Charlevoix county herald., 1909-04-17
CHAPTER xIx.-continued.


men," he said, Il take no credit for
the result, and I'm big enough so to
report to Washington. This battle
brought out three heroes. Brockton,
Jenkins and above all this little girl,
4 NORMA Roberts" His God bless herr"
was lost in the tumult. They were men
intoxicated with the wine of victory.
They yelled themselves hoarse. They
patted one another on the back, hurled
their caps into the air, and finally
formed escorts Of honor to conduct the
men and officers of the fleet to their
cabins, asking over and over for de-
tails of the fight.
And even as those tired fighters
went to rest, in city across the con-
tinent newsboys were crying their
extras through the streets, and the
tcitizens Of a great city were asking
one another how the night had worked
fits miracle. A lounging patrolman
in Ravenna park, which bordered on
Lake Washington, had sleepily rubbed
his eyes as the sun was tinting the
everlasting SHOWS of the Olympics,
ing against n tree and wondering if
ne was still asleep; but with his
ASnuckles he could not obliterate the
floating vision before him. He con-
WINGED himself by lusty hail: Hello,
out there What are you doing? Get
off that lake!" and back to him there
volleyed storm of objurgations in an
unknown tongue. Not until he had
called a fellow officer and rowed
boat round those fallen monarchs of
the deep did lie learn that they were
captive TO his country, and then,
elated with the news, he fastened to
fmpart It,
But this was not the only surprise
for Seattle. For some days preceding
troops had been pouring into the port,
and II had been the general belief that
they were being modified preparatory
to embarkation for the Philippines or
Japan. On this morning, however,
there was an exodus. Nearly all the
troops had disappeared in the night.
Likewise there were strange happen
dngs in the telegraph Offices. When
men went to consign messages they
were met with the intelligence that
1e wires were in charge of military
operators, that nothing could be re-
ceived for any point beyond the Dor
ders Of the United States, and that
all messages without exception would
be censored before transmission. The
newspapers fumed and reared, until
they learned that all incoming news
would pass uninterruptedly; but that
for purposes known only to the gov
eminent the story of the presence of
the Japanese fleet would be closely
guarded for the time being. For once
the PostIntelligence, the Times and
Star united in attacking the admins
tration.
Polite officers forwarded appeals
from the chamber of commerce to
washington; but the government an
ewered that there was no alternative,
because II the secret was known
throughout the United States the
9ances for its leakage across the
lines would be augmented. All Sound
traffic stopped. and from the great
union depot no departing trains rum
bled. Within an hour 1t was known
that a Gordon of soldiers surrounded
the city, and that all traffic or COM
munication with the outside world
was interdicted. Seattle had been iso-
lated.
Thus IL was that the presence of the
captured neet and the method OF It's
taxing were unknown to the country
ut Large. Seattle extended all consis-
tent courtesies to the vanquished;
but 1t afforded little balm: