The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1909-07-09
CHAPTER XlV.-Continued.

The secretary Of the navy, obeying a
suggestion from the chair, read off a
long list OF figures, explaining them as
he went, and concluding with an unqual-
if1ed Endorsement of the plan. So in
fictitious was his blunt enthusiasm and
confidence, that those who at first had
hesitated at the irregularity of the
procedure found themselves won over,
and bound with complete unanimity
into a coterie which was to assume
responsibility for a war. And thus
was the issue accepted.
The early hours of the morning
were upon them as they dispersed, but
Norma, resting back in the corner OF
the cab which conveyed her home
ward, did not share the citation of her
father, who was already building work
shops, conducting new experiments
and equipping navy. Yesterday she
mad looked forward to confiding the
story of their great success to Guy
Hitler; for in the preceding month,
when she and her father had been
trembling on the very edge of a great
discovery in unknown fields, she had
given no intimation of their work or
tnelr prospects, planning this surprise,
and now, by the rigid embargo of ST.
fence thrust upon her, her dream was
disslpated. To her the production of
the radioactive metal had meant a
goal; but now that it was reached and
she was anxious to satisfy a heart
munger, she had been given another
TASK, and was to undergo more silence
and repression and another siege of
work In world of figures, of test
tubes and retorts, slave to the lamp
OF science and her fathers success,
Not even the knowledge that she was
sacrificing herself on the altar of duty
10 country, whose protection and wei.
rare were burdens that she must
snare, palliated the bitterness of hold
Ing love aloof. And in this light the
trlumphs of invention seemed hollow
ana the night filled with dreariness,
Ihere were no more regular meet
lngs OF those who conspired for the
national good; but it was a season If
terrific activity, and February was vet
young when there sailed away from
New York harbor one night a gunboat
collier and small transport, whose
destinations We're unknown, and which
'hpped their moorings in silence and
passed down the bay with SCARCELY
sound to announce their departure
on board the gunboat were men Ar.
'ustomed to unquestioning obedience
Ind on the transport was a little armv
II skilled mechanics and engineers ,,
VINO had been called from their usual
occupation by imperative orders and j.,
equested to tell none but their FAINT.
es that they might be absent for sew
raj months. There was not a man
BOARD any of the craft who had not
aken pledge of absolute secrecy
me collier, black and massive, was :,
'aoed almost beyond her carrying ca. I;
acity, and even on her decks were =
lied lumber and great sheets of cor e
lgated iron, bearing evidence of full :,
ODDS below. And all this cargo had :,
le history of rushed work behind il =
transe pieces of machinery, sections
engines, powerful dynamos, and I'm.
card of apparatus were slowed awav Ct
ith cases of chemicals, and the mines :,
the north, the west and the south u
Id contributed crude metals or par.
ally smelted ores to the assortment ~
'fven by expert minds and masters :,
executive work, an army of men in "
ferent walks of life had given their ~
senuity and effort toward something \,
which they knew not, and then the =,
suit OF their labors had poured out ~
on wharf, been swallowed up by ~
cavernous holds of a collier, and ~
re now being carried out into the =.