Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-12-24

MARTA was thinking tlat Sne mad
been skating on very thin ice and
that she must go on skating till she
broke through. There was an exhila-
ration about it that she could not re,
sist: the exhilaration Of risk and the
control of her faculties, prompted by
a purpose hypnotically compelling
Both were silent, she watching the
sky, he in anticipation and suspense
The rose went violet and the shadows
over the range deepened.
The guns and the troops wait
With darkness the music begins!" he
said slowly, with start of stern
fervor.
THE music-the music! He calls
it music!" ran through Marta's mind
mockingly, but she did not open her
lips.
They wait, ready, every detail ar
ranged" he continued proudly.
The sky merged into the shadows of
| the landscape that spread and thick
ened into blackness. Out of The drawn
curtains Of night broke an ugly flash
and farther up the slope spread the
explosive circle of light of a bursting
| shell
The signal" he exclaimed.
tight and left the blasts spread
along the Gray lines and right and
left, on the instant, the Browns sent
their blasts in reply. Countless tongues
Of fame seemed TO burst from count
less craters, and the range to rock in
torment of crashes. In the inter
! Yening space between the ugly. saw
| age gusts from the Gray gun mouths,
which sent their shells from the midst
/ OF exploding Brown shells, swept the
/ beams Of the Brown search-Iights,
their rays lost like sunlight in the vor-
tex of an open furnace door.
Splendid! splendid" exclaimed
| Westerling, in a sweep of emotion at
the sight that had been born of his
command. Five thousand guns on
our side alone! The world has never
seen the equal of this!"
Marta looked away from the range
to his face. very distinct in the garish
illumination. Il was the face of a
maestro Of war seeing al his rehear-
sails and ali his Iabors come true in
| symphonic qualification to the eye
and ear; the face O. man of trained
mind, the product Of civilization, with
| the citation Of a party leader on the
floor of a parliament in a crisis.
Soon, now!" said Westerling, and
/ looked at his watch.
/ Shortly, in the direction of Engadir,
to the rear Of the steady flashes
| broke forth line after line of flashes
as the longrange batteries, which so
far had been silent, joined their might
Ter voices to the chorus, making a con-
| tinuOus leaping burst of explosions
over the Brown positions, which were
the real object of the attack.
The moment I've lived fort" ex-
claimed Westerling Our infantry is
starting up the apron of Engadfr! We
held back the fire of the heavy guns
concentrated for the purpose of sup
| porting the men with an outburst.
Three hundred heavy guns pouring in
their shells on a space of two acres!
! We're tearing their redoubts to pieces!
| They can't see to firei They can't
| live under it! They're in the crater
of a volcano! When our infantry is
on tie edge of the wreckage the guns
cease. Our infantry crowd in-crowd
into the house that Partow built.
He'll find that numbers count; that
/ the Iower of modern gunf1re will open
/ the VA for infantry il masses to take
and hold vital tactical positions! And
-no-no, their fire in reply is not as
strong as I expected"
Because they are letting you in!
1t will he strong enough in due sea
/ sop!"s thought Marta in the uncontroI-
liable tTirmph of antagonism Five
against three was in his tone and in
every line of his features.
/ It's had for a soldier to leave a
sight like This, but the real news will
be awaiting me at my desk" he con-
/ Guided, adding, as he turned away:
It's fireworks worth seeing, and if
you remain here l will return to tell
you the results."
! Turning her back to the range for
| the moment, she saw the twinkle of
! the lights of the town and the threads
of light of the wagon-trains and the
! sweep of the lights of the railroad
! trains on the plain; while in the fore
! ground every window of the house was
ablaze, like some factory on a busy
night shift. She could hear the click
of the telegraph instruments already
reporting the details of the action as
.@heerfully as Brobdingnagian crickets
! in their peaceful surroundings. Then
out of the shadows Westerling reap
peared.
The apron of Engadir is ours!" he
called. Thanks to you!" he added
with pointed emphasis. Back in the
house he had received congratula-
lions with a nod, as if success were
a matter of course. Before her, ex-
ultation unbent stiffness. and he was
| hoarsely triumphant and eager. Its
plain sailing now" he went on. "a
break in the main line! We have
only to drive home the wedge, and
then-and them" he concluded.
She felt him close, his breath on
her cheek.
Peace!" she fastened to say, draw
/ ing back instinctively.
And then! The irony of the words
in the light of her knowledge was
pointed by a terrific renewal of the
thunders and the flashes far up on the
range, and she could not resist re-
/ joicing in her heart
That's the Browns!" exclaimed
! Westerling in surprise.
The volume of fire increased. With
the rest Of the frontier in darkness,
the Engadir section was an isolated
blaze. In its light she saw his fea-
lures, without alarm but hardening in
logged intensity.
They've awakened to what they have
lost! They have been rushing up re-
serves and are making a counter
attack. We must hold what we have
/ gained, no matter what the cost"
His last cpntoDan