Omaha daily bee., 1898-05-15

acquire literary 1tyle. HIS style. at It's
best. was simple and honestly direct, often
forceful sod sometimes clear. To have a
French censor butcher aud garble II always
made him furious. but he was always able
to enjoy the good banter Of his
companions when he had cooled down. r.
was his FIRST service ~ correspondent In
the field, and he learned that there was
little romance In II. He learned other
things. too. He found that electricity had
nothing to do with the speed Of teiesrams,
but that their celebrity was regulated en-
tirely by the diplomacy and generosity OF
the sender. He learned when 60 bribe and
when not to-when to use wires and when
to use the mails-when to see, when to be
blind-when to speak-when to remain ST.
lent. He found that here we're four things
which army officers dreaded-bad roads. the
War department. typhsis and war corre-
spondents. They could become habituated
to the hrst three plaques, but 1t needed the
diplomacy Of Disraeli to reconcile a general
to the infiction Of newspaper men. How
ever. when this was once accomplished, half
the battle might be considered won. The
other half Of the battle was In reality a duel
"a perpetual assault upon a cool. polite.
often playful often sympathizing Official
who apparently possessed an Unsuitable
thirst for literature, and who took the
closest personal interest in the perusal OF
manuscripts. This official was the dreaded
censor. Hardwood had easily won half the
battle-but what man can affirm that any
body except the censor ever won the
other half? or course. 1t was not difficult
to evadc censorship for while, but inds-
cretion meant not only personal inconven-
ience. but also ultimate expulsion.
hv bo vii Nit
ing the amber pipe stem, staring absently
across the fortiicatons opposite, where. be
yond, wrapped in a sapphire haze, the valley
of the Bievre lay. green and brilliant. under
the showered sunshine. To the east dun
colored vapor hung over Meudon woods, to
the south the sun glittered on distant win
dow panes, dotting the valley with tiny |
points of fire. Everywhere lay patches OF |
green woods, checkered expanses of yellow !
grain stubble, and plowed ground, squares |
of paler green where cabbages grew, or |
blots Of somber verdure. marking potato |
fields. White spires rose beyond rHay; |
greenhouses, roofs sparkling, clustered along |
the route to Fontenay, and over all the |
great warders of the valley loomed. purple |
through the mist, majestic, mysterious-Fort |
Ivry. Fort Bicetre, Fort Montrouge and Fort |
Vanves.
bOuThe SduHteIeu al presently, hotcpooh |
open pipe lighted. Forgot to tell you |
something" he said between his teeth. 81
found out that Jules Favre contemplates |
making overtures to Bismarck. What do |
you think of that? Rather tumble, after |
his diplomatic twaddle-eh, Jim?' He took |
his pipe out of his mouth with a gesture of |
disgust.
"How did you hear about it?" asked Hare
wood, intensely interested.
"Now, my son, that's my business, and
you needn't ask
Harewood laughed and nodded.
"My conclusions are," continued Bourke, |
waving his pipe. that II he tries to fix up
things he will fail; first because the
Parisians will surely repudiate any agree
ment; second, because he can't swallow his
own words, and Bismarck won't let him of
without the cession of Lorraine, at least;
third, because I'm convinced that this war
is not. as Bismarck says 1t is, war against
Napoleon, but war against France and the
French. and tell you. Jim, Germany means
to crush France for years to come Why"
be continued. 'if all they want is to humili-
ate and destroy Napoleon and his dynasty,
they have done 1t already. The emperor is
a prisoner In Germany, the 'Parisians have
chased the poor empress and the prince i'm
perial across the channel. France is a re-
public now. Then. why don't King Wilhelm
and Bismarck ask for an indemnity and 60
home to their cabbage gardens"
Harewood listened attentively, but offered
no comment.
Bourke continued: "Oh, no. that isn't
what the Germans want. They mean to
dominate the continent and occupy the place
that France held three months ago. There
is but one way to do h-crush France.
They're coming here to try 1t. too. II they
succeed it may mean a permanent German
neutrality-suspicious. an empire-a Teutonic
empire dominating all eastern Europe. l.
tell you. Jim. IL makes me sick. France.
with all her faults, has done more for human l
progress. human liberty-for everything
that makes life worth while-than all the
other European nations put together. To-
day, aye. tomorrow. too. Germany might
drop out Of the world and the world would /
never be the worse. But blot out France
or England OF our own blessed country and |
1t would mean something very different
shall now go and write this out. It's prob
ably invaluable Much Obliged for your at
tention, Jim"
Ito be Continued.l