Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-10-22

Hugging the cover of the ridge Of
fresh earth which they had thrown up
the previous night, they watched the
white posts. Stransky, who had been
| ruminatively silent all the morning.
was in his place, but he was not look
ing at the enemy. Cautiously, to avoid
a reprimand, he raised his head TO en-
able him to glance along the line. All
/ the faces seemed drawn and clayish
They don't want TO fight! They're
just here because they're ordered here
and haven't the character to defy au-
thority," he thought The leaven is
! working! My time is coming."
For Dellarme the minute had come
when all his training was to be put to
test The figures on the other side of
the white posts were rising He was 10
prove by the way he directed com
Dany of infantry in action whether or
not he was worthy Of his captains
rank. He smiled cheerily In order
| that he might watch how each man
used his rife, he drew back of the line,
his slim body erect as he rested on
one knee, his head level with the
other heads while he fingered his
whistle. The instant that Eugene
Aronson sprang over the white post
blast from the whistle began the
| war.
1t was a signal, too, for Stransky
to play the part he had planned; to
make the speech Of his life. His six
feet of stature shot to its feet with
a Jack-in-the-box abruptness, under
the impulse of a mighty and reckless
passion
Men, stop hring!" he howled thun-
derously. Stop firing on your broth
ers! Like you, they are only the
pawns of the ruling class, who keep
US all pawns In order that they may
have champagne and caviare. Com
rades, I'll lead you! Comrades, we'll
take white flag and go down to meet
| our comrades and Wen fird that they
think as we do! I'll lead you!"
The appeal was drowned in the
cracking of the rifles working as regu-
| larly as punching-machines in a fac
tory. Every soldier was seeing only
his sight and the running figures IN
| der 1t. Mechanically and automatical-
| ly, training had been projected into
| action, anticipation into realization. A
| spectator might as well have called to
a man in hundred-yard dash to stop
running, to an oarsman in a race to
| jump out Of his shell.
The company sergeant sprang for
| Stransky with an oath. But Stransky
was in no mood to submit. He felled
| the sergeant with a blow and reck
lessly defiant stared at Dellarme.
while the men, steadily firing, were
| still oblivious of the scene. The ser
| geant, stunned, rose to his knees and
reached for his revolver DeIlarme,
bent over to keep his head below the
crest, had already drawn his as he
! fastened toward them.
''Will you get down? Will you take
your place with your rifie?" demanded
! Dellarme.
Stransky laughed thunderously in
scorn. He was handsome titanic, and
| barbaric, with his huge shoulders
stretching his blouse, which fell loose
| Iy around his narrow hips, while the
| fist that had felled the sergeant was
| still clenched.
mo" said Stransky. you won't
! XIII much if you kill me and you'd kill
| less if you shot yourself! God AL
mighty! Do you think I'm afraid? Ne
-afraid?"
His eyes in a bloodshot glare, as
incorporating as those Of a bull in
an arena watching the next move Of
| the red cape Of the matador, regarded
| Dellarme, who hesitated in admiration
of the picture of human force before
| him. But the old sergeant, smarting
under the insult of the blow, his sand
stone features notified with red
patches, had no computations of this
order He was ready to act as execu-
| toner.
IF you don't want to shoot, I can!
| An qSample-the law! There's no
other way of dealing with him. Give
| the word!'' he said to Dellarme.
Stransky laughed, now in strident
cynicism. Dellarme still hesitated,