Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-09-26


infantry. Hill crests, set off with
flashes running back and forth, de-
marked infantry lines Of the Browns
assisting the automatics.
There were lulls between the
crashes of the small arms and the
heavy, throaty speech of the guns;
lulls that seemed to say that both
sides had paused for breathing
spell; lulls that allowed the battle in
the distance to be heard in its perva-
sive undertone. In one Of them, when
even the undertonei had ceased for a
few seconds, Marta caught family the
groans of wounded malone of the
crew of Gray dirigible burned by
an explosion and brought in his agony
softly to earth by billowng piece OF
envelope which acted as parachute
Fighting proceeded in La Tir in
stages of ferocity and blank silence
The upper part of the town, which
the Browns still held. was in dark
ness; the lower part, where the Grays
were, was illuminated.
"Another one Of Lanny's plans!'
thought Marta. "He would have them
work in the light, while we fire out
of obscurity!"
Soon all the town was in darkness,
for the Grays had cut the wire in the
main conduit shortly after she had
heard the groans of the wounded man.
There the automatics broke out in
mad storm, voicing their feelings at
getting a company in close order In
street for the space Of a minute, be-
fore those who escaped could plaster
themselves against doorways or find
cover in alleys. Then silence from
the automatics and cheer from the
Browns that rasped out its triumph
like the rubbing together of steel files.
From the line of defense, that In
cluded the first terrace of the Galland
grounds as the angle of redoubt, not
a shot, not sound; silence on the
part of officers and men as profound
as Mrs. Galland's slumber, while one
of the Browns search-lights, like some
great witch's slow-tdrning eye in
narrow radius, covered the lower ter
races and the road.
Marta gave intermittent glances at
the garden; the glances of guardian.
She happened to be looking in That
direction when figures sprang across
the road, crouching, running with the
short, quick steps of no body move
ment accompanying that OF the legs.
The search-light caught them in mer-
CHESS silhouette and the automatic
and the rifles from behind the sand
bags on the first terrace let go. Some
of the figures dropped and lay In the
road and she knew that she had seen
men hit for the first time. Others, she
thought, got safely to the cover OF the
gutter on the garden side. OF those
on the road, some were still and some
she saw were moving slowly back on
their stomachs to safety Now the
search-light laid it's beam steadily on
the road. Again silence. From the
upper terrace came a great voice, like
that of the guns, from human throat:
"Why didn't we level those ter
races? They'll creep up from one to
the othcr!" 1t was Stransky.
In answer was another voice-Del-
larme's.
Perhaps there wasn't time to do
everything. If they get as far as the
first terrace-well, in case of a crisis,
we have hand-grenades. But, God
knows, hope we shall not have to
use them"
After an interval, more figures made
rush across the road. They, too, in
Stranskys words, paid a price for
seeing the garden. But the flashes
from the rifles and the automatic pro-
vided a target for Gray battery. The
blue spark that flies from an overhead
trolley or a third rail, multiplied a
hundredfold, broke in Marta's face.
1t was dazzling, binding as a bolt Of
lightning a few feet distant, with the
thunder crash at the. same second,
followed by the thrashing hum of bull
let's and fragments against the side
of the house.
"I Knew that this must comet"
something within her said. II she
had not been prepared for it by the
events of the last twelve hours she
would have jumped to her feet with
an exclamation of natural shock and
horror AS it was. she felt convul
sive, nervous thrill without rising
from her seat. A pause. The next
shell burst in line with the first, out
by the linden-trees; third above the
veranda.
We've got that range, all right"
thought the Gray battery commander,
who had judged the distance by the
staff map. This was all he wanted to
know for the present. He would let
loose at the proper time to support
the infantry attack. when there were
enough driblets across the road to
make charge. The driblets kept on
coming. and, one by one, the number
of dead on the road was augmented.
Marta was diverted from this proc
ess Of killing by piecemeal by more
Theatre spectacle. A brigade COM
mander of the Grays had licked an