Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-09-23
THE LAST SHOT
By FREDERICK PALMER

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front for one battalion, with two bat
talions In reserve to drive home your
ettack. The chief of staff himself de
sires that we take the Galland house
before noon. The enemy must moi
have the encouragement of any sue
cesses."
$50 easy for Westerling to say
thought the colonel; while aloud he
acknowledged the message with proper
spirit.
Before the order to move was giver
the news of 1t passed from lip to liE
among the men in tired whispers
Since dawn they had lived through
the Impressions of a whole war, and
they had won. With victory they had
not thought of the future, only of theiI
hunger. After the nightmare of the
charge, after hearing death whisper
ing for hours intimately in their ears
they were too weary and too far
thrown out of the adjustments of any
natural habits of thought and feeling
to realize the horror of eating their.
dinners in the company Of the dead
Now they were to go through another
hell, but many Of them In their ex-
haustion were chiefly concerned as to
whether or not they should get any
sleep that night.
The satire of war makes the valet's
son hero; the chance of war kills
the manufacturers son and let's the
day-laborer's son live; the sport of
war gives the latent forces of Stran-
sky full play; the glory of war brings
Dellarme quick promotion; the CLAM.
our and the spectacular folly of war
turn the bolts of the lightnings which
man has mastered against man. Per-
haps the savage who learned that he
could start a flame by rubbing two dry
sticks together may have set fire to
the virgin forest and wild grass in
order to destroy an enemy-and natu-
rally with disastrous results to him
self If he mistook the direction of the
wind.
Marta Galland's thoughts at dusk
when she returned up the steps to the
house were of the wreckage the hot
whirlwind of war left. She was see
ing fathers staring and mothers weep
ing. Her experience with the wound
ed drawing deep on the wells of SYM
pathy, heightened her loathing of war
and of all who planned and ordered it
and led its legions. She had been en-
gagged since dark in completing the
work eff moving valuable articles from
the front to the rear rooms OF the
house, which had been begun early in
the day by Minna and the coachman.
She was at the door of her mothers
room, which was like an antique shop.
Old plates lay on top of old tables,
with vases on the floor under the
tables. Surrounded by her treasures,
Mrs. Galland awaited the attack; not
as soldier awaits 1t, but as that ven
cradle Roman senator of the story
faced the barbarous Gauls--neither
disputing the power of their spears
nor yielding the self-respect of his own
mind and soul. She had lain down in
her wrapper for the night, and the
light from single candle-she still
favored candles-revealed her features
calm and philosophical among the pill
lows. Yet the magic of war, reaching
deep into hidden emotions. had her
also under its spell. Her voice was at
once more tender and vital.
Marta, see that you are all on
wires!"
Eyes; jangling wires, every one,
jangling every second out of tune"
Marta acquiesced.
Marta, my father''-her father had
been premier of the Browns-"al-
ways said that you may enjoy the lux
ury of fussing over little things, for
they don't count much one way or an
other; but about big things you must
never fuss or you will not be worthy
of big things. Marta, you cannot stop
a railroad train with your hands, This
ia not the first war on earth and we
are not the first women who ever
thought that war was wrong. Each
of us has his work to do and you will
have yours. 1t does no good to tire
yourself out and fly to pieces. even If
you do know so much and have been
around the world"
She smiled as q woman of sixty,
who has q secret heart-break that she
had never given her husband a son,
may smile at daughter who is both
son and daughter to her, and her
plump hand. all curves like her plump
face and her plump body. spread open
in appeal.
Marta, who, in the breeding of her
generation, felt sentiment as more or
less of lure from logic, dropped be-
side the bed in sudden burst of sem
timent and gathered the plump hand
in hers and kissed 1t.
Mother, you are wonderful" she
said. Mother, you are great!"