The La Jara chronicle., 1906-03-16
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Tne general twitched with supgfgs
ed excitement. For 4 moment lo1 orr
lie watched the picture in the Tehse.er,
Then he saw that the fleet had The
news. Across the Atlantic the il.
Simultaneous service had carried the de-
claI a,ioa OF war.
Far below him was the chief city ol
his uat.ol, now subdued in the kno"
ledge tAat it and the nation had been
brought to the final test. In the asAt
!nE station was the man on whom his
nations hopes depended. He lrm.!
pressed the button.
In the reflector he saw the enemy S
squadron move. He knew that II lad
been in readiness to start, and on The
instant of the receipt of the tidinss
was setting forth. II it came unmo.
Tested. as it had every right to expect
it would. there could be but one result
to his nation.
1t seemed an eternity of time as he
watched the reflector.
Suddenly one of the ships di5ap-
peared in blotch which sent confused
shadows over the reflector. Montrus
trcmbied in his excitement.
The pictures grew clear for an in
succession of blurs, between which lie
could see nothing.
He grew dizzy, and held tightly TO
the supports of the reflector to steady
himself. His unblinking eyes Were so
held by the grim. silent chaos OF de
struction portrayed before him, that
the seeing faculty seemed thing aDarI
from him and separated completely by
his daZed condition.
The tumultuous heaving and blr'
ring on the reflector cleared away. II
revealed a tern and shattered fleet
two-thirds of the ships had VANISHED
completely, others beating feebly and
in their last efforts, others slowly
sinking through the air, a few trying
to escape from an unseen terror.
General Montrus, veteran though he
was, shuddered at the horror of the
sight. Unseen, unheard, softly through
the thick darkness, the wireless death
had swept that proud aerial neet out
of existence in one tense instant. And
Atsins, the shock-headed youth, was
the destroyer. sitting calmly up there
in the sending station, with one soiled
hand on the lever of his great, terrible
concentrator. 1t was he who had uti.
lized the means formerly used to send
boundless areas, which, increased a
hundred thousand-fold in voltage, had
now carried absolute destruction.
Still breathing heavily. Montrus
threw off the hood, coming back to the
utter blaclness and the drizzle OF the
Washington night.
A bulletin was flashed on the board
which carried the duplicates from
Curtis.
Fleet gone-Vanished in Conyul
sion-Pictures Actual and Accurate
Disturbance not caused by defects but
by destruction of fleet-Can't explain
it. but America Is saved"
AIontrus turned the wireless televue
on to the sending station. and saw At
sins sitting quietly on a box in one
corner of the little room, gravely
smoking a short pipe, his shock of
blonde hair badly rumpled, smile on
his freclSled face. "Atsins'-the com
mander-in-chief was trying hard to con-
troll his voice-Atsins. You have saved
US. 1t is all over Their fleet was an
initiated"
1t seemed to the old soldier, veteran
of a dozen campaigns, absurdly impos
sihle that the safety of great nation
should have been put into the hands
of that grimly boy in blUe oycralls.
at worked all right, didn't it?" At
sins answered calmly.
Come over here" Montrus went on
Hurry and come. Tomorrow Con
gress'Il be giving you vote of thanks
you'll be bigger man than old Dewey
ever was"
A troubled frown came on Atsin's
face. Excuse me. please general he
said. I'm going back to tie shop
I've just thought of biz imnrovement
on my concentrator. Good night"