The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1914-11-13
CHAPTER II.
Ten Years Later.

His Excellency the chief of STAFF 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 figurehead, while
! he had the power.
His appointment to the staff 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
counting 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-
ton 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
ed out Of his way.
In the adjoining room, occupied by
Westerling, the walls were hung with
the silhouettes of infantrymen, such
| as you see at maneuvers, in different
positions of firing, crouching in shall
| low trenches, standing in deep
trenches, or lying fiat 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 a man may be hit with small
caliber bullet and still survive.
In this day Of universal European
conception, If Westerling were to win
| in war 1t would be with five millions
| five hundred thousand more than when
he faced young Brown officer over
the wreck Of an aeroplane-including
| the reserves; each man running, firing,
crouching, as was the figure on the
| wall, and trying to give more Of the
white points that perpered the sill
houette than he received.
Now Turcas, the assistant vice-chief
of staff, and Bouchard. chief of the d.
vision OF intelligence, standing on
either side of Westerling's deck, await
ed his decisions on certain matters
-L;oh fbax, bod hrouobt 70 hio offon.
ton. 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
I Westerling 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
pungent 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 wheelhorsa He had never
had any hope of being chief OF stat.