in his twenties, he saw it slipping from his grasp at an age when the downfall of hts government meant that he should never bold the reins again. He had been called an ambitious dem agogue and a makeshift opportunist by his enemies, but the crowd liked him for hla ready strategy, his genius for appealing phrases, and for the gam bler’s virtue which hitherto had made him a good loser. “You saw our communique tonight that went with the publication of the Browns’ dispatch?" he remarked. “Yes, and I am glad that I had been careful to send a spirited commander to that region," Westerling replied. "So you guess my intention, 1 see." The premier smiled. He picked up a long, thin Ivory paper-knife and softly patted the palm of his hand with it "Certainly!” Westerling replied in hie ready, confident manner. "We hear a great deal about the pre cision and power of modern arms as favoring the defensive," said the pre mier. ‘T have read somewhere that It will enable the Browns to hold us back, despite our advantage of numbers. Also, that they oen completely man every part of their frontier and that their ability to move their reserves rapidly, thsnks to modern facilities, makes a powerful flanking attack in surprise out of the question." "Some half-truths In that.” an- Westerltng. "One axiom, that must hold good through all time, is that the aggressive which keeps at it always win*. We take the aggressive. In the space where Napoleon deployed a di vision, we deploy a battalion today. The precision and power of modern arms require this With such immense forces and present-day tactics, the line of battle will practically cover the length of the frontier. Along their iwage the Browns have a series of fortresses commanding natural open ings for our attack. These are almost Impregnable. But there are pregnable points between them. Here, our method will be the earns that the Japa nese followed and that they learned from European armies. We shall con centrate in masses and throw in wave after wave of attack until we have gained the positions we desire. Once we have a tenable foothold on the crest of the range the Brown army must fall back and the rest will be a matter of skillful pursuit ” The premier, ae be listened, rolled the paper knife over and over, regard ing its polished sides, which ware like Westerling's manner of facile state ment of a program certain of fulfll}- mepL ._ (To be continued Tomorrow.) A SUCCESS SERMON. (Jump* A Garfield.) THINGS PON T Tt’RN IT IN 1 HIS WORLD I’NTIL SOMKBODY TURNS TUKM UF. THOMASVILLE FIRE. Thomatvils.— ThomaavlUe* Opera house, with four store* underneath, j was destroyed by fire Monday, three adjoining store* l>e!ng wrecked by falling wait*. The loss is estimated at about $50,000, partly covered by in i suranc*. ' UNEQUALED VALUES IN DRY GOODS AT THE WISE DRY GOODS CO. 25c 36*inch white Nulinons for tailor ed Waists and separate skirts 15c Final close out of all figured lawns and batiste 12 k to 15c values at OL Remnants of 12k yard wide Entire stock of remnants of Ratines, Linens, Voiles, Repps and Madras at Half Price and Less 25c short Chamoisette Gloves 19c 50c long Chamoisette Gloves 35c SI.OO long Silk Gloves 75C 35c Children’s Rompers 25C 72x90-inch Sheets 50C Regular 10c Embroideries C at Slightly soiled Shirt Waists, J C up to $2.00 each at • JC 59c Black and white Foulard C - Silks at JC SI.OO Colored Satine C£ Petticoats at JV/C WISE DRY GOODS CO. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER^