The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-11-09

full enough to make previous engage
ment. Doctor Bersonin is coming to
see me-"
| Patsy's nose took a decided eleya-
ton.
"He was on the train. It's the first
time l ever saw him without that
smart-looking Japanese head-boy Of
his who goes with him everywhere as
interpreter"
"I've noticed that" Mrs. cambridge
said. "By the way, Patsy, who does
that boy remind me of? It has always
puzzled me-"
why" Patricia answered, "he looks
something like that Japanese student
we saw so often the winter Barbara
and we were in Monterey. You re-
member, Barbara-the one who spoke
such perfect English"
$50 he does" said her mother.
"Good-by, Barbara said Patricia.
81 hope the doctor will be gone when
we get back"
VHAPTER VII.
Doctor Bersonin.
The Ambassador received his caller
in his study. From across the hall,
Barbara, through the half-open door,
could see the experts huge form filling
an arm chair, where the limped light
of the desk lamp fell on his heavy,
colorless face.
| For some time the talk was on
casual topics and she occupied herself
listlessly with tray of photographs
on the table. She read their titles,
| smiling at the extraordinary intri-
cacies of English as she is Tapped"
by the complaisant oriental photogra-
pher: "The Picking Sea-Ear at Enosh-
ima;" "East-looking Panorama of Full
Mount" "Geisha in the Famous Dance
of Maple-Leaf"
The smile left her face. Something
had been said in the farther room
which caught her attention and in
moment she found herself listening
intently.
! 81 understand the trials of the new
powder have been very successful"
the Ambassador was saying. "Is it
destined to revolutionize warfare, do
you think?"
1T is too soon to tell yet" was the
reply, "just what the result will be.
1t will enormously increase the range
of projectiles, as Your Excellency may
guess, and its area of destruction will
nearly double that of lyddite''
"You paint sorry picture" said
the Ambassador. Can human ingen-
uity go much further, then? What. in
your opinion, will be the fighting en-
CINE of the future?"
''The engine of the future"-Ber-
sonin spoke deliberately-"wi be
along other lines. 1t will be an atomic
one. 1t will employ no projectile and
no armor plate will resist it. The dis
coverer will have harnessed the law
of molecular vibration. AS there is
positive force that binds atoms to-
gether, so there must be a negative
force that, under certain conditions,
can drive them apart"
He spoke with what seemed an ex-
traordinary conviction. His manner
had subtly changed. For the first
! time his tone had gathered something
like feeling, and the dry, metallic
voice seemed to Barbara to vibrate
with a curious, gloating triumph.
Granted such force" he went on,
land machine to generate and direct
it, and of what value is the most pow
erful battleship, the most stupendous
fort? Mere silly shreds of steel and
stone! Why, such an engine might be
carried in single hand, and yet the
nation that possessed it could be mas
ter pf the world"
A dark flush had risen to his pallid
| SllcSh, dIu VII lLS al Ill vi LID Cudll
Barbara saw the massive fingers of
one huge hand clench and unclench
with furtive, nervous gesture. The
sight gave her sharp sense of recoil
as if from the touch of something
sinister and evilly suggestive,
moi" said the Ambassador vehe-
mently. Humanity would revolt
Such discovery would be worth less
than nothing! It's use by any warning
nation would call down the eXecra-
ton of civilization, and the man who
knew the secret would be too danger
GUS to be at Target"
There was dead silence for mo-
ment Bersonin sat motionless, star
ing straight before him. Very slowly
the color seemed to fade from his