The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1909-09-10
CHAPTER XlX.-Continued.

Men" he said, Il take no credit TO,
the result, and I'm. big enough so tt
report to Washington. This battle
brought out three heroes. Brockton
Jenkins and above all this little girl
Norma Roberts" His God bless her!'
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 a city across the con-
tinent newsboys were crying their
extras through the streets. and the
citizens of a great city were asking
one another how the night had worked
its 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
and had come to a sudden stop, lean
ing against tree and wondering if
ne was still asleep; but with his
knuckles 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 a storm of objurgations in an
unknown tongue. Not until he had
called a fellow officer and rowed a
boat round those fallen monarchs of
the deep did he learn that thew were
captive to his country, and then
elated with the news, he fastened to
impart it.
But this was not the only surprise
Tor Seattle. For some days preceding
troops had been pouring into the mort
and 1t had been the general belief that
they were being modified preparatory
10 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
mSs in the telegraph offices. When
men went to consign messages thew
were met. with the intelligence that
the wires were in charge of military
operators, that nothing could be re.
celVed 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 roared, until
lhey learned that all incoming news
would pass uninterruptedly; but that
Tor 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 Post1ntelligence, the Times and
Star united in attacking the admins
tratiOn.
Polite officers forwarded appeals
rom the chamber of commerce to
washington; but the government an
'Wered that there was no alternative
because II the secret was known
throughout the United States the
'hances for its leakage across the
ines would be augmented. All Sound
rattle stopped, and from the great
lnion depot no departing trains rum
led Within an hour it was known
hat Gordon of soldiers surrounded
he city, and that all traffic or COM
with the outside world
'as interdicted. Seattle had been iso.
lted.
Thus it was that the presence of the
aptured fleet and the method of it's
liking were unknown to the country 6
large. Seattle extended all consis- {
mt courtesies to the vanquished: {
Us 1t afforded little balm. ,