The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1908-12-03

Dear Guy: l have been called
away very suddenly, and am going to
my father. He needs me now more
than ever. cannot alter anything
which told you last night, nor can i
add anything, save to say that some
time, somehow, God willing, we. shall
be together again, under circum-
stances where can tell you all the
truth. 1t will do no good to write to
the old address; for 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
land, that friends may never meet
again. II such should be our case,
pray that you will remember this
even up to the last--I loved you.
Good-by. NORMA"
Stunned by this unexpected missive,
he hurried to the telephone, and in a
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 IL 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 special train.
The train consisted of only two
Pullmans and dining car. Before IT
In its southern fight the way seemed
always open, and nour after hour II
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 for
further advlces and sealed instruc.
tions at 80 unimportant and isolated
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 1t 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 a train dis.
patcher, standing beside him, that
this train has the right OF way over
everything? Sidetrack tLn flyer If
necessary to get this through. There
can't be anything in front * 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 tending to
Cuba. That's all know about 1t, and
it's in line with everything else You
naturally can expect from such lot
of insane men as they seelp to have
in Washington"
They whirled away from the sta.
tion, looking at each Other blankly,
and wondering what the itcome of
all this mystery could bs. Every
action SO far was without precedent
| There was disposition on the part
of some of them to bemoat the fate
which had detached them from their
ships at time when tho CO lntry was
to be defended and glory won; bui
this was brought to a sudden end by
grim old Fighting Bob" Bovins, the
admiral, who reprimanded them for
daring to criticise their superiors OF
their orders.