The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1906-06-09

left ON one the impression that he was
a man TO- exercise authority and en-
force 1t. An air Of Difference marked
the manner Of the others towards him,
and they addressed him as Signor x.
Silence and an air of waiting reigned
in the tiny room. The man just count
ed the numbers of the arrivals as they
filed in, and noted them down on a pa
per he held. When the last closed the
door behind him he raised his hand
with a quick gesture. The man sitting
nearest rose and rapidly but silently
barred and locked it, and resumed his
seat. The meeting had opened, and
no one who had been permitted to cast
a glance through the shuttered win
dow would have failed to put it down
as one OF strange character.
The man they called Signor x tap
ped thrice on the table before him. II
it was a call for silence it was unnec-
essary, for they were all mute and
waiting. He said something in
strange tongue-a few muttered words
like an 1ncantation-to which they all
bowed their heads reverently and NUT.
tered response. 1t might have been
a grace before meat FROM. the manner
of it. But there was no giving OF
thanks in any of their looks.
There was another instant of silence
and then Signor X spoke: His voice
was remarkable-distinct, yet so low
that it scarcely carried to the door.
Every member present could catch ev.
cry syllable; yet an ear at the keyhole
would have found itself baffled. The
circle of men appeared we'll used to it.
They bent their heads and turned one
ear in an attitude of deep attention.
This also, to the eye of a beholder,
important. Signor X spoke on.
"To most of those present" he said,
1T is needless again to 60 over GER
tain facts with which they are famil'
lar, but there are some few present to.
night who have but just come to this
place, and to whom the object of our
meeting tonight has yet to be dis
closed. For their instruction will re.
capitulate the facts I have alluded to-
1t wifi take but brief allotment of
our time''
There was a stir of assent, voice.
less encouragement to continue, which
he acknowledged by mere movement
of his head. One OF the last arrivals
threw his hat slightly back from his
forehead to allow him to see more
:z$ Whether new arrivals OF Old, con:
tinued the president, we are all aware
of one vital thing. We have learnt
that an explosive has recently been in
vented of such power and influence
that 1T will affect the universe 1t is
vital to us as a society that the secret
Of this tremendous force should be.
come our own. We cannot afford to
let 1t pass us. Were It, ours alone the
world would crouch before us, we
should have an undisputed dominion;
but, unfortunately, it is too late for us
to hope for a monopoly. Could we
have obtained such information as we
might have found ourselves the sole
masters of the secret. That was not
to be, but there is still work enough
before us, for we are determined that
we shall share the power with the ma
tlon that would keep it for its own.
The government of this country is
about to take the power ipto it's own
hands and use it for it's own purposes
We intend to make it our own as
we'll.
ITO achieve this it is needful, need
hardly say, that we should possess
ourselves of it without delay. Every
day that it remains unpossessed by us
adds to the difficulty of our getting it
into our hands. The state is even now
experimenting and testing, and only
waiting to be satisfied before it ac-
cepts the invitation which is to revo-
lntionize modern warfare. Once it de-
termines to take it, there will be far
greater difficulties in approaching it.
The secret will be guarded like the
tree of the Hesperides. But as yet
there is way which will before long
be barred. The owner of the secret is,
as we all know, somewhere in this
place. He still has duplicate papers
of the invention; which he will even
tually be called upon to destroy, or to
hand over to the custody of this coun-
try. While those papers are here we
have still our chance
Another faint stir: ran through the
room. It was like the rustic of dried
leaves upon a dried forest bough. Sig
nor x held up his. hand, for he had
not done speaking: There was silence,
instant, complete, again: H.. ..->* =
!. = To obtain possession of these docu-
ments, then, must be our most earnest
zendeavor, and we: must be speedy: and
#s,Wift.#s>We have already been able to
do good worl1-w ork :which*I have this
evening to report to you---but it's only
the first step We: have ascertained
without doubt that the papers are still
#here-at the House Of ofSGovernment,rs SO.
5called--and we have located them il
= y