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EIGHT
TneUISTSHOT
charms Jcvwvr/yrO jam
In thts story Mr. Palmar, the
noted war correspondent. has paint
ad war aa he has seen It on many
battlefields, and between many na
tion a. Hla Intimate knowledge of
arm las and armaments has enabled
him to produce a graphic picture of
the greatest of all wars, and his
knowledge of conditions has led
plm to prophesy an end of armed
Conflicts. No man Is better quali
fied to write the story of the final
world war than Mr. Palmer, and
he has handled his subject with a
master hand.
(Continued from Yesterday.)
"And we’ll fix bayonets when we j
Srtart and they will run at the sight
of our Heel!" said Eugene Aronson.
Be and Hugo alone, not excepting Pll
aer. the butcher a son. spoke in their
natural volots. The otliers were try
ing lo make their voices sound natu
ral. while Pllzer s voice had dnvel
a certain ferocity, and the liver
tpatch on his cheek twitched more fro
qnently. "Why, Company B Is In
front! We have ihe post of honor, and
maybe our company will win the most
(lory of any In the regiment!" Ku
pene added. “Oh, well beat them!
The bullet Is not made that will gut
Be!"
"Tour service will be over In time
Mar you to help with the spring plaitf
fn*. Eugene,” wh perod Hugo, who
mu apps ontly preoccupied with many ,
Matkcbed tho othts
"And you lo be at home sucking
Milpo ps!” PUzer growled U> Hugo.
"That would Is* better than murder
ing my fellowman to get his property,"
Hugo answered, so soberly that it did
Kseom to his comrades that lie was
ing this time. PI leer s snarling "x
•tome Hun of "White feather!" came In
pbe midst of a chorus of lodlgnatlon.
Captain FVacasse. who hod heard
only the disturbance without knowing
•be cause, tnterfared in a low, sharp
•one:
“Hitononl Aa 1 have told you be
toffs, atlenoe! We don't want them to
know that wo are here. Qo to sleep!
Sou may get no rest tomorrow night!"
Bttt little Peterkln, tlie question In
ks« mind breaking free of his Ups, un
fwtttingly asked.
"Shall—eha II we light In the morn
ing?"
"1 don't know Nobody knows!" an
pwered Kracasae. "We wait on orders,
Heady to do our duty. There may be
no war. Don’t let nte hear another
peep from you!"
Now at) closed their eyes In front
*f them was vast silence which
•earned to etretoh from end to end of
gh* frontier, while to the rear was the
flktnbln of switching railway trains
■rid the rumble of provision trains and
artillery on the roads, and In the dis
tance on the plain the headlight of a
loenniotlve cut a swath In the black
Bight But the breathing of most of
(he Oien was not that of slumber,
though Eugene and Pillar slept
•mindly. Hours passed. Occasional
Beetleas movements told of effort* to
taros sleep by oliungltig position.
“it's tbe waiting that's lU-konlug!"
•apkoded the manufacturer's son un
Her hie breath, desperately.
“Wn I say I'd like to be art It and
taone with tlie suspense!" mid tho
pontor s son
They say if you are shot through
•w* head you don't know what killed
VOU Itt ao quick. Think of that!"
•iMaimed Pwterkln, huddling closer to
lingo and shlvaring.
1 Tea. very merciful,” Hugo whte
pereh patting Peterktn's anu
"Bh-h h Bilenoe, I tel) you!” com
manded Fracnnse crossly. He was
fhlltng into a half doze at lust.
• • • • • • s
to marching order, with cartridge
boxes full on ttoturdny night, the 53d
Of the Drowns marched out of bar
rack* to tbe main pass road One
ootni-.u i after another left the road at
• given point, bound for tbe position
mapped iu Ha instructions l>«t tonne's,
bossiinr. wont on until it was oppo
site the Owl land house.
"We are depending on you," the
•alone 1 said to Dollartue. giving kta
band a grip "You are not to draw
•ft tin yog get tbe flag "
“Nti. air," IWH terms replied
“Wind the signal to the batteries*—
kMP the moo screened warn them
toot to tot their first baptism of shell
tose break their uervee!" the colonel
added to a tnal rapt tttion of Instruc
Ows already Indelibly Impressed on
tbe captain t mind
Martng cautiously through a cot.
tMla/nWr company rin«. a boot mid
Bight, to a halt among the rtubbia of
• *b«UM behind a knoll. After
be had hidden the men to break rank*
he crept up the Incline
"Tee, It s there!" h<* « htapared erlten
he returned "On the rreet of the
knot! a cord t* sire letted from stake
to #lake" he said, explaining the era
hoe tor what «m to be done, ae was
hie cue ton "Ttie mutineer* placed It
there after duek and the frontier wea
closed, eo that you would know yoet
where to uee your spades In the dark.
Quletir aa possible I No talking!" he
hart ceeUoaing ae the men turned the
•oft earth, "and not hlghar than the
ford, and lay the stubble aide of th»
H's"
“It Looks Like Business,” Declared the
Old Sergeant.
rods on the reverse so as to cover
the (refill earth on the aky line."
When the work was done all re
turned behind the knoll except the
sentries posted ut intervals on th«
crest to watch. With the aid of a
small electric flash, screened by his
bunds, Dcllartne uftaln examined a sec
tion of the staff mop that outlined the
contour of the knoll In relation to the
other positions. After this he wrote
Jn hts diary the simple facts of the
day’s events, concluding with a senti
ment of gratitude for the honor
shown his company and a prayer that
he might keep a clear head and do
hts duly If war came on the morrow.
"Now, every one get all the sleep he
can!” ho advised the tnen.
Strsneky slept with his head on Ms
arm, soundly; the others slept no bet
ter thou the men of the 12Hth. The
night passed without Any alarm ex
cept that of their own thoughts, and
they welcomed duwn as a relief from
suspense. There waa no hot coffee
this morning, and they washed down
thetr rations with water from their
canteens The old sergeant was lying
beside Captain I mllsrme on the crest,
the sunrise In tbwir fauee. As the mint
cleared Tram the plain It revealed the
white dots of the frontier posts In the
meadow and behind them many gray
llgnree in skirmish order, scnecety vis
ible except through the glaanes.
"It looks like business 1" declared
the old sergeant.
"Yea, It begins the minute thoy
cross the line I* said Ilellurme.
His glance sweeping to the rear to
scan the landscape under the light of
day. he recognised, with a sense of
Itrhlw and awe, the tactical Importance
of Ms comiamy'H position In rotation
to that of the Importance of the other
companies. Mostly he made out the
regimental line by streaks at con
cealed trenches and groups of brown
uniforms; and here and there were
the oblong, cloth stretches of waiting
hospital Uttiuw On the reverse slope
of another knoll was the fnrruhoase.
marked X on his map as the regimen
tal headquarters, where he wee to
watch tar tho algos I to fall bade from
his first stand In delaying the enemy's
advance Otrectly to the sear was the
cut through w hich the com (am; had
come from the main pass road, and be
yond that th* (inllaod house, which
was to be Hie second stand
Now Dell ermo disposed his men In
line bar'll of the ridge of frmfa earth
that thoy had dug tn the night, ready
t» rush to tholr places when ho blew
the whistle that hung from his neck,
but ho did not allow them a glimpse
user the crust.
“1 know that yon are curious, but
powerful glasses are watching tor you
to show yourselves; and ts a battary
turned loose on ut you'd understand,'’
he explained
Thus the hours wore on. snd the
church clock struck nine and ten.
"Never a movement down there!"
called the sergeant from (he crest to
Deltarmo. "Maybe this la Just their
final bhiff before they cosne to terras
about Hodlapoo"—that stretch of Af
rican Jungle that seemed very far
away to them all.
Let us hope sol” said Dsllnrras
seriously
• • s s s s *
Choosing to go to town by the
; gastbi road rather than down the ter
race to the main pass rued. Marta,
starting for the regular Sunday sen
vtoe of her school, as shs emerged
from the grounds, saw Feller, gnrdeu
ehears In hand, a figure of stons
I watching the approach of some field
batteries The questloa of allowing
him to undertake his port aa a spy
had drifted Into the background of her
intnd under the distressing and ever
present pressure of (he oriels. Hs eras
|to remain until there was war. She
' wag almost past him before hs real-
6y fbederick palmer
Izcd her prceence, Which lie acknowl
edged by a startled movement and a
step forward as he took oft his hat.
She paused His eyes were glowing
like coale under a blower as he looked
at her and again at the batteries,
seeming to Include her with the guns
in the spell of his fervid abstraction.
“Frontier closed last night to pre
vent intelligence about our prepara
tions leaking out —Lanny’s plan all
alive —the guns coming,” be said, his
shoulders stiffening, hie chin drawing
in, his features resolute and beaming
with tbe ardor of youth In action —
"troops moving here and there to their
places—engineers preparing the de
fenses—automatics at critical points
with the Infantry—field-wires laid—
field-telephones set up—the wireless
spitting—the catwsons full—planes and
dirigibles rer-dy—searoh-llghts In po
sltioty—"
There tbe torrent of his broken sen
tences was checked. A shadow passed
In front of him He came out of his
trance of Imageries of activities, so
vividly clear to his military mind, to
realize that Marta was abruptly leav
ing.
"Miss Galland!" he called urgently.
"Firing may commence at any min
ute. You must not go into town!”
"But 1 mu«t!“ she declared, speak
ing over her shoulder while she
passed. It was clear that no warning
would prevail against her determined
mood.
"Then I Khali go with youl" he sahl,
starting toward her with a light step.
"It Is not necessary, thank you!”
she answered, more coldly then she
had eveT spoken to him. This had a
magically quick eftout oa bis atti
tude.
"1 beg your pardon! I forgot!" he
explained In his old man's voloa, bis
head sinking, his shoulders drooping
In the humility of a servant who roc*
ognktog that he has been properly re
buked for presumption. "Not a gun
ner any more—fra a spyt” he thought,
os bo shuffled off without looking
toward the batteries again, though tbe
music of wheats and hoots was now
close by.
Marta had a glim pee of Mm as she
turned away. "He is what he is be
cause of the army; a victim of a cult,
a habit,” she was thinking. "Had be
been tn any other calling his fine qual
ities might have been of service to the
world and-be would hove been happy."
A company of Infantry resting
among their stacked rifles changed
the color of the square In the dletance
from the gray pavement to tbe brown
of a mass of uniforms, in the middle
of the main street a major of the bri
gade staff, with a number of Junior
officer* and orderlies, was evidently
walling on some signal. Sentries were
posted at regular Intervals along tbe
ourb The people in tbe houses and
shops from time to time Mopped pock
ing up their effects long enough to go
to the doors and ok up and down
apprehensively, asking bootless* ner
vous questions.
"Are they coming yetT”
"Do you Think they will comeT”
"Are you sure It's going to bs war?"
"Will they shell the town?”
"There’ll be time enough tor yon
to get away!" shouted the major. "All
we know Is what Is written In our In
structions. and we shall act an them
when the thing starts. Then we are
in command. Meanwhile, get ready!"
TheD tbs major became aware of a
young woman who was going tn the
wrong direction. Her cheeks were
flushed from her rapid walk, her Kps
were parted, showing Arm, white
teeth, and her black ayes were re
garding him In a blaze of satlrw or
amusement; an emotion, whatever It
was, tbat thoroughly centered his at
tention
"Mademoiselle. I am very sorry, but
unless you live In this direction,” he
said very politely, "you may not go any
farther T'nttl we have other orders
or they attack every one Is supposed
to remain In hts house or his place of
business "
"This ta ray place of business!"
Marta answered, for she was already
opposite a small, disused chapel which
was her schoolroom, where a half
dosen of the faithful children were
gathered around the masculine Impor
tance of Jacky Werther. one of the
older boys.
"Then you are Miss Galland!” said
the major, enlightened His smile bad
an appreciation of the irony of her oc
cupation at that moment "Tour chil
dren are very loyal They would not
tell me where they lived, so we had
to let them stay there."
"Those who have homes,” she said,
I Identifying each one of the faithful
with a glance, "have so many broth
' srs and slaters that they will hardly
be missed from the flock Others
have no homes—at least not much of a
one"- here her temper rose again—
i "taxes being so high tn onler tbat you
! may organise murder and tbs destruc
| tlon of property."
j “Now really, Miss Oslland." he be
gan solicitously. “1 have been assigned
p to move the civil population In caee of
l attack Your children ought— '*
"After school! You have your duty
this morning and 1 have mine!" Marta
I Interrupted pleasantly, and turned
toward the chapel _
THE AUGUSTA HERALD, AUGUSTA, GA.
"They are putting sharpshooters in
the church tower to get the aero
planes, and there are lots of the little
gune that fire bullets so fast you can't
count 'em—and little spring wagons
with dynamite to blow things up
end —" Jackv Werther ran on in a
series of vocal explosions as Marta
opened the door to let the children
go in.
"Yet you came!” said Masts with a
hand caressingly on his sbonlder.
