Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-11-26

He had told Marta only two weeks
ago that he should see her again if
war came; and war had come. With
the inviting prospect of a few holiday
moments in which to continue the in
teryiew that had been abruptly con-
GUIDED in hotel reception-room. he
started down the terrace steps. Above
the second terrace he saw a crown of
Woman's hair-haiF of jet abundance,
shading face that brought familiar
completeness to the scene Their
chances met where the path ended
at the second terrace fight; hers shot
With beam Of restrained and ques-
tioning good humor that spoke at
least truce to the invader.
You called sooner than I expected,
she said in a note of equivocal pleas
antry.
COR L. he rejoined with a shade of
triumph, the poHtest of triumph. He
was a step above her, her head on a
level with the pocket of his E,ouse.
His square shoulders, commanding
height, and military erectness were
- - iii BA4cAo4ACOB as w DIS uRT OWL I6Ill-
nine slightness.
I want to thank you" she said. "As
becomes a soldier, your forethought
was expressed in action 1t was the
promptness Of the men you sent to
look after the garden which saved the
uprooted plants before they were past
recovery"
wished it for your sake and some
what for my own sake to be the same
that it was in the days when I used
to call" he said graciousIy. Tea was
from four to five, do you remember?
VIII you join me? have just ordered
it,
A generous, pleasant conqueror,
this! No one knew better than Wester-
ling how to be one when he chose. He
was something of an actor. Leaders
of men Of his type usually are.
why, yes. Very gladly" she as
scented with no undue cordiality and
no undue constraint, quite as if there
were no war
Neutrality could not be better i'm
personated, he thought, than in the
even cleaving Of her lips over the
words. They seemed to say that
storm had come and gone and a new
set of masters had taken the place of
the old. AS they approached the
Veranda Francois was placing the tea
things.
Just like the old days, isn't it," he
exclaimed with his first sip, convinced
that the officers commissary supplied
excellent tea in the field
yes, for the moment-if we forget
the war!" she replied and looked
away, preoccupied, toward the land
scape.
If we forget the war! She bore on
the words rather grimly. The change
that he had noted between the Marta
of the hotel reception-room and the
Marta of the moment was not alto
gether the work Of ten years. 1t had
developed since she was in the CAPT.
tai In these three weeks war had
been brought to her door. She had
been under heavy fire. Yet this sub
ject of the war was the one which he,
as an invader, considered himself
bound to avoid.
I'VE do forget it at tea, don't we?'
he asked.
"At least we need not speak of it,"
she replied.
q am staying tonight. I was going
to ask if you wouldn't remain on the
veranda while 1 go over these pa
pers. lit would be very coy and
pleasant"
why, yes" she agreed with evident
pleasure.
Turcas came, in answer to Wester-
Iing's ring. The orders and sugges-
tons on the table seemed to be the
product of this Iath of a man, the vice
chief, but a lath of steel, not wood,
who appeared runner trained for