Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-11-19
CHAPTER XIII.
From Brown to GRAY,

From Brown to Gray.
you, Marta-you are still there!"
Lanstron exclaimed in alarm when he
heard her voice over the tunnel tele-
phone. But safe!" he added in re-
lief. Thank God for that! It's a
mighty load off my mind. And your
mother?"
Safe, too"
We'll, you're through the worst of
it. There won't be any more fighting
around the house, and certainly West
erling will be courteous. But where
is Gustave?"
"Gone!"
"Gone!" he repeated dismally.
wait until you hear how he went, :"
Marta said. With all the vividness of
her impressions, partisan for the mo-
ment of, him and Dellarme, she
sketched Feller's part with the auto
matte.
AS he listened, Lanstron's spirit was
twenty again.
q can see him. he said. 1T was a
full breath of fresh air to the lungs
OF a suffocating man. I"
Marta was off in interruption in the
full tide of an appeal.
You must-I promised-you must
let him have the uniform again!" she
begged. You must let him keep his
automatic. To take it away would
be like separating mother and child;
like separating Minna from CIarissa
Eileen"
Better than an automatic-a bat
terry of guns!" replied Lanstron. This
is where I will use any influence
have with Partow for all it is worth.
Yes. and he shall have the iron cross.
1t is for such deeds as his that the
iron cross was meant"
Thank YOU" she said. It's worth
something to make man as happy as
YOU will make him. Yes, you are real
flesh and blood to do this, Lanny."
Her point won with surprising ease,
when she had feared that military
form and law could not be circum-
vented. she leaned against the wall
! in reaction. For twenty-four hours
she had been without sleep. The in
terest of her appeal for Feller had
kept up her strength after the excite
ment of the fight for the redoubt was
| over. Now there seemed nothing left
| to do.
| That's fine of you, Lannyi" she
! said. you've taken it like a good
stole, this loss of your thousandth
! chance You really believed in it,
/ didn't your"
Forgotten already, like the many
/ other thousandth chances that have
! failed" he replied cheerfully. Zone
of the virtues of Partow's steel au-
donations is that, being fearless as
well as passionless, they never cry
over split milk. And now" ne went
on soberly, Eve must be saying good,
by"
"Good-by, Lanny? Why. what do
you mean?" She was startled
Till the war is over he said, land
longer than that, perhaps, if La Tir
remains in Gray territory"
you speak as if you thought you
were going to lose!"
Not while many of our soldiers are
alive, if they continue to show the
spirit that they have shown so far;
not unless two men can crush one
man in the automatic-gun-recoil age
But La Tir is in a tangent and already
| in the Grays' possession, while we aci
on the defensive. So l should hardly
be flying over your garden again"
But there's the telephone, Lanny
and here we are talking over it this
very minute!" she expostulated.
You must remove it." he said. "Ii
the Grays should discover it they
might form a suspicion that would put
you in an unpleasant position"
The telephone had become almost g
familiar institution in her thoughts
/ Its secret had something of the fasci
nation for her of magic.
NONSENSE" she exclaimed. q an
going to be very lonely I want tc
Flearn how Teller is doing-I want tc
chat with you. So I decide not to LEI
it be taken out. And, you see, have
the tactical situation, as you soldiers
call it, all in my favor The worE
of removal must be done at my enc
of the line. You're quite helpless II
enforce your wishes. And, Larny. i
I ring the bell you'll answer, won
your"
y couldn't help it" he replied.
Until then! You've been fine abou
everything today!"
Until them"
When Marta left the tower she knew
only that she was weary with tn,