Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-10-08

percentages, not the totals"
"Yet. eight hundred thousand! II
the public knew" exclaimed the pre-
mier
THE public does not know" said
Westerling.
"They guess. They realize that we
stopped the soldiers letters because
they told bad news. The situation 10
serious"
"Why not give the public something
10 think about ?" Westerling demanded.
i've tried 1t doesn't work. The
murmurs increase. | repeat, my fears
of a rising of the women are we'll
grounded. There is mutiny in the air.
| feel it through the columns OF the
press, though they are censored. /
Then, soon I'll give the public some
thing to think about, myself" Wester-
ling broke in. THE dead will be for
gotten. The wounded will be proud
of their wounds and their fathers and
mothers triumphant when our army
descends the other side of the range
and starts on its march to the Browns
capital
But you have not yet taken a
single fortress!" persisted the premier
And the Browns report that they have
lost only three hundred thousand
men,"
''Lanstron is lying!" retorted Wes-
terling holly. But no matter. We
have taken positions with every at
tack and kept crowding in closer. l
ask nothing better than that the
Browns remain on the defensive leav-
ing initiative to us. We have devel-
offensive always wins. l know where
l am going to attack; they do not.
shall not give them time to reinforce
the defense at our chosen point.
have still plenty of live soldiers left.
l shall go in with men enough this
time to win and to hold"
"The army is yours, Westerling,"
concluded the premier. Il admire your
stolidity of purpose. You have my con-
fidence. l shall wait and hold the stu
alloll at liOt1lC lilS UCSC CdA w q 81
into the hall of fame or into the gut
ter together, you and T."
For while after he had hung up
the receiver Westerling's head
dropped, his muscles relaxed, giving
mind and body release from tension
But his spine was as stiff as ever as
he left the closet, and he was even
smiling to give the impression that
the news from the capital was favor.
able.
When he called his chiefs of divi
sion it was hardly for staff council
Stunned by the losses and repulses
loyalty Industrious, their opinions un.
asked, they listened to his whirlwind
of orders without coument-all except
Turcas.
eff they are apprised of our plan and
are able to concentrate more artillery
thanfo our guns can silence, the losses
will be demoralizing," he observed.
Westerling threw up his head, frown.
ing down the objection.
Suppose they amount to half the
forces that we send I'M" he exclaimed
isn't the position, which means the
pass and the range, worth it,"
Eyes, if we both take and hold it;
not if we fail" replied Turcas, quite
unaffected by Westerling's manner
Failure is not in my lexicon" Yves
terling shot back. For great gains
there must be great risks
1--WE prepare for the movement
your excellency," answered Turcas.
1t was steel harness of his own
will that Westerling wore, without ad
hitting that 1t CALLED him, and he laid
it off only in Marta's presence. With
her, his growing sense of isolation had
the relief of companionship. She be
came a kind of mirror of his egoism
and ambitions. He liked to have hel
think of him as a great man unruffled
among weaker men. In the quiet anG
seclusion of the garden, Involuntary
as one who has no confidant speaks
to himself, reserving fortitude for his
part before the staff, while she, under
the spell of her purpose, silently, with
serene and wistfully listening eyes
played hers, he outlined how the fina
and telling blow was to be struck.
1--WE must and we shall win!" he
kept repeating.
Through a rubber disk held to his
ear in the closet of his bedroom {
voice, tremulous with nervous fatigue
was giving Lanstron news that all his
aircraft and cavalry and spies could
| not have gained; news worth more
than score of regiments; news fresh
| from the lips of the chief of staff Of
the enemy. The attack was to be
made at the right of Engadir, It's cen
ter breaking from the redoubt manned
by Fracasses men.
| Marta, you genius!" Lanstron CRIED
"You are the real general! YOU"
mot that, pleased" she broke in
"Im as foul and depraved as dealer
in subtle poisons in the middle ages
Oh, the shame of it, while l look into
his eyes and feign admiration, feign
everything which will draw out his
plans! I can never forget the sight
of him as he told me how two or three
or four hundred thousand men were
to be crowded into a ram, as he called