"It looks pretty bad for peace, but
we came.” answered Jacky, round
eyed, in loyalty. "We'd come right
through bullets ’cause we said we
would If we wasn’t sick, and we wasn't
sick.”
"My seven disciples—seven!” ex
claimed Marta as she counted them.
"And you need not sit on the regular
seats, but around me on the platform.
It will be more intimate.”
"That’s grand!" came in chorus.
They did not bother about chairs, bnt
seated themselves on the floor around
Marta's skirts.
The church clock boomed out Its de
liberate strokes through ten, the hour
set for the lesson, and all counted
them—one—two—three. Marta was
thinking what a dismal little effort
theirs was, and yet she was very hap
py, tremblingly happy in her distrac
tion and excitement, that they had not
waited for her at the door of the
chapel in vain.
She announced that there would be
no talk this morning; they would only
say their oath. Repeating In concert
the pledge to the boys and girts of
other lands, the childish votes* pecu
liarly sweet and harmonious In con
trast to the rauoous and uneven
sounds of foreboding from tbe street,
they came In due course to the words
of the concession that the oath made
to militancy:
"If an enemy tries to take my
land —”
"Children—l—" Marta Interrupted
wltb a sense of wonder and shock.
They paused and looked at her quest-
Uoningly. *T had almost foigottem
that p j-t!" she breathed confusedly.
"That's the part that makes all
we’re doing against the Grays right!”
put In Jacky Werther promptly.
"As I wrote It for you! ‘I shall- ap
peal -to h!» sense of Justice and raasdta
with Mm-— ’"
Jaws dropped and eyes bulged, for
above the sounds of the street rose
from the distance the unmistakable
crackling of rifle Are which, aa they
listened, spread and taevaanod in vol
ume
“Go on—on to tbe end of the oath I
It will take only a moment,” said
Marta resolutely. "It isn't much, but
it's the beet we can dos"
CHAPTER IX
The Baptism of -Thru.
All the landscape tn front c 4 Pns
cnase's company seemed to baste been
deserted; no mowing figures were any
where In stghtt no sign of Mia enemy's
infantry.
Faintly the town clonk waa beard
striking the hour. From eight to nine
and nine to ten Fraoasse's men wait
ed; waited until the machine was
ready and Westerling should throw in
the olutoh; waited until the troops
were tn place for the first mow before
he hurled his battalions forward.
They did not know how the captain at
their back received Ms orders; they
only heard the note of the whistle,
with a command familiar to a trained
Instinct on the edge at anticipation. It
released a spring In their nerva-cen
tera. They responded as the wheels
respond when the throttle is opened.
Jumping to their feet they broke InSo
a ran, bodies bent, heads down. like
the peppered silhouette that faoed
WesterlingM desk. What they had
done repeatedly In drills and maneu
vers they were now doing tn war, me
chanically as marionettes.
"Came on! The bullet Is not Baade
that can get me! Come on!” cried the
giant Eugene Aronson.
Nearly aM felt the exhilaration of
movement In oompeny. Then cams
the sound tbat genexationa bad drilled
for without bearing, the sound that
summons the invagination of man In
the thought of how he will feel and
act when he hears It; the sound that
Is everywhere like the song snatches
of bees driven utilizing through the
air.
"That’s It! We’ve under fire! We’re
under fire!” flashed a crooked light
ning recognition of the sound through
every brain.
There was no sign of the enemy:
no telling where the bullets came
from.
Whlsb-whlsh! Th Ipp-wblng! The
refrain gripped Fstsrkln's imagination
with an unseen hand He seemed to
be suffocating. Ha wonted to throw
hln>aalf down snd hold bis hands In
front of his head. While Pllxer and
Aronson were not thinking, only run
ning. Peterkln was thinking with the
rapidity of a man falling from a high
building He was certain only that
he was bound to strike ground
An Inch 1* aa good as a mile!"’ He
recollected the captain's teaching.
"Only one of a thousand bullets fired
In war ever kills a man"--but he waa
oertain that hs had heard a million
already He looked around to find
that he waa still keeping up with Eu
gene and felt the thrill of the bravery
of fellowship at sight of the glantl
flushed, confident face reveling tn the
spirit of a charge And then. Juat
then. Eugene convulsively threw up
his arms, dropped his rifle, and
whirled on bis heel. As he went down
hts hand clutched at hts left breast
and came away red and dripping.
After one wild backward glance, Pe
terktn plunged ahead.
(To be coatinued Tomirrow.)
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER «