Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-15
CHAPTER xxII1-continued.


on the continent at the moment of the con-
ference In the wood at Liege. The three
nations which had primarily been made the
tools of Yen How regretted now their RASH
ness. They had miscalcuiated the lion.
/ But suddenly-as II 1t needed only the con-
ference In the wood to bring them luck
their sky cleared. In the darkest hour of
their extremity they found hope. their
last.
On two days following, about two weeks
after the meeting In the wood two consid-
cradle victories attended the arms OF the
allies.
One of these was French; the 14th (or
Lyons Army Corps of 10000 men met the
advancing Italian army between Bourgoin
and the left bank Of the Rhone, and though
outnumbered by ten thousand gave to Italy
an emphatic and indeed final negative to her
long-fought attempt at conquest. And at
once the Aurillas brigade of the 18th (Cler-
mont-Ferrand) Corps, which was all that
was left of it, was ordered southwark to
cross the Alps and carry the threat of war
into the enemy's country, prior to the prop
osition to Italy of the terms agreed between
the allies
The second victory was Russian and was
gained In far more momentous conflict
over the magnificent British-Indian troops.
which had calamity won it's way from
Quota almost to the walls of Moscow.
Upon this battle Gen. Dragomiroff, in a
"
almost the whole remaining forces Of his
master. 1t was mixed combat In which
ural, Orenburg and Transca spian Cossacks
fought with Bengal Lancers and Turkestan
infantry brigades with Royal Fusiliers.
The battle, from the commencement of
which the $4,000 British were greatly out
numbered. was, after five hours massacre
won by Hawking movement of Don Cos
sacks The number of the slain was 100 600
Great as was the exhaustion in which this
dear victory left Russia, the immediate re-
suit was sudden and enormous increase of
her prestlge And two things at once hap
pened: FIRST, Sweden, no longer acting In
concert with the great arm of England
which was the incentive to her audacity, be-
came anxious to secure by peace her con-
quests In northern Russia; and secondly,
the KAISER, knowing that terms would now
De oHered to Sweden by Russia became
anxious to make terms with Sweden before
ner hands We're freed to direct upon Ger
many the entire remnant Of her forces. In
tnls way 1t happened that nearly every one
or the contendfng nations We're owing to
the results of these two battles strongly
motiVed toward peace. Nor could Austria
C csslst we pressure OF her allies. Italy and
oeInnany. nor the large amenities of Russia
south OF the Balkans; and In the MANY
sided treaty signed at Vienna on the Dad Of
august Denmark. too, compelled by the
pressure of events, was one of the sigma
tories. spin"
II was now that the long expected had
ooiae AT .ast. Led by the rigor of events,
anu ied py the general tendency of long
maturing sentiment, an exhausted Eurone
had 1naugurated League-as the first
preliminary to a renewal of her lfe-hay
ing Tor its object the destruction of an ex-
hausted Britain. -
For Britain, too, was exhausted; and al
ready had lost semblance to that land of
ee-handed opulence which her sons re-
thinned. nav
Yet IL photographs at this hour could
nave been taken Of all her people, and the
traits or these agglomerated into the ex-
preston Of a single face, that face would
have been the wild and wan and gaunt
Vlsage OF a Man, on whose brow brooded
| fatal frown Of indignation and resolve.
not to be softened but by death.
The idea of Europe was to hurl itself
In Its whole banded strength upon this
diminished force. And 1t would be strange
#, this time, the island could withstand
the continent.
Englands navy had, on the whole, done
well. Up to the moment Of the new
League. she still might be said to COM
mand the seas. But with the League, even
without the practically intact navy of
Italy, her supremacy was gone. With the
| navy OF Italy 1t was twice and thrice
obliterated.
The new Allies, indeed, looked forward
| with certainty to another great naval bat
| tie before they could effect their design:
| but their ultimate passage to England was
practically assured.
| And Sweden flushed with victory, con-
| tributed an army corps; and Russia freed
| from invaders, contributed two; and Ger
| many one; and France one; and Austria
| three; and Denmark two brigades; and
| Italy two brigades.
| Mobil!
The port of debarkation was fixed al
| Antwerp whose neutrality thus suffered
willing violation and in the last days OF
| August 100000 troops, troop-ships, and
| warships were hasting over sea and land
to rendezvous upon Antwerp.
| England, warned both from the continent
| and America, was not in the dark. On the
9th of September, when the great Armada
| set sail from the Belgian port. her whole
! available force in ships of war was massed
| in Portsmouth harbor. all but ready to
| sail.
| 1t was on this very day, toward two in
the afternoon. that singular species OF
| duel was taking place between two men
| at Worthing. 1t was war In extremis, as
| bitter as, and more breathless in its mad
| intensity than, the great war going for
| ward around them.
| one OF these men was called Richardson,
| and the other Atkins. Atkins was excise,
| with a salary of thirty shillings; Richard
| son was municipal, and acquainted with
| rates. His locale was the Town Hall, and
he earned forty shillings. Both were fair
| ly active young men of twenty-five.
! Apart from their steady and respectable
employments, each had species OF less
| reputable avocation, which, however. he
1 pursued with extreme zeal, and for some
reason or other. was proud of. Richard
| son said that he was ION the STAFF of the
| Evening NEWS anu AthulS tudt lc was
ION the "of the Sun.
| This only meant that they had agreed
| to send any local news that might be of
! interest to those papers.
| Now. on this 9th of September. bit OF
! local news of considerable interest did, IN
| fact, occur. For a Strengthening little
| craft, which was nothing else than Nal
| tese speronare, had arrived aat the pier;
| and from her had landed a man Of un-
| certain age who slowly walked up the pier
| with his eyes on the ground, made his way
| to Dixon's Commercial Hotel, half way up
| the Pier Street and there disappeared.
| the rest of the speronare's occupants had
/ at once put to sea again But 1t was quite
| an hour afterward. before either Atkins
| or Richardson, being employed on their
| JekylI affairs. got the least scent Of this
| Hyde matter
1t was Atkins who, at the dinner hour,
| first entered Dixons commercial room. In
| the front of Dixon's was announced a
| "Daily--Ordinary," the two words being
| separated by great gap where the word
| Shilling" now painted out, had once stood.
AS Atkins entered the room, he saw the
| back of the stranger, who was leaving it
/ by door which led to the bed rooms above,
| and he started.
| The whole interest of his life was In
| stantly conferred upon this man; there was
| something in his appearance. his dress,