The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-12-10
ILLUSTRATED
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MME

liver my letters in person to the for
eign secretary's Office in London, and
answer such questions as you can re.
garding this remarkable situation and
this incomprehensible government.
These matters are too important to
admit of delay and ordinary official re-
ports Go quickly!" he concluded, al
most showing Hitler through the door.
"Tll attend to everything here Don't
let there bn anv de1nv ~ vour Da,rt'"
The secretary hurried away to
make preparations for his departure,
leaving the perturbed ambassador to
prepare his reports. He called a cab
and drove to his apartment, intent on
first telephoning to Miss Roberts. His
man met him at the door and handed
him a letter addressed in a familiar
hand, which he hastily tore open and
read as he stood in the open doorway:
Dear Guy: / have been called
away very suddenly, and am going to
my father. He needs me now more
than ever. l cannot alter anything
which | told you last night, nor can
add anything, save to say that some
time, somehow, God willing, we shall
be together again, under Circum
stances where l can tell you all the
truth. 1t will do no good to write to
the old address, for l shall not be
there. There will be no means OF our
communicating | fear, for an in
definite time. 1t is always within the
realms Of possibility, when war is on
a land, that friends may never meet
again. If such should be our case,
| pray that you will remember this
even up to the last-T loved you.
Good-by. NORMA"
Stunned by this unexpected missive,
ne hurried to the telephone, and in
fever of haste and anxiety called up
her home, only to be told that she had
departed in, the earlier hours of the
morning after receiving a message
presumably from her father. He
could learn nothing further of her. He
was stopped as if by an insurmount-
able wall. He cursed the fate which
separated them and the order which
sent him away without giving time to
see her, and almost in open rebellion
thought for moment of refusing to
act as kings courier, resolving rather
to resign from his position and aban.
don his post; but he was bound by
the training of years and the demands
of duty, and at the last moment
boarded the train which was to take
him from the country and the woman
he loved.
And even as he went the object of
his solicitude was speeding away into
the south on a special train.
The train consisted of only two
Pullmans and dining car. Before it
in it's southern flight the way seemed
always open, and hour after hour it
rushed onward, drawn by the most
powerful locomotives that could be OBJ.
tanned. Norma was the only woman
passenger aboard; all the others were
grim-faced, sun-tanned men of the
sea, who had been summoned to Wash.
ington from various navy yards and
ships within the month. OF all on
board she was the only civilian, and
yet the one whom the government
seemed most anxious to transport.
The officers themselves gathered into
little groups, discussing the war
which had opened so abruptly, and
speculating as to why in such an i'm,
portant crisis they had been ordered
from their posts of duty to report foi
further advices and sealed instruc.
tions at SO unimportant and isolated
a seaport as the small one on the
coast of Florida to which they were
heading.
Another singular feature of this
journey was that all aboard, from the
distinguished admiral to the junior
lieutenant commander, were, by or.
der, in the plainest of civilian dress.
That it had been the intention of the
war department to maintain their
identity secret was proved by the com.
ments of railway official who stood
near one of the coaches while waiting
for a change of locomotives.
You understand, don't you," he
said to man apparently train dis
patcher, standing beside him, that
this train has the right of way over
everything? Sidetrack the flyer if
necessary to get this through. There
can't be anything in front of her, and
the only limit to her time is the speed
of the engine that pulls her. under.
stand it's party of secret service
people the government is sending to
Cuba. That's all know about it, and
it's in line with everything else you
naturally can expect from such lot
of insane men as they seem to have
in Washington"
They whirled away from the sta.
tion, looking at each other blankly,
and wondering what the outcome of
all this mystery could be- Every
action so far was without precedent
There was disposition on the part
of some of them to bemoan the fate
which had detached them from their
ships at a time when the country was
to be defended and glory won; hut
this was brought to a sudden snd by
grim old Fighting Bob"S Bevfns, the
admiral, who reprimanded them for
daring to criticise their superlors or
their orders.
(To BE CoNTINUED)