Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1914-10-22
! 6nFREDERIcK Palmer

up SHARPLY. had the pleasure of a move
sensation.
How fast you have gone aheadl'
she said. THAT little prophecy Of
mine did come true. You are chief Of
staff"
After smile Of satisfaction he cor
rected her.
mot quite; vice-chief-the right
hand man of His Excellency. am q
buffer between him and the heads OF
divisions. This has led to the errone-
GUS assumption which ! cannot too
forcibly deny"
He was proceeding with the phrase
ology habitual whenever men or WON
en-, to fatter him. had intimated that
they realised that he was the actual
head of the army. His Excellency,
with the prestige of Q career. must be
kept specifically enjoying the forms
Of authority. To arouse his jealousy
might curtail Westeriing's actual
power.
Eyes, yesI" breathed Marta softly,
arching her eyebrows . tribe as she
would when looking all around and
through Q thing or when she found
any one beating about the bush. The
little frown disappeared and she
smiled understandingly. you know
I'm not q perfect goosel" she added
Had you been made chief Of stan in
name, too, all the old generals would
have been in the sulks and the young
generals jealous" she continued. "The
one way that you might have the
power to exercise was by proxy"
This downright frankness was an
other reflection of the old days before
he was at the apex OF the pyramid.
Now 1t was so unusual in his expert
ence as to be almost a shock. On the
point Of arguing, he caught a mis-
chievous, delightful Isn't that sol" in
her eyes, and replied:
Eyes, shouldn't wonder II it were!"
Why shouldn't he admit the truth to
the one who had rung the bell Of his
secret ambition long ago by recognize
ing in him the ability to reach his
goal?- He marvelled at her grasp Of
the situation.
"It wasn't so very hard to say, was
it," she asked happily, in response to
his smile. Then, her gift of putting
herself in another's place, while she
strove to look at things with his pur-
pose and vision, in full play, she went
on in a different tone, as much to her
self as to him: you have labored to
make yourself master of a mighty or
ganization. You did not care for the
non-essentials. You wanted the reality
Of shaping results" g..
yes, the results, the power!" he
Fifteen hundred regiments" she |
continued thoughtfully, looking at a
given point rather than at him. Every
regiment a blade which you would |
bring to an even sharpness! Every |
regiment a unit Of harmonious whole, |
how to screen itself from fire |
and give fire as long as hidden, in |
answer to your will If war comes! That
Ia what you live and plan for, isn't it?"
Eyes, exactly! Yes, you have It'll"
he said. His shoulders stiffened as he
thrilled at seeing a picture of him
self, as he wanted to see himself, done
IN bold strokes. 1t assured him that
not only had his own mind grown be-
yond what were to him the narrow as
sociations of his old La Tir days, but
that hers had grown, too. "And you
what have you been doing all these
years?" he asked.
Living the life of woman on a
country estate" she replied. Since
you made rule that no Gray officers
should cross the frontier we have been
4 little lonelier, having only the Brown
officers to tea. Did you really find it
80 bad for discipline in your own
,ase?" she concluded with playful
solemnity.
NDne cannot consider individual
,ases in a general ORDER" he explained.
And, remember, the Browns made the
ruling first You see, every year
means a tightening-yes, a tightening,
as arms and armies grow more compli-
Gated and the maintaining of STAFF
more important. And you have
been all the time at La Tir, truly?" he
asked, changing the subject He was
convinced that she had acquired some
hing that could not be gained ON the
outskirts Of q provincial town.
mo. have travelled. ! have been.
quite around the world" -.
"You havel" This explained much.
Howl envy you! That is q privilege
| shall not know until am superannu-
ated." While he should remain chief
Of stan he must be literally 3 prisoner
In his own country.
yes. / should say It was Splendid
|