The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1906-03-09
throush be- hocd: aRere.s be 49,

through the hood. Heres the aash
wars aeeiareu.n
Inc general tYitched with suppress
ed excitement. Fer moment longer
he watched the picture in the reflector
Then he saw that the feet had Tho
news. Across the Atlantic the In
stantaneous service had carried the de
claration of war.
Far below him was the chief city oil
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 it had
been in readiness to start, and on the
instant of the receipt of the tfdings
was setting forth. If it came unmo-
Tested, as 1t 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 blotch which sent confused
shadows over the reflector. Montrus
trembled in his excitement.
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
himself. His unblinking eyes were so
held by the grim. silent chaos of de-
struction 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 torn and shattered fleet
of the ships had vanished /
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 feet out
Of 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
land on the lever of his great, terrible
II was he who had uti
lied the means formerly used to send
messages, to bear Intelligence across
areas, which, increased
hundred thousand-fold In voltage, had
low carried absolute destruction.
Still breathing heavily, Montrus
brew off the hood, coming back to the
liter blackness and the drizzle Of the
Washington night.
A bulletin was flashed on the board .
which carried the duplicates from
,urtis.
Elect gone--Vanished in Convul. >
Actual and Accurate !
disturbance not caused by defects but
y destruction Of feet-Can't explain /.
!, but America Is saved" >
Montrus turned the wireless televue
n to the sending station, and saw At !,
ms sitting quietly on a box in one !
orner of the little room, gravely ;
moking a short pipe. his shock OF
Ionde hair badly rumpled, smile on :
is freckled face. "Atsins"-the COM .
WEES VI JlAS5 lltiA "a w VII >,
'ol his voice.-Atsins. You have saved :
., 1t is all over. Their feet was an. !,
1t seemed to the old soldier, veteran .
! a dozen campaigns, absurdly impos
BILE that the safety Of great nation !,
lould have been put into the hands
that grimly boy in blue overalls. !
at worked all right, didn't itg" At y
ms answered calmly. q
"Come over here" Montrus went on
Hurry and come. Tomorrow Con :,
'ess'll be giving you vote of thanks: =
,u'll be bigger man than old Dewey /, I.
'er was"
A troubled frown came on Atsin's :,
ce. Excuse me, please, general" he - -
i'd. I'm going back to the shop, Il,
We just thought of big improvement .,
my concentration. Good night" .,
gf