The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1914-09-11

Il not permit itp He smiled will
the kindly patronage Of great mar
who sees charming woman founder
ing In an attempt at logic. 1T is fol
the premier to say. merely make the
machine ready. The government sayt
the word that makes 1t move. I able
to stop war! Come, come!"
"But you can--yes, you can with q
word!" she declared positively.
How?" he asked, amazed. "How?'
he repeated blandly.
Was she teasing him? he wondered
What new resources of confusion had
ten years and tour around the world
developed in her? Was 1t possible that
the whole idea of the teachers of peace
was an invention to make converse
ton at his expense? II so, she carried
It off with sincerity that suggested
other depths yet unsounded.
Very easily" she answered. "You
can tell the premier that you cannot
win. Tell him that you will break your
army to pieces against the Browns
Notifications!
He gasped. Then an inner voice
prompted him that the cue was
comedy.
Excellent fooling-excellentl" he
said with q laugh. TELL the premier
that l should lose when ! have FIVE
million men to their three million'
What harlequin chief of star I
should be! Excellent fooling! You al
most had me!"
Again he laughed. though in the
fashion Of one who had hardly unbent
his spine, while he was wishing for
the old days when he might take tea
with her one or two afternoons week.
II would be q fine tonic after his isola-
ton at the apex Of the pyramid sur
veying the difference Of the lower
levels. Then he saw that her eyes,
shimmering with wonder, grew dull
and her lips parted in q rigid, pale line
as If she were hurt.
"You think am joking?" she asked.
why, yes!"
But I am not! No, no, not about
such a ghastly subject as a war to-
day!" She was leaning toward him,
hands. on knee and eyes burning like
Goals without spark. ''I"-she paused
as she had before she broke out with
the first prophecy-I will quote part
of our children's oath: I will not be
coward. 1t is a coward who strikes
first. A brave man even after he re-
ceives blow tries to reason with his
Rssailant, and does not strike back ur-
til he receives second blow. shall
not let burglar drive me from my
house. If an enemy tries to take my
land shall appeal to his sense of jus
tice and reason with him, but If he
then persists l shall fight for my
home. II am victorious l shall not
try to take his land but to make the
most Of my own. ! shall never cross
frontier to kill my fellowmen.'"
Very impressive she made the oath.
Her deliberate recital Of 1t had the
quality which justihes every word
with an urgent faith.
= "You see, with that teaching there
can be no war;" she proceeded. "and
those who strike will be weak; those
who defend will be strong"
Perhaps" he said.
you would not like to see thou
sands, hundreds Of thousands, Of men
killed and manned, would your" she
and her eyes held the hor.
ror Of the sight in reality. "You can
prevent it-you cant" Her heart was
In the appeal.
"The old argument! No, should
not like to see that" he replied. Il
only do my duty as q soldier to my
country"
"The old answer! The more reason
why you should tell the premier you
can't! But there is still another reason
for telling him." she urged gently.
Now he saw her not at twentySeven
but at seventeen, girlish, the subject
Of no processes of reason but in the
spell of an intuition, and he knew that
something out of the blue in fash |
was coming.
For you will not win!" she declared.
This struck fire. Square jaw and
sturdy body, in masculine energy, reso-
lutte and trained, were set indomitably |
against feminine vitality.
"Yes, we shall win! We shall win!"
he said without even the physical dem
onstration Of gesture and in a hard, |
even voice which was like that of the |
machinery Of modern war itself,
voice which the aristocratic sniff, the.
Louis XVI curls, or any Of the old gal
heroes would have thought |
utterly lacking In histrionics suitable
10 the occasion. He remained rigid |
after he had spoken, handsome, self
There was no use Of beating femi-
line fists against such a stone wall.
The force Of the male was supreme.
She smiled with a strange, quivering
oosening Of the lips. She spread out
Ter hands with fingers apart, as II to
ct something run free from them into
he air. and the fame Of appeal that
lad been In her eyes broke into many
lights that seemed to scatter into