The Breckenridge news., 1906-03-07
Here's the fash.

through the hood: Here's the flash.
Wars declared"
The general twitched with suppress
ed excitement. For a moment longer,
he watched the picture in the reflector.
Then he saw that the fleet had the
news. Across the Atlantic the in.
stantaneous service had carried the de-
claration of war.
Far below him Was the chief city of
his nation, now subdued in the know
ledge that it and the nation had been
brought to the final test In the send
ing station was the man on whom his
nations hopes depended. He firmly
pressed the button.
In the reflector he saw the enemy's
squadron move. He knew that IL had
been in readiness to start, and on the
instant of the receipt of the tidings
was setting forth. If 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 disap-
peared in a blotch which sent confused
shadows over the reflector. Montrus
- NA-HASh III hAo NANlNCAAltnN.
The pictures grew clear for an in.
slant. Then another blur-a quick
succession of blurs, between which he
could see nothing.
He grew dizzy, and held tightly to |
the supports of the reflector to steady |
His unblinking eyes were so
held by the grim, silent chaos of de- |
portrayed before him, that |
the seeing faculty seemed thing apart
from him and separated completely by
his dazed condition.
The tumultuous heaving and blur
ring on the reflector cleared away. It
revealed a tern and shattered fleet
two-thirds of the ships had vanished
others beating feebly and
in their last efforts, others slowly
sinking through the air, a few trying
10 escape from an unseen terror.
General Montrus, veteran though he
was, shuddered at the horror of the
sight. Unseen, unheard, softly through
he thick darkness, the wireless death
lad swept that proud aerial fleet out
)f existence in one tense instant. And ,
Atsins, the shock-headed youth, was
he destroyer, sitting calmly up there
n the sending station, with one soiled
hand on the lever Of his great, terrible
II was he who had uti
lied the means formerly used to send
to bear intelligence across
Doundless 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
rtter blackness and the drizzle of the
night. /,
A bulletin was flashed on the board
which carried the duplicates from
Curtis.
Fleet gone-Vanished in Convul.
Actual and Accurate
Disturbance not caused by defects but
ly destruction of fleet-Can't explain
[, but America is saved.'
Montrus turned the wireless televue
IN to the sending station, and saw At.
;ins sitting quietly on a box in one
corner of the little room, gravely
smoking a short pipe, his shock of
blonde hair badly rumpled, a smile on
lis freckled face. "Atsins"-the COM
nander-in-chief was trying hard to con-
rol his voice-Atsins. You have saved
IS, 1t is all over, Their fleet was an
lihilated."
1t seemed to the old soldier, veteran
# a dozen campaigns, absurdly impos
ible that the safety of a great nation
hould have been put into the hands
# that grimly boy in blue Overalls.
at worked all right, didn't it, At
ins answered calmly.
"Come over here" Montrus went on
Hurry and come Tomorrow Con ,
ress1l be giving you vote of thanks;
-ou1l be a bigger man than old Dewey
ver was"
A troubled frown came on Atsin's e
ace. "Excuse me, please. general" he I
aid, "Im going back to the shop. I
we Just thought Of big Improvement I
n my concentration. Good night" :