The Irish standard., 1911-06-17

&ElM UeuLu WdlCu 4TOm east 10 west
and from north to south. George
Blagg's own hand had pressed the
wireless key which had sent the mes
sage flashing in every direction across
startled space. Eager fanatics had
received it and swarmed an i'll clad,
unkempt. underfed horde to avenge
the follies of society upon itself. The
horror of it was that they did not at
tack the soldiery direct, as Blagg had
planned, but the better nourished citi-
zens, for Blagg's original secret Or
ganization, bound together with some
idea of order, with some sense of phi
lanthropic motive, with some plan of
warfare against the "imperial army"
was now augmented by wild, disor-
dered herd of the criminally inclined,
who, seeing that law and order were
swept away. turned to mad license.
Out into the residence districts they
swept in packs, like starving wolves,
and sickening scenes of horror ensued.
Wherever a proud home reared itself,
monument to the industry or the
wit or the greed of some man, there
were murder and pillage and rapine,
all ending in the torch, and when the
mob swept on it left behind it but
leaping blaze to light its way. The
authorities were worse than powerless.
An all seeing eye sweeping that night
across the North American continent
would have found the land Redeemed
by these many pyres, which lighted u
redness still more terrible, for not only
men and women were put to death in
this maniacal orgie of reprisal, but
little children were slaughtered as they
ran shrieking from warm beds. No
night in all the history of the world
had paralleled this; no blood lust was
ever so hideously satiated! no carnage
was ever so widespread for this one
smeared continent with blood.
While this raving debauchery took
place over the length of the land, from
the Atlantic to the Pacific and from
the lakes to the gulf, three separate
concourses crept under cover of the
night one from the north and one from
the south and one from the east. con-
vergent upon Forest Lakes, where the
prize coveted of each army-Breed's
$1,000, 100000 in solid cash-lay hidden
beneath the library cellar. The first
Of these concourses, the one from the
north. had crept silently forward all
night long. These bore no trace of
uniform. but ench man carried over
his shoulder his rife or his shotgun.
Some had belts for ammunition, and
others carried their pockets full. They
were grim, stern men, sane human be-
ings of the country districts whose
eyes and whose minds were clear to
see the right and the wrong of things,
and their ranks constantly grew. AS
each detachment Joined them n stern
voice called: "Halt! Who comes?'
And then into a listening ear was
whispered by each new adherent Of
the ranks, Liberty and the repub-
lic!'
Nearer, upon the road from the east,
far different army, like Il giant, nerv-
GUS snake, came Jerking along the
dark road at much greater speed. 1t
was composed Of undcrsized men for
the most part, ranging from bloated
faced and blear eyed youths to bloated
faced and hlear eyed middle age, and
there were bedragged women far more
tiendish Of visage than the men. They
danced. many of them, as they march
ed. and always they sang, sang the
blood maddening song of the "Marseil-
laise." and never, even in the days
when the tricolor received its baptism
Of blood, was the "Nlarseillaise" a more
terrible song than on this night. They
broke open bakeries and meat shops,
groceries and saloons, gorging them
selves with what they wanted and
wasting what they did not. offsetting
expostulation with blows and resist
ance with murder. Men in their beds
heard and paled and women and chill
dren whimpered in fear, and woe be-
tide any who came in their path, for
by and by they MANNED and killed in
mere wanton sport.
In carriage drawn by two gray
horses taken by force from a Devil
dered farmer there rode tall, gaunt
George Blagg, and by his side sat Lii
liam Breed, her gown, once a rich ere
alton of red silk. soiled and tattered.
the jaunty hat she had once worn re-
placed by a gay colorcd silk lcrchief
that she had knotted about her black
hair. Beautiful even in her dishevel-
I ment. she was the incarnation of the
riotous spirit that had maddened all
their following. and she it was who
when any period of silence fell for a
moment upon the twisting serpent Of
humanity behind her raised her voice
in the wild song of the "Marsellaise."
Each time as that hymn of destruc-
ton was caught up by those directly
about her she would laugh aloud in
hysterical glee and, sinking once more
beside her consort, would clasp him in
wild embrace and shower kisses
upon him.
Nearer still. upon the road from the
south. but waiting. there bivouackcd