The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1914-09-04
CHAPTER II.
Ten Years Later.

Ten Years Later.
His Excellency the chief Of star Of
the Grays was seldom In his Office. His
Excellency had years, rank, prestige.
The breast of his uniform sagged with
the weight of his decorations. He ap-
peared for the army at great func.
tions; his picture was in the shop
windows. Hedworth Westerling, the
new vice-chief Of staff, was content
with this arrangement. His years
would not permit him the supreme
honor. This was for q flgurehead, while
he had the power.
His appointment to the stan ten
years ago had given him the field he
wanted, the capital itself, for the play
of his abilities. His vital energy, his
impressive personality, his gift for
courting the Influences that counted,
whether mans or woman's, his astute
readiness in STOPPING to some meas
ures that were In keeping with the
times but not with army precedent.
had won for him the goal Of his ambi-
tion. He had passed over the heads of
older men, whom many thought his
betters, rather ruthlessly. Those who
would serve Loyalty he drew around
him; those who were bitter he crowd
led out of his way.
In the adjoining room, occupied by
Westerling, the walls were hung with
the silhouettes Of infantrymen, such
las you see at maneuvers, In different
positions Of firing, crouching in shall
low trenches, standing in deep
trenches, or lying fat on the stomach
on level earth. Another silhouette,
that Of an infantryman running, was
peppered with white points in arms
and legs and parts of the body that
were not vital, to show in how many
places man may be hit with small
caliber bullet and still survive.
In this day Of universal European
conception, If Westerling were to win
lin war it would be with FIVE millions
five hundred thousand more than when
lhe faced a young Brown officer over
the wreck Of an aeroplane-including
the reserves; each man running, firing,
lcrouching, as was the figure on the
wall, and trying to give more of the
white points that peppered the sill
thOuofto thou ho ro0oiuod
Now Turcas, the assistant vice-chief
Iof staff, and Bouchard, chief Of the di-
vision Of intelligence, standing on
either side of Westerling's deck, await
ed his decisions on certain matters
which they had brought to his atten-
tion. Both were older than Wester-
ling, Turcas by ten and Bouchard by
fifteen years.
Turcas had been strongly urged in
inner army circles for the place that
IWesterling had won, but his manner
and his ability to court influence were
against him. A lath Of man and stiff
as lath, pale, with thin, tightly-drawn
lips, quiet, steel-gray eyes, tracery of
blue veins showing on his full temples,
he suggested the ascetic no less than
the soldier, while his incisive breVity
of speech, favored now and then with
Ipungent humor, without any infection
In his dry voice, was in keeping with
his appearance. He arrived with the
clerks in the morning and frequently
remained after they were gone. AS
master of detail Westerling regarded
him as an invaluable assistant, with
certain limitations, which were those
of the pigeonhole and the treadmill.
AS for Bouchard, nature had meant
him to be a wheel-horse. He had never
had any hope Of being chief of staff.
Hawk-eyed with a great beak nose
and iron-gray hair, intensely and SOL
emnly serious, lacking sense of
humor, he would have looked at home
with his big, bony hands gripping a
broadsword hilt and his lank body
clothed in chain armor. He had a
mastiff's devotion to its master for his
chief.
Since Lanstron became chief of In
telligence of the Browns information
seems to have stopped" said Wester-
ling, but not complainingly. He appre-
ciated Bouchard's loyalty.
Eyes, they say he even burns his
laundry bills, he Is so careful" Bou-
chard replied.
But that we ought to know" Wes,
terling proceeded, referring very in
sistently to a secret OF the Browns
which had baffied Bouchard. "Try a
woman" he went on with that terse,
hard directness which reflected one Of
his sides. There Is nobody like a
woman for that sort of thing. Spend
enough to get the right woman"
Turcas and Bouchard exchanged a
glance, which rose suggestively from
the top Of the head Of the seated vice
chief Of stan. Turcas smiled slightly,
while Bouchard was craven as usual.
"You could hardly reach Lanstrcn
though You spent 4 queens ransom,
said Bouchafd Id hi5 iiteraI faahiOn.
4 should Eax nCtl- Westerltng Ok.