Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1914-12-09

race OF intellecrs In the scratch clasN
One by one. almost persunctorsly.
5Westerling gave his< Assem- ass he
passed the papers to Tureas: whils
Turcas's dry voice. coming from be-
tween narrow opening Of the thin
lips, gave his reasons with a rapid
,trer's precision in answer 10 his
fchief's inquiries.
with each order somewhere along
! that frontier some unit of a great or.
pgsnfsn ,w6tad esp6nd-.as IT fA Reserves
fEom this position would be trans
ffeffef % stiist; ssdehx POSITION Would
be felt out, before darkhs a reconnois
sance In force. however costly; the
sApidsffers OF the Isth Division would
&c. transfeJ Eed to the 2gth;; despite the
I'm. Rrfgads's losses. Il would still
y Qrm. the. advance; &eneral. Soand-S So
IOgogldnbe. superseded afte his failure
pef yesterday; Colonel So-and-So would
peaixg his place az acting major general;
fh0rsSeare must be exercised in recon-
mendations for Bronze crosses. lest
their value so fdepreciate that officers
and men would lack incentive to win
them. 80
Marta was having look behind the
scenes at the fountainhead OF great
events. Power! power! The abso-
lutte power of the soldier In the saddle,
with premier and government and all
the institutions of peace only dim
background for the processes Of wari
Opposite her was a man who could
make and unmake not only generals
but even the destinies Of peoples BY
every sign he enjoyed his power for
its own sake. There must be chief
Of the five millions, which we're as a
moving forest of destruction, and here
was the chief, his strength reflected
in the strong muscles of his short
neck as he turned his head to listen
to Turcas. Marta recalled the con-
trast between Westerling and Lam
stron as they faced each other after
the wreck of the aeroplane ten years
ago; the iron invincibility of the
elders sturdy, mature figure and the
alert. high-strung inyincibility of the
slighter figure of the younger man.
He had taken up paper thought
fully after Tureas withdrew, when he
looked up to Marta in answer to
movement In her chair. She had bent
forward in pose that freed her figure
from the chair back in an outline of
suppleness and firmness; her lips were
parted, showing faint line of the
white of her teeth, and he caught her
gazing at him in kind of wondering
admiration. But she dropped her eye
lids instantly and said deliberately,
less to him than to herself:
You have the gift!'
No tea-table fiattery that, he knew;
only the reflection of fact whose ex-
istence had been borne In on her by
observation.
THE gift? HOWE" he inquired,
speaking to the fringe of hair that
half hid hel lowered face.
She locked up, smiling brightly.
You don't know what gift! Not
the pianist's! Not the poets! Why,
Of course, the supreme gift of com
nand! The thing that made you chief
of staff And the war goes well for
you, doesn't lbE
Delicious morsel. this, to connois-
seur in compliments! He tasted It
with the same self.satisffed smile that
he had her first prophecy. To her
Who had then voiced secret he had
shared with no one. as his chest
sWelled with, full breath. he barred
another in the delight of the impress
sion he had made on her.
Yes, asyou foresaw-as planned!"
he Said. yes. | planned all. step by
step, till was chief of STAFF and ready.
l convinced the premier that it was
time to strike and chose the hour to
strike: for Bodlapoo was only a con-
venient excuse for the last Of all the
steps,
cTo BE coNTINUED